Kendra Harrison Named an NCAA Top 10 Award Winner
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky’s Kendra Harrison was announced as one of the 10 exemplary college athletes – the 2016 Today’s Top 10 Award winners – to be honored at the NCAA Convention in January.
The award recognizes former student-athletes for their successes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Recipients completed their athletics eligibility during the 2014-15 academic year and will be recognized at the Honors Celebration during the Convention in San Antonio.
Kendra Harrison’s 2015 season was one of the greatest in NCAA, Southeastern Conference and Kentucky history. During the collegiate season she went undefeated in short hurdles races, a run that included two NCAA and two SEC titles. She accomplished all those feats will attacking her responsibilities in the classroom at an Academic All-America level.
“I have worked with some special athletes, but none better than Kendra Harrison,” UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart said. “Seeing her dominate college track and field with class and help lead our team to unprecedented success was truly a pleasure. She has been an outstanding representative for UK in all facets, from the classroom to the track, and being recognized as a Top-10 Award winner is a fitting cap for Kendra’s memorable college career.”
She set four school records and one conference record on her way to eight individual conference championships and two individual NCAA championships. She is the only woman in NCAA history to rank in the top five in the 60-meter hurdles, 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles, and collected 10 All-America honors from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
In 2015, Harrison was named the National Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, and she is a finalist for the Bowerman Award, the top individual honor in collegiate track and field. She also had a distinguished academic career, spending two consecutive years on the SEC honor roll. In 2015, she earned Capital One Academic All-America honors.
The NCAA Honors Committee, which selects the honorees, is comprised of representatives from member schools and conferences, as well as nationally distinguished former college athletes.
Before 2013, the award recognized eight student-athletes and was known as Today’s Top VIII. The NCAA Honors Committee expanded the award to include 10 honorees to recognize the increased number of college athletes, sports and championship opportunities.
The full list of NCAA Top-10 Honorees in available at ncaa.org.
