DAYTON, Ohio – University of Dayton head track and field coach Adam Steinwachs announced the recipients of this year’s track and field awards at the team’s banquet held on Tuesday night on the campus of the University of Dayton.
Seniors Maura Bulgrin and Mallory Barnes earned the White Allen Most Valuable Runner and Field Performer Awards. Freshman Brittani Reid was the team’s Rookie of the Year. Senior Liz Coorey earned the Fighting Flyer Award. Senior Kerry Allen was selected as the team’s Most Improved Field Performer and junior Emily Zimmerman was the Most Improved Runner.
Bulgrin was picked as the White Allen Most Valuable Runner after standout performances all season long. Bulgrin was tabbed as the A-10’s Most Outstanding Track Performer during the indoor season when she claimed the A-10 meet record in the 3000m with a time of 9:42.87.
Bulgrin also helped the distance medley relay team (11:41.51) break another A-10 meet record, and she also repeated as the top time in the 5000m (16:52.44) for the second consecutive year. After her performance, she was also selected as one of Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd in the March 7 edition of the publication. Bulgrin was a First Team All-A-10 selection in the DMR, 5000m and 3000m. She set a new record at the All-Ohio Championships in the 10,000 meters with a time of 35:17.18. She also set a new school record in the 1500m with a time of 4:25.96.
Barnes earned the White Allen Most Valuable Field Performer after a record-breaking senior campaign. She repeated as an Indoor Track and Field All-American after finishing sixth in the NCAA National Championships in College Station, Texas.
Dayton’s first automatic qualifier in indoor track and field, Barnes was selected as the A-10’s Most Outstanding Field Performer after a first-place finish in the weight throw (68-02.25) and a second-place throw in the shot put (47-10.00) at the conference championships. It is the second consecutive year that Barnes has earned such an honor. Barnes was a First Team All-A-10 selection in the weight throw and was tabbed to the A-10’s second team in the shot put. Her school record-breaking distance of 194-05.00 in the hammer throw ranks 27th nationally.
Reid earned UD’s Rookie of the Year. A two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week selection (1 indoor, 1 outdoor) Reid captured the A-10’s individual championship in the high jump after clearing 5-07.00 which was two inches higher than the second place jump of Rhode Island’s Shannon Meehan. Reid was tabbed as a First Team All-Conference selection in the Atlantic 10.
Allen was tabbed as the Most Improved Field Performer. Allen ranks 65th nationally in the hammer throw and has improved from her 2010 top distance of 178-02.00 to reach 183-09.00 this season. Allen also set new personal bests in the shot put (39-08.75) and the weight throw (64-02.50) during the 2011 indoor season. She was tabbed as second team all-conference selection after placing second in the A-10 Championships with a throw of 63-00.25.
Zimmerman earned the Most Improved Runner award. Zimmerman has set new personal bests in 2011 in both her indoor and outdoor seasons. She has new personal records in the mile run and 3,000 meters during the indoor slate, and has also pr’ed in the 800 meters (2:17.41), 1,500 meters (4:30.95), 5,000 meters (16:42.10) and 10,000 meters (36:49.84) in the outdoor season. Zimmerman’s 5k time is also a University of Dayton record.
To say that Liz Coorey earned the Fighting Flyer Award would be one of the biggest understatements of the season. After being tripped in the mile run at the A-10 Indoor Championships, Coorey and a few other participants fell hard to the track surface. She got up a little slowly, but got back in the race immediately and by the final lap was back with the lead pack. Coorey finished in fifth place and ran the mile in 4:59.54 in spite of falling. Her points were key in the race as the Flyers won their second consecutive A-10 Indoor Championship in program history by two points.
Dayton travels to Charlotte, N.C. for the Atlantic 10 Championships on May 7 and 8. The Flyers narrowly missed their first A-10 Outdoor Championship by 5.5 points and finished second behind Temple. Barnes was named the A-10’s Most Outstanding Field Performer at the conclusion of the meet.
