FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cox Named Athlete of the Week
INDIANAPOLIS – Josh Cox has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the
Week after setting a pending 50 km American record Sunday at the Arizona
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in Phoenix, Ariz.
Cox won the marathon portion of the competition in 2 hours 17 minutes 32
seconds, which gave him a winning margin of 1:08 over runner-up Solomon
Kandie of Kenya. Cox kept running after crossing the finish line, and
didn't stop until he completed 50 km in 2:43:45, which easily bettered his
previous American record of 2:47:17 set in 2009 at the same event. Cox's
blistering performance, which bettered his previous AR by 3:32, fell short
of the 50 km world record by a mere seven seconds.
Now in its tenth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to
recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a
new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website.
Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous
week.
Winners: January 5, Bill Tribou; January 12, Tyler Sorensen; January 20,
Josh Cox.
WEEK IN REVIEW -- JANUARY 10-16 (From USATF Statistician Glen McMicken)
LOLO WARMS UP FOR THE REAL THING AT LSU
There's no place like home, and defending World Indoor 60H champion Lolo
Jones made the most of her first trip over the sprint hurdles at the LSU
Purple Tiger meet with an 8.10. Jones only ran the prelims, tweeting later
that she, "wanted no upsets in my preseason race @LSU vs. College athletes.
Be like World Champ Boxer fighting someone in lower weight class & losing."
She is scheduled to run for Team USA at the Five Nations match Jan. 29 in
Glasgow, Scotland.
EARLY WORLD LEADERS
Olympic and World Indoor 4x400m gold medalist Natasha Hastings raced to a
world-leading 23.22 200m at Penn State, adding a 7.32 60m for good measure,
and defending US indoor champion Amber Campbell turned in the best 20-pound
weight mark of the year at Virginia Tech with a 23.05m/75-7.5.
Last year's US indoor runner-up and NCAA indoor/outdoor shot champ Ryan
Whiting picked up his first post-collegiate indoor victory with a
20.89m/68-6.5 at Penn State, while 2010 US hammer fifth-placer Garland
Porter had a PR in the weight with a 23.97m/78-7.75 at Kentucky to become
the world's #10 all-time performer.
Aries Merritt clocked his best time since 2007 with a 7.63 in the 60H at
Houston's Leonard Hilton Memorial, and Josh Norman zipped to a 6.58 in the
60m at the Washington Preview in Seattle, his best mark since 2006. Also on
the oversize oval at Seattle, Oregon freshman Phyllis Francis impressed
with the third-fastest US 600m in any conditions at 1:27.38, and 2010 US
outdoor 10 km runner-up Lisa Koll won the 3,000m in 8:53.14.
Zedric Thomas (8.02m/26-3.75) of LSU and his teammate, Damar Forbes
(8.00m/26-3), posted the top two long jump performances of the young season
at the Purple Tiger meet.
COLLEGE ACTION OPENS WITH TEAM EMPHASIS
The first big week of the US collegiate indoor season had a little bit of a
different look to it as several traditional powerhouse programs went
head-to-head in dual meets.
Ohio State picked up a pair of wins over Michigan, while the Arkansas men
enjoyed a home track win over Texas.
Kansas swept Missouri in a meet that featured Mason Finley's PR toss of
20.71 meters/67-11.5 in the shot put, and Indiana topped in-state rival
Purdue, paced in part by Faith Sherrill's near-PR 17.92m/58-9.5 in the
shot.
At the Texas A&M Conference Challenge, the Big 12 dominated men's and
women's scoring. A&M's Prezel Hardy, who won 100m gold for Team USA at the
2009 World Youth Championships, opened his college career with a 6.68 win
in the 60m.
For more information on USA Track & Field, visit: www.usatf.org.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for Track & Field,
long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF
encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track &
Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and
junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult
runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.
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