Barringer, Williams Named USTFCCCA Women’s National Athletes of the Year
by: USTFCCCA
June 16, 2009

NEW ORLEANS – Colorado’s Jenny Barringer and Florida State’s Kim Williams were named the NCAA Division I Women’s Track and Field Athletes of the Year announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Tuesday.

Barringer, from Oviedo, Florida, won the NCAA 3,000 meter steeplechase title last week giving the Colorado Buffalo three steeple titles in the past four years. Her time (9:25.54) reset the all-time collegiate-best and was a new NCAA meet record. During the 2009 outdoor campaign, the senior picked up two other NCAA all-time records in the 1,500 meter run (3:59.90) and the 5,000 meters (15:07.64), becoming only the fourth woman in U.S. history to ever run under four minutes in the 1,500 meters and the first to do so in seven years. She is also the youngest U.S.  female to accomplish the feat.

Barringer was the Mideast Regional champion in the steeple, breaking her own collegiate-best mark in the event, and was the Big 12 champion in the event breaking the Big 12 and Fuller Stadium records in the process.

Florida State’s Williams has been a one-woman wrecking ball during the outdoor season, winning post-season competitions in both the long and triple jumps at the ACC, East Regional, and NCAA Championships. Williams, a Kingston, Jamaica native, began her streak at the ACC Championships winning the long jump and triple jump to help lead the Seminole women to the ACC Outdoor Crown and the ACC Triple Crown.

At the East Regional Championships, Williams was back at it again, winning both horizontal jumps as the Seminoles went on to win the team title. She jumped 21’10.25” in the long jump and 45’10.5” in the triple jump.

At the NCAA meet the sophomore accounted for 20 of Florida State’s 40 team points, helping secure the Seminoles a fourth-place finish. Williams entered the national meet with the sixth-best long jump in the country and the nation’s best triple jump. On day two of the championships, Williams won the long jump title with a mark of 21’5.5”. She followed that up with a 47’2.25” leap to win the triple jump on the final day of competition.

Williams became the first Florida State athlete to win both the long and triple jump in the same NCAA championship and only the second woman in NCAA history to take home both jump titles. Sheila Hudson of California was the last to win both jumps in 1990.

2009 USTFCCCA National Athletes and Coaches of the Year

Women’s Track Athlete of the Year – Jennifer Barringer, University of Colorado

Women’s Field Athlete of the Year – Kim Williams, Florida State University

Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year – To Be Announced on Wednesday, June 17^th

Women’s Head Coach of the Year – To Be Announced on Wednesday, June 17^th

Men’s Track Athlete of the Year – To Be Announced on Thursday, June 18^th

Men’s Field Athlete of the Year – To Be Announced on Thursday, June 18^th

Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year – To Be Announced on Friday, June 19^th

Men’s Head Coach of the Year – To Be Announced on Friday, June 19^th