The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Okolo voted USTFCCCA Track Athlete of the Year
06.16.2016 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Sprinter honored by coaches for efforts in 2016
AUSTIN, Texas – It was a record-breaking year for senior sprinter Courtney Okolo. The USTFCCCA honored her on Thursday as the 2016 USTFCCCA Women's Track Athlete of the Year for NCAA Division I.
Okolo was voted the nation's top female runner for the 2016 outdoor season after she won her second outdoor title in the 400 meters and helped Texas secure a victory in the 4x400 meter relay.
In addition to her NCAA titles outdoors, Okolo broke her own collegiate record with a run of 49.71 seconds in April at the LSU Alumni Gold. That time bested her previous record of 50.03 and made her just the third woman to ever run sub-50 in the month of April.
During her anchor leg on the 4x400 meter relay at the NCAA Championships last weekend, she showed how strong she can close as she trailed by approximately 20 meters with just 150 to go. Okolo moved to the outside with 100 meters to go as she over took the two runners in front of and closed the deal for Texas.
Her winning time of 50.36 seconds at the outdoor championship meet solidified her as one of the best of all-time at her distance as she now claims four of the 10 fastest times in collegiate history. She also has run on three of the 10 fastest 4x400 relay squads outdoors and four of the top seven indoor 4x4's in collegiate history.
At the Big 12 Conference Championship this year, Okolo succeeded in winning her third straight title in the 400 and also finished third in the 200 meters. She also ran on the victorious 4x100 meter relay squad to help Texas secure the team title handily.
This is the second time Okolo has been named the USTFCCCA Women's Track Athlete of the Year, also receiving the award in 2014 when she broke the collegiate record and won her first outdoor NCAA title.
The USTFCCCA also named its men's award winner as well as the field athletes of the year. Arkansas' Jarrion Lawson received the men's track award after winning the 100, 200 and long jump at the NCAA Championships. Texas A&M's Lindon Victor received the field event award after winning the decathlon and posting the No. 4 score in collegiate history at the SEC Championships. Georgia's Keturah Orji received the women's field athlete of the year award. She broke the American record in winning the triple jump at the NCAA Championships last week.
Players Mentioned
