Kentucky’s Kendra Harrison was named National Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Wednesday.
Harrison, a senior from Clayton, North Carolina, turned in one of the most historic seasons in hurdles history.
With her 12.50 to win the 100-meter hurdles at the SEC Outdoor Championships and her 54.09 to finish runner-up at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, she became the only woman in collegiate history to be ranked top-five all-time among collegians in both events, ranked No. 3 in the 100m hurdles and No. 5 in the 400m hurdles, underscoring the difficulty of excelling in both events, especially with 35 minutes to rest between the two NCAA finals. This was the first time the finals were held on the same day.
She won the 100m hurdles at the NCAA Championships in 12.55, giving her four of the 13 fastest times in collegiate history in the event and two of the five fastest wind-legal marks in NCAA history.
Harrison scored a team-high 18 points at the NCAA Championships, leading UK to a school-record National Runner-up finish. Her total was the second best of anyone at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
She completed the 2015 season undefeated in short-hurdles races indoors and outdoors.
Harrison is also a nominee for the Honda Sports Award for track & field, which will be announced this week after voting by administrators at NCAA member schools.
