Finalists for Class of 2019 Honda Sport Award for Track & Field Announced

Finalists for Class of 2019 Honda Sport Award for Track & Field Announced

Janeek Brown from the University of Arkansas, Yanis David of the University of Florida, Boise State University’s Allie Ostrander and Sha’Carri Richardson of Louisiana State University are the four finalists for the Class of 2019 Honda Sport Award for Track & Field as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 43 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.  The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2019 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2019, in downtown Los, Angeles.

The nominees were chosen by a panel of experts representing the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Honda Sport award winner for track & field will be announced this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

Brown, a sophomore from Kingston, Jamaica, won the 100 Meter Hurdles (12.40) at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which tied the second fastest performance in collegiate history. She then doubled back in the final of the 200 with a time of 22.40. Combined, it gives Brown a total time of 34.80, the single-best, one-day double in those events in world history, besting the previous mark of 35.01 set by Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

David, a senior from Lamentin, Guadeloupe, scored 18 points at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a victory in the long jump and a runner-up finish in the triple jump. It was in the long jump where David tied as the seventh best performer in collegiate history with her leap of 6.84m (22-5¼). David was named the SEC Outdoor Women's Field Athlete of the Year after sweeping the horizontal jump titles at the conference meet.

Ostrander, a junior from Kenai, Alaska, etched her name into the record book at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships after winning her third consecutive title in the steeplechase, becoming the first woman in NCAA DI history to accomplish that feat. Ostrander's winning time of 9:37.73 also made her the sixth best performer in collegiate history. On the year, she was the top-ranked woman in both the steeplechase and the 10,000 meters and was third in the 5000.

Richardson, a freshman from Dallas, Texas, broke one of the longest-standing collegiate records at the 2019 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the semifinals of the 100 Meters shattering a 30-year-old standard and establishing a new World U20 record (10.75). Later in the meet, Richardson was the runner-up there in the 200 Meters with another World U20 record. That all came after the 4x100 Relay, where she anchored LSU to a runner-up finish.

Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sport Award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2019 Honda Cup award presented in June.

The CWSA, celebrating its 43rd year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.3 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs. 

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