USATF Masters Athletes of the Year announced
By Kelcey Zutavern, USATF
Posted Thursday, 7 June, 2007
The USATF Masters Track and Field Awards Committee has announced its Athletes of the Year for 2007. The awards are based on their accomplishments during the 2006 outdoor and 2007 indoor track seasons.
At the top of the list are two athletes who have earned the highest honors of Masters Track and Field. Nolan Shaheed, of Pasadena, Calif., was named Masters Male Athlete of the Year, and Alisa Harvey, of Manassas, Va., has been named Masters Female Athlete of the Year. The remaining athletes have earned awards within their respective age brackets.
Shaheed, age 57, has been known for years among masters athletes as the most dominant distance runner of his age division. In the 55-59 age classification, he was undefeated last year and ranked number one in the United States in all of the following events: 800m, 1,500m, Mile and 3000m. He was National Masters champion in four events. His 1,500m time of 4:26.7 at the Indoor Masters Championships in Boston on March 23, 2007 set a new world record for men age 55-59. His 3,000m time of 9:10.27 at the same meet bettered his own American record by nearly 20 seconds. His 800m and 1,500m times were the fastest in the world by any athlete his age.
Last year, at age 40, Alisa Harvey exploded on the masters scene, breaking age-group records and proving to be the fastest-ever American woman middle distance runner over 40. On April 29, 2006, she smashed an American age group record in the mile with a time of 4:46.29 at the Penn Relays. She won both the 800m and 1,500m events at the USATF Masters Track & Field Championships in Charlotte, N.C., in August, 2006. In Fairfax, Va, on January 6, 2007 she set a new indoor world record in the mile with a time of 4:47.26. As a 40-year-old-athlete, Harvey is setting new performance standards for masters track and field, yet still races competitively against open athletes.
MASTERS MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Nolan Shaheed - Pasadena, Calif.
MASTERS FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Alisa Harvey - Manassas, Va.
DAVID PAIN DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Phil Byrne - Palm Beach, Fla.
Men 30-59 Masters Athletes of the Year
Bill Collins - Houston, TexasWillie Gault - Los Angeles, Calif.
Bruce McBarnette - Sterling, Va.
Gary Hunter - Fort Wayne, Ind.
Greg Foster - Lumberton, N.J.
Pete Magill - S. Pasadena, Calif.
Women 30-59 Masters Athletes of the Year
Kathryn Martin - Northport, N.Y.Oneithea Lewis - Bayside, N.Y.
Joy Upshaw-Margerum - Los Altos, Calif.
Carol Finsrud - Lockhart, Texas
Monica Kendall - Milwaukie, Ore.
Rita Hanscom - San Diego, Calif.
Men 60+ Masters Athletes of the Year
Emil Pawlik - Jackson, Miss.John Altendorf - Corvallis, Ore.
Ed Burke - Los Gatos, Calif.
Trent Lane - Baker, La.
Bob Matteson - Bennington, Vt.
Mel Larsen - Ames, Iowa
Women 60+ Masters Athletes of the Year
Marie-Louise Michelsohn - New York, N.Y.Nadine O'Connor - Del Mar, Calif.
Phil Raschker - Marietta, Ga.Christel Donley - Colorado Springs, Colo.
Jeanne Daprano - Fayetteville, Ga.
Gerry Davidson - Fallbrook, Calif.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Men 30-59 Honorable Mentions: Aaron Thigpen, John Hinton, Jim Wetenhall, Stacey Price.
Women 30-59 Honorable Mentions: Gail Devers, Regina Richardson, Liz Palmer, Jody Hawkins.
Men 60+ Honorable Mentions: James Stookey, Gerald Vaughn, Leland McPhie, Dennis Sullivan.
Women 60+ Honorable Mentions: Barbara Jordan, Betty Jarvis, Joy MacDonald, Edythe Leek.
Distinguished Service Honorable Mentions: John Seto, Rex Harvey, Bob Weiner, Sandy Pashkin, Mark Cleary, Pete Taylor
Contact:
Kelcey Zutavern
Communications Intern
USA Track & Field
317-261-0500
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