Feb. 3, 2009

(San Francisco, Calif.) - The 2008 Track & Field and Cross Country Banquet was last night in the Handlery Room on Lone Mountain. The event celebrated the accomplishments of last year's track and field team and this fall's cross country team.

GUEST SPEAKER: Tamara Rice Lawe- represented the United States at the 2003 World Marathon Championships, also an author for Running Times

Also in attendance- Renee Stribling, 07' first female track & field athlete at USF, current school record holder at 800 and 1500 meters. Eric Flemming- 06, former athlete and coach for the Dons, current school holder at 10K. Gerry DeRyan, member of the 1954 USF men's track & field team.

AWARDS AS FOLLOWS:

Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Jennifer Hartford, graduated last spring

Jen Hartford concluded her track & field career last spring. She left USF the most successful female track athlete in program history. She became the first female in USF history to qualify for the NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS with a time of 16:49.50 for 5000m and finished 12th overall in the Western Region. Her time of 16:49.50 for 5000 meters was a 46 second improvement from her junior year. She also holds the school record in the 10000 at 36:46.

Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Alex Nelson, Senior

As a junior, Alex Nelson raised the bar for men's track and field at USF when he became the first male track athlete to qualify for the NCAA Regional Championships. At the NCAA Regional Championships, he posted a personal best and a new school record of 3:44.73 for 1500, demonstrating that he is capable of competing with the nation's best. In the 2008 season, he was also the National Athletic Conference Champion at both 800 and 1500 and set a new school record in the 800 in 1:52.99.

Michelle concluded her cross country career at USF with her best season and will leave the program as one of the most successful women in cross country history. During the 2008 season, she was our top runner for the entire season and finished in the top 25 in every invitational that she competed in. She finished 4th at the WCC Championships, earning first team ALL WCC honors. This was a 30 place improvement from her freshmen year and tied for the second highest finish for USF women at the conference championships. At the NCAA Regional championships, she finished 57th running a personal record of 21:25

Male Cross Country Athlete of the Year: Ganbileg Bor, Freshman

During the 2008 season, Ganbi led mens' team for the entire season. At the WCC Championships, he finished 2nd place, which was the 2nd highest finish ever for a USF athlete. His performance earned him the WCC Freshmen of the Year award, marking the first such honor for a Don. He then went on to the NCAA Western Regional Championships and placed 38th in 30:20- a new cross school record . In addition, he was the fourth fastest freshmen in the field.

Scholar Athlete of the Year: Amelia Holcombe, Sophomore

Earned a cumlative 3.93 gpa for the 2008 year. As only a frosh last season on the track, she showed great promise setting personal bests of 4:40 for 1500 and 18:07 for 5000. She finished 5th at the National Athletic Conference Championships in the 1500 and 7th in the 5000.