Long Beach State and UC Davis dominated the Big West Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors to open up the 2013 outdoor season.
Long Beach State junior Koree Hines claimed Big West Men's Track Athlete of the Honors. A two-time NCAA Ou
tdoor West Region qualifier in the 110 meter high hurdles, Hines captured first place at last weekend's Beach Classic in a time of 14.21. Hines also helped the 49ers to a pair of second place finishes in the 4x100 meter relay and 4x400 meter relay. The 4x100 outfit ran a collective 41.87.
The 49ers also were represented by Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Week Michael Vaughan. The senior posted a personal-best 51-7.25 mark in the triple jump to win the competition at the Beach Classic. The mark also tied him for No. 8 all-time at Long Beach State. Vaughan is ranked No. 1 in the Big West and NCAA West Region.
Women's honors were bestowed upon UC Davis. Sophomore Katie Fry garnered the Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Week award, thanks to a first-place finish at the Stanford Opener. She ran a 4:27.53 in the 1,500 meters to beat her previous personal record of 4:29.84. In addition, the result ranks her No. 7 on the Aggie all-time leaders list. The 4:27.53 also represents the fastest 1,500 time in the Big West – by 8.29 seconds – according to reported results on TFRRS.org.
Aggie teammate Veronica Smart nabbed Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors. The sophomore earned first place in both the shot put and hammer at the Stanford Opener. Her shot put mark of 45-00.25 beat her previous personal-best of 43-10.75 and moved her up to No. 5 in UCD history. Smart also set a personal record with her toss of 155-03 in the hammer. The shot put and hammer marks rank her third and fifth in the Big West, respectively, according to reported results to TFRRS.org.
Others nominated (Men's Track): Corey Hobbs (UC Davis); Evan Walker (UC Santa Barbara)
Others nominated (Men's Field): Shawn McNany (Cal State Fullerton); Carl Nahigian (UC Riverside); Derek Masterson (UC Santa Barbara)
Others nominated (Women's Track): Emily Cooper (Long Beach State); Lauren Hackney (UC Irvine); Amber Wright (UC Riverside); Dani Moreno (UC Santa Barbara)
Others nominated (Women's Field): Kara Kalmar (Cal State Fullerton); Jodi Lambert (Long Beach State)