Track season is here and KYtrackXC.com is ready for another exciting indoor and outdoor season. Kicking off this week are the KYtrackXC.com Athlete of the Week awards. With plenty of track action this past weekend, we have awardees for the High School, Middle School, and College. Any former Kentucky high school track athlete is eligible for the weekly college award regardless of whether or not the school is located in Kentucky.
High School Girls
Megan Zimlich - Louisville Ballard
Zimlich is a senior at Ballard High School in Louisville. Coming into her senior year she has focused on the Pole Vault which paid off this past Saturday in Akron, Ohio. She finished second overall with a new career high vault of 11-06. That height ties her for #1 over the last ten years in Kentucky for the indoor season.
High School Boys
Andrew Stewart - North Hardin
Stewart is a senior at North Hardin in Radcliff. He started off his senior indoor season with a bang as though track never ended for him last year. He traveled south to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Arkansas HS Invitational. The trip was well worth it as he won the 800m Run with a time of 1:56.94. He also placed 13th in the One Mile Run with a 4:31.40.
Middle School Girls
Lauren Ossege - Highlands High School
Ossege is an 7th grader who runs for Highlands and Team Kentucky. She competed at the KTCCCA Indoor Meet in Maysville where she won the 1600m and 800m runs. Her winning time in the 800m Run of 2:53.34 was 10 seconds faster than the high school winner.
Middle School Boys
Sam Felice - Mason County Middle School
Felice is an 8th grader at Mason County in Maysville. He won the Shot Put at the KTCCCA Indoor Meet with a throw of 36-01.25. This is 10 feet better than he started the season last year. The distance was good enough to be the second best throw for the entire middle school indoor track season in 2010.
College Women
Sharika Smith - Western Kentucky University
Smith is a junior at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green and former multiple time state champion at Fulton County in Hickman. She won the Triple Jump at the Kentucky Invitational Saturday in Lexington with a new best mark of 42-03.50. That distance ranks her 3rd in the entire nation for all levels of college track. This distance is over 2 feet better than her best mark while she was in high school.
College Men
Matt Hillenbrand- University of Kentucky
Hillenbrand is a freshman at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. In his first college track meet Saturday on his home track at Nutter Fieldhouse he ran a 4:16.45 to place 10th overall in the One Mile Run. This converts to a 4:14 for the 1600 Meter Run, which bested his 1600m mark of 4:23 from last year.