April 24, 2012
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Sophomore All-American Katie Flood was named Pac-12 Women's Track Athlete of the Week for the week of Apr. 16-22, the conference office announced today. Flood moved into the NCAA and U.S. lead in the 1,500-meters this past Friday with a win at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California. The Des Moines, Iowa native won the invitational section at Mt. SAC, cutting seven seconds off her previous career-best with a time of 4:11.66. That ranks as the seventh-fastest time in Pac-12 history, and the fourth-fastest time so far in the world this season outdoors. The 2011 Pac-12 Cross Country Champion and 2012 NCAA Distance Medley Relay Champion now leads the NCAA at 1,500-meters. Flood headed into the final lap battling Colorado's Jessica Tebo, pro runner Nicole Schappert, and Kristen Gillespie of Arkansas, but over the final 100-meters Flood pulled away to win by more than a second. This is the first Pac-12 Athlete of the Week award this season for Washington, and the first of Flood's career. The last Husky women's track athlete to earn the honor was Katie Follett, who got the nod in 2010 after setting the school record at 1,500-meters in 4:10.66, exactly one second faster than Flood's time, also at the Mt. SAC Relays. Washington heads to Pullman, Wash. on Saturday to battle against Washington State in the annual dual meet.
2012 Pac-12 Track & Field Athletes of the Week Women's Track: April 10 - Alex Kosinski, ORE; Turquoise Thompson, UCLA; April 24 - Katie Flood, WASH. Men's Field: April 10 - Chris Benard, ASU; Alec Faldermeyer, UCLA; April 24 - Chris Benard, ASU. Women's Field: April 10 - Brigetta Barrett, ARIZ; Brianna Bain, STAN; Alyssa Hasslen, ARIZ. |
