A&M Signee Shelbi Vaughan Receives National Honor
Jun 28, 2012 | Volleyball
Vaughan was presented her award earlier this week in Fort Worth by Emmitt Smith, a former Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.
The Mansfield Legacy senior broke the national high school record in the discus multiple times during the 2012 season as she won titles at the Texas Relays, Texas 5A State meet, Golden West, and USA Junior Championships. This past weekend Vaughan finished fourth in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials held in Eugene, Oregon.
Vaughan becomes just the third Texas native to receive the Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year recognition, following Chryste Gaines (1988, South Oak Cliff) and Ychlindra Spears (2001, Luling). Vaughan is now a finalist for the Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, which will be presented during a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
As a 6-foot-2, 17-year-old, Vaughan reached a career best 198 feet, 9 inches in the discus to win the USA Junior Championship and earn a trip to the World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain in early July.
Vaughan is one of only two girls in prep history to throw the discus over 190 feet and she has accomplished the feat five times. Vaughan was a double State 5A champion in the shot put (50-1.25) and discus (187-10), where she set a career best in the shot put.
Earlier in the season Vaughan was a double winner during the Texas Relays with marks of 48-10.75 and 191-5. The discus mark broke the national high school record of 190-3 set by Anna Jelmini in 2009.
During the Golden West meet in California, Vaughan won the discus with a massive toss of 193-11 to eclipse the recognized American junior record of 190-6 set by Suzy Powell in 1995.
Then at the USA Junior Championships Vaughan improved her national high school and American junior records to a very impressive distance of 198-9 in earning a berth to the World Junior Championships.
While attempting to reach the Olympic A standard of 203-5 during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Vaughan produced a best of 195-9 to place fourth among an elite field of throwers.
