Big 12 weekly honors for Beard, Phiri
Jan 13, 2009 | Track and Field
Jan. 13, 2009
Irving - With the opening of the 2009 indoor season this past weekend the first weekly honor from the Big 12 for Athlete of the Week in track and field features a pair of Aggies.
Jessica Beard and Gerald Phiri, both selected as Freshman of the Year in the Big 12 conference last season, each earned their first weekly indoor Athlete of the Week award.
Competing at the Arkansas Invitational last Friday, Beard established a career indoor best of 23.59 seconds in the 200 meters to win the event. Her time became the No. 3 performer on the Texas A&M all-time indoor list and is a NCAA provisional mark.
Beard also recorded a split of 52.4 seconds as the third leg of the Aggies 4 x 400 relay, which won by eight and a half seconds in setting a NCAA provisional mark of 3:37.91.
Phiri, who shared the men's honor with Chris Rohr of Missouri, also set a career indoor best of 21.23 seconds in winning the 200 and earning a NCAA provisional mark. Phiri is the No. 6 performer on the Aggie all-time indoor list and recorded the third fastest time among A&M sprinters on a 200-meter track.
Texas A&M returns to action on Saturday, January 24, when they host the TAMU vs. UT Dual meet. The No. 6 Aggie men will compete against the No. 7 Texas men while the No. 1 A&M women challenge No. 4 Tennessee as the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium has its official opening.
