Hastings, Dahlgren named Division I Women’s Track and Field Athletes of the Year
Posted Wednesday, 13 June, 2007
(USTCCCA release)
South Carolina sprinter Natasha Hastings and Georgia thrower Jenny Dahlgren are the NCAA Division I Outdoor Women’s Athletes of the Year, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches announced today.
Hastings is the Women’s Track Athlete of the Year for the Division I outdoor season. Dahlgren is the Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.
Hastings won the 400 meters at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in 50.15 seconds, the second-fastest clocking in meet history. She was undefeated during the collegiate season, also winning Southeastern Conference and Mideast Region titles by large margins.
Dahlgren set a collegiate record in the hammer throw, reaching 237 feet, 4 inches at the Spec Towns Invitational in April. She won the Southeastern Conference and East Region titles and set a meet record of 232-0 in winning her second straight NCAA championship last week in Sacramento.
The competition for top national honors was fierce this year, with several top challengers in both categories. Alyssa Johnson of Cal, Katie Erdman of Michigan and Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech had outstanding seasons on the track, as did Rhonda Watkins of UCLA, Sarah Stevens of Arizona State and Destinee Hooker of Texas on the field.
Hastings, a junior from Rosedale, N.Y., broke 51 seconds four times during the outdoor season. She clocked a world-leading 50.23 in winning the East Region title and lowered her best to 50.15 at the NCAA Championships. She narrowly missed the collegiate and meet record of 50.10, set by UCLA’s Monique Henderson in 2005.
Hastings also anchored South Carolina to a second-place finish in the 4 x 400 relay at the NCAA Championships. Earlier this year, she set a collegiate indoor record of 50.80 in winning the NCAA indoor title.
Dahlgren, a senior from Buenos Aires, Argentina, set a collegiate and South American record in the hammer with her 237-4 throw. At the NCAA Championships, Dahlgren beat the second-longest performer in collegiate history, Brittany Riley of Southern Illinois (227-4). Dahlgren had the three longest throws of the competition – 228-1 (twice) and 232-0.
In 2006, Dahlgren won the NCAA hammer title outdoors and the 20-pound weight throw indoors.
Earlier this week, Walter Dix of Florida State and Jake Arnold of Arizona were named the Division I Men’s Athletes of the Year, and Bob Braman of Florida State and Greg Kraft of Arizona State were selected the Division I Coaches of the Year.
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