The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's TF's Julien Alfred named Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year
07.31.2023 | Track & Field / Cross Country
The five-time NCAA Champion becomes UT's 15th student-athlete to be named Big 12 Athlete of the Year.
AUSTIN, Texas – After a historic senior season, Texas Track and Field sprinter Julien Alfred was named the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year, the league announced on Monday. The 12-time Big 12 champion and five-time NCAA champion is the 15th Longhorn student-athlete to win the conference's coveted all-sports athlete of the year honor, and first since track and field standout Ashtin Zamzow in 2018-19. Alfred was the 2023 Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Performer of the Year, USTFCCCA National Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and is a Bowerman finalist.
Alfred's dominant, record-setting season solidified her standing as one of the most accomplished and fastest women in not only Texas track and field history, but NCAA history as well. Just how good was Alfred this season? She completed the shorts sprints double at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, becoming the first Big 12 woman to ever accomplish that feat, and first to do it nationally since 1993. She is just the fourth woman in NCAA history to win titles in the 60m and 200m indoors and 100m and 200m outdoors in the same season. Alfred was virtually unbeatable all season long, going undefeated in the 60-meters indoors and 100 and 200-meters outdoors in 2023.
"This is an amazing accomplishment not only for Julien, but our team, coaches and the Texas community," head coach Edrick Floréal said. "It's been a long five years with her and it's truly something special to see it all come together during her last season. She has shown tremendous growth while being at this Univeristy and it's shown both on and off the track."
The St. Lucia native began her last season with the Longhorns breaking the 60m dash collegiate record six times, setting the final mark at 6.94 seconds, while becoming the youngest female to ever dip under seven seconds. She later went on to break the indoor 200m collegiate record with her time of 22.01 seconds and led the Longhorns to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Alfred was named the Big 12 Indoor Performer of the Year and USTFCCCA National Indoor Female Track Athlete of the Year.
The outdoor season was nothing but fast for the 14-time All American. She opened her season setting three collegiate records at the Texas Relays (4x100, 4x200 and the Sprint Medley Relay) and went on to be crowned the High Point Performer of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships after sweeping the 100/200 and running the lead leg of the 4x100 winning team. Her 22.5 points helped propel Texas to its fourth-straight Big 12 Outdoor team title. She was tabbed the Big 12 Outdoor Performer of the Year.
Alfred completed her sweep at NCAAs on her home track, running the fastest all-conditions times in collegiate history in both the 100m (10.72) and 200m (21.73). She became just the third woman in the last 25 years to sweep the 100m and 200m titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championship and the third Longhorn ever to do that, joining Juliet Cuthbert (1986) and Carlette Guidry (1991). Alfred also won the 2022 NCAA 100m title and this year became the first Longhorn to ever claim back-to-back NCAA crowns in that event.
After setting the collegiate record in the 4x100m relay NCAA Championship semifinal with a blistering time of 41.55, Alfred helped UT defend title with another scorching time of 41.60 in the final. The group set the collegiate record three times this season and finished the year with the top-five times in Texas history. With the 4x100 title, Alfred is the nation's first female sprinter since Guidry in 1991 to secure the NCAA Championship 100m/200m/4x100 relay triple victory. She's now the fifth woman in NCAA history and first-ever in the Big 12 to win those three events at the same NCAA Championships. Alfred and the Longhorns capped off its historic run, winning its fifth NCAA Outdoor Championship title, first since 2005, with a staggering score of 83 points.
She closed out her season by being named one of three Bowerman Finalists, was tabbed with the USTFCCCA National Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and was a finalist for the Honda Award for Track and Field.
Alfred is the 10th Longhorn woman to earn the honor, six of which have come from the track and field program. She joins previous track and field winners Zamzow, Destinee Hooker (Track & Field, Volleyball/2008-09), Erin Aldrich (Track and Field, Volleyball/1999-2000), Suziann Reid (1998-99) and Nanceen Perry (1996-97). Softball's Cat Osterman won the award three times (2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06), while diver Vera Ilyina received it in 1997-98. Football's Ricky Williams was Texas' first Big 12 Athlete of the Year on the men's side in 1997-98, and was followed by two more football student-athletes Derrick Johnson (2004-05) and Vince Young (2005-06). Baseball's Taylor Jungmann was the 2010-11 male honoree with swimmer Will Licon (2016-17) being the most recent Longhorn men's student-athlete to earn the honor.
TEXAS BIG 12 ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Female
1996-97 Nanceen Perry Track and Field
1997-98 Vera Ilyina Swimming and Diving
1998-99 Suziann Reed Track and Field
1999-00 Erin Aldrich Track and Field/Volleyball
2002-03 Cat Osterman Softball
2004-05 Cat Osterman Softball
2005-06 Cat Osterman Softball
2008-09 Destinee Hooker Track and Field/ Volleyball
2018-19 Ashtin Zamzow Track and Field
2022-23 JULIEN ALFRED TRACK AND FIELD
Male
1998-99 Ricky Williams Football
2004-05 Derrick Johnson Football
2005-06 Vince Young Football
2010-11 Taylor Jungmann Baseball
2016-17 Will Licon* Swimming and Diving
*co-Athlete of Year
Players Mentioned
