INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Texas A&M freshman Donavan Brazier has been recognized as USATF Athlete of the Week following his record-breaking performance in winning the NCAA 800m title last weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene.
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Brazier dominated the NCAA Outdoor final with an astonishing performance of 1:43.55 and bettered quite a few records along the way, including a 50-year-old standard set by Jim Ryun at 880 yards when he was a freshman at Kansas. Both Brazier (1997) and Ryun (1947) were born in the month of April and each set their mark on the same date of June 10.
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Performances bettered by Texas A&M's Donavan Brazier:
Brazier became the first freshman winner since 1988 (Paul Ereng, Virginia) and is just the fifth freshman overall to win the NCAA 800m title. He also moves to No. 8 on the all-time U.S. list and No. 7 on the World Junior list, where he is the lone American among the top 10.
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During the NCAA semifinal race in Eugene, Brazier broke the Aggie school record with a 1:45.07 clocking, which also served as the fastest qualifying time ever in a NCAA semifinal. The previous best NCAA qualifying time was 1:45.54 set in 2010 (Robby Andrews, Virginia).
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Brazier's semifinal time bettered the Texas A&M record of 1:46.15 recently set by teammate Hector Hernandez as runner-up during the SEC Championships. Brazier finished third in that race with a 1:46.19.
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Brazier now has recorded six of the top 12 performances on the all-time U.S. junior list. They include the record of 1:43.55, followed by 1:45.07 (No. 3), 1:45.93i (No. 7), 1:46.08i (No. 8), 1:46.19 (No. 9), and 1:46.53 (No. 12).
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This is the second time the 19-year-old Brazier of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has received the USATF honor this season. He was also named Athlete of the Week when he broke the American indoor junior record with a 1:45.93 victory in January.
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Now in its 15th year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport.Â
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Brazier dominated the NCAA Outdoor final with an astonishing performance of 1:43.55 and bettered quite a few records along the way, including a 50-year-old standard set by Jim Ryun at 880 yards when he was a freshman at Kansas. Both Brazier (1997) and Ryun (1947) were born in the month of April and each set their mark on the same date of June 10.
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Performances bettered by Texas A&M's Donavan Brazier:
| Â Collegiate best | 1:44.3h | Jim Ryun (Kansas) [1:44.9y - 880] | 6/10/1966 |
| Â Collegiate record | 1:44.55 | Julius Achon (George Mason) | 5/04/1996 |
| Â American Collegiate record | 1:44.70 | Mark Everett (Florida) | 6/01/1990 |
| Â NCAA meet record | 1:44.70 | Mark Everett (Florida) | 6/01/1990 |
| Â American Junior record | 1:44.9y | Jim Ryun (Kansas) | 6/10/1966 |
| Â Hayward Field record [equals] | 1:43.5h | Rich Wohlhuter (UCTC) | 6/08/1974 |
| Â Texas A&M record | 1:45.07 | Donavan Brazier | 6/08/2016 |
| Â Extended season (past NCAA meet) | Â | Â | Â |
| Â American Collegiate best | 1:43.74 | Earl Jones (Eastern Michigan) | 6/19/1984 |
Brazier became the first freshman winner since 1988 (Paul Ereng, Virginia) and is just the fifth freshman overall to win the NCAA 800m title. He also moves to No. 8 on the all-time U.S. list and No. 7 on the World Junior list, where he is the lone American among the top 10.
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During the NCAA semifinal race in Eugene, Brazier broke the Aggie school record with a 1:45.07 clocking, which also served as the fastest qualifying time ever in a NCAA semifinal. The previous best NCAA qualifying time was 1:45.54 set in 2010 (Robby Andrews, Virginia).
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Brazier's semifinal time bettered the Texas A&M record of 1:46.15 recently set by teammate Hector Hernandez as runner-up during the SEC Championships. Brazier finished third in that race with a 1:46.19.
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Brazier now has recorded six of the top 12 performances on the all-time U.S. junior list. They include the record of 1:43.55, followed by 1:45.07 (No. 3), 1:45.93i (No. 7), 1:46.08i (No. 8), 1:46.19 (No. 9), and 1:46.53 (No. 12).
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This is the second time the 19-year-old Brazier of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has received the USATF honor this season. He was also named Athlete of the Week when he broke the American indoor junior record with a 1:45.93 victory in January.
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Now in its 15th year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport.Â