March 5, 2009
Irving - Following an unprecedented third consecutive indoor Big 12 Indoor Championship for the No. 1 Texas A&M women's team at home this past weekend the conference office has announced honors for the 2009 indoor season as selected by the head coaches.
Earning the women's Outstanding Freshman honor is Texas A&M's Vashti Thomas, who scored in three events as the Aggies compiled 130 points in winning a third straight Big 12 Indoor title. A&M head coach earned his third Big 12 Indoor Coach of the Year honor as well.
Thomas, from San Jose, California, placed second in the triple jump with a career best mark of 43-7 (13.28) as she challenged senior teammate Yasmine Regis, who jumped 43-10 twice for the win. Thomas also placed fifth in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.53 after running 8.46 in the prelims. In the long jump she was seventh with a mark of 19-11.75 (6.09).
With her 43-7 mark Thomas moves up to No. 3 on the Aggie all-time indoor list with the No. 3 performance as well. She only trails the 44-4.25 school record by Regis and the previous A&M record of 43-7 .75 set by Detrich Clariett in 1998.
Thomas joins a group of three other Aggies who have claimed Outstanding Freshman five honors the past two seasons. The group includes Jessica Beard (2008 indoor and outdoor), Julian Reid (2008 indoor), and Gerald Phiri (2009 outdoor).
Other Big 12 honors included Colorado's Jenny Barringer being chosen as women's Big 12 Performer of the Year after she won the mile with a collegiate record of 4:25.91, holding off multiple NCAA Champion Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech, who also recorded a time (4:27.19) faster than the previous collegiate record of 4:28.31 set by Villanova's Vicki Huber in 1988.
Oklahoma State's German Fernandez was selected for two conference honors--men's Big 12 Performer of the Year as well as Outstanding Freshman - after he won the mile and 3,000 meters with times of 3:55.02 and 7:57.71.
According to Track & Field News the mile time by Fernandez will share the collegiate record with the 1974 hand-time mark of 3:55.0 set by North Carolina's Tony Waldrop. The time for Fernandez in the 3,000 bettered the Big 12 record for races on a 200-meter banked track, improving on the 8:01.18 set by Dathan Ritzenhein of Colorado in 1998.
The Big 12 men's Indoor Coach of the Year honor went to Bubba Thornton for the third time over the past four seasons.
Cross country academic All-American honors for Mitch Bible, Kevin McNab
New Orleans - Texas A&M distance runners Mitch Bible and Kevin McNab were among an elite field of athletes receiving All-Academic status for the 2008 cross country season.
The award honors those student-athletes who have succeeded both academically and athletically. To be eligible for the award a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average and must finish among the top 15 finishers of the field at a NCAA regional meet or attain All-American status at the NCAA Championships.
Bible and McNab were among a group of six athletes from the Big 12 earning the honor on the men's side, the most from any conference. Bible is a junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering while McNab is a senior majoring in Renewable Natural Resources.
A&M women remain No. 1 heading into NCAA Championships, Aggie men No. 6
New Orleans - Texas A&M women remained No. 1 in the rankings released by the coaches association this week following their successful title defense during the Big 12 Indoor Championships this past weekend.
It marks the eighth consecutive week for the Aggie women to be ranked No. 1 among the top 25 list produced by United State Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association.
The A&M men remained No. 6 following the order of 1. Oregon, 2. Arkansas, 3. Florida State, 4. Nebraska and 5. Florida. Following the Aggie women are 2. Tennessee, 3. LSU, 4. Florida State and 5. Oregon.
Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium will host the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 13-14. Reserved seats are sold out, with general admission tickets still available.