  | ||
|
LAST UPDATED ON Friday October 31 2003 |
|
News |
||
Russell Named Big 12 Outdoor Performer of the Year; Leading Scorer on the Men's side of Big 12 MeetMay 28 1999DALLAS, Texas - Two-time All-American Scott Russell, who scored in three throwing events and led all menÕs individual scorers at the 1999 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, was named the conferenceÕs Most Outstanding Performer earlier today in balloting by league coaches. Russell and Kansas StateÕs Renetta Seiler, who was selected as the Big 12Õs Most Outstanding Woman Performer, prevented a University of Texas sweep as LonghornsÕ Lakeesha White and Amar Johnson were named the conferenceÕs Outstanding Freshman of the Year, while Texas mentorsÕ Bubba Thornton and Beverly Kearney were named menÕs and womenÕs Coaches of the Year. Russell is the first male Kansas athlete to be named the Big 12Õs Most Outstanding Performer and second Kansas athlete overall in the three-year history of the league. Senior and three-time All-American Candy Mason was named the conferenceÕs indoor and outdoor Performer of the Year in 1998. ÒI feel ScottÕs performances at the Big 12 Championships were a true reflection of his numerous abilities,Ó said head coach Gary Schwartz. ÒWith all the great athletes in the Big 12 for him to be named as the conferenceÕs Most Outstanding Performer is a very significant achievement.Ó Russell, a 6-9 sophomore from Windsor, Ontario, tallied nearly half (23 points) of the Kansas menÕs 55 points at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship this past weekend at Hart-Patterson Track Complex in Waco, Texas. His 23 points were the most tallied by a Big 12 male at the 1999 conference meet and the second-most overall after Kansas StateÕs Renetta SeilerÕs 25 points topped the womenÕs side. In the three-day event, he won the hammer throw with a toss of 194Õ-0Ó, placed second in the javelin with a NCAA automatic mark of 245Õ-11Ó, fourth in the discus with a toss of 173Õ-1Ó and ninth in the shot put with a mark of 53Õ-11 3/4Ó. A five-time NCAA Qualifier and three-time Big 12 champion, Russell became the first Kansas thrower, male or female, to win a conference championship in the hammer throw after he fired a 194Õ-0Ó throw on his last attempt in the finals of the event at the Big 12 Championships. It was a remarkable turnaround for Russell who fouled two of three throws in the preliminaries and stood in last place after 17 throws. The title also marks the second time this year that he has become the first Jayhawk to win a throws event at the conference championships. During the indoor season, he became the first Kansas thrower to win the 35-pound weight throw with his Kansas, Big 12 Conference and Ahearn Fieldhouse winning mark of 73Õ-6Ó. In all this outdoor season, Russell has collected 19 top-three finishes in four throwing events (discus, hammer, javelin and shot put) including winning 12 titles. In just two short years, he owns four of the five all-time best marks in the hammer including the school record of 213Õ-7Ó and three of the five all-time best marks in the javelin. A pre-physical therapy major, he is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection including a first team selection in 1999. Russell, who has qualified automatically in the javelin and provisionally in the hammer, will be among seven individual Kansas track athletes that will make the trip to Boise, Idaho on June 2-5 for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He will be joined by seniors Candy Mason (heptathlon and pole vault), Jon-Colby Miller (pole vault) and Lester Smith (triple jump), fellow sophomores Andrea Branson (pole vault) and Charlie Gruber (800 and/or 1,500 meters) and freshman Andrea Bulat (javelin). The seven individuals that have received invitationals to the NCAA Champioships represent the largest number in Gary SchwartzÕs 11-year tenure as the head coach at Kansas. Those seven individuals will also be looking to become the first Kansas athlete to win an individual NCAA Championships at the outdoor championships since Randy Smith won the high jump at the 1974 NCAA Championships. If you have news, results or info please let us know by using our submission form or emailing Larry Steinke [ MEET INFORMATION ] [ ANALYSIS & TIPS ] [ THROWS ARTICLES ] [ INTERVIEWS ] [ RECORDS ] [ RESULTS ] [ CLASSIFIEDS ] [ HOT LINK ARCHIVE ] [ DISCUSSION FORUM ] [ SUBMISSIONS ] [ THROWERS QUIZ ] [ GUESTBOOK ] | ||