June 15, 2015
Sidebar: Harrison’s cerebral approach makes her one of world’s best hurdlers
Update: Oregon’s Jenna Prandini was named Honda Sports Award Winner for track and field on Thursday, June 18.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky’s Kendra Harrison is one of four nominees for the Honda Sports Award for track & field, Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced today.
Arkansas State’s Akela Jones, Demi Payne from Stephen F. Austin and Jenna Prandini of Oregon are the other nominees.
The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the CWSA to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2015 Honda Cup. The nominees were chosen by a panel of experts and coaches representing the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
The Honda Sports award winner for track & field will be announced this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
Honda Sports award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sports award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2015 Honda Cup award which will be presented on June 29, in a live televised broadcast on CBS Sports Network from Los Angeles.
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. She also won the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 7.87, moving to No. 3 in collegiate indoor 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.
THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program contributed information to this release.
