IRVING, Texas – Sprinter Ashley Spencer was named the Big 12 Conference Indoor Track and Field Female Athlete of the Week for her performance at last weekend’s Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
Spencer, in her first season at Texas, posted the second-best 400-meter time in the nation and ran the anchor leg of the national-leading 4×400-meter relay.
Competing in her first 400m of the season, Spencer cruised to victory Friday in 52.33 seconds, outdistancing a field of 76.
The junior, who is the two-time defending NCAA outdoor 400m champion, came back on Saturday and helped the 4x400m relay unit post the third-best time in UT history and a mark just outside the all-time indoor collegiate top 10. The foursome of Kendall Baisden, Briana Nelson, Courtney Okolo and Spencer crossed the finish line in 3:30.12, well ahead of second-place Texas Tech (3:34.15) and eclipsing Oregon’s national-leading 3:30.52a recordedFriday at the Don Kirby Elite Meet in Albuquerque, N.M. Texas A&M’s time of 3:29.93 at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships ranks No. 10 on the all-time performance list.
Spencer earned an honorable mention nod Monday as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Female Athlete of the Week
This marked the Longhorns league-high fourth time this season claiming a Big 12 Athlete of the Week award. Ryan Crouser (shot put) and Kaitlin Petrillose (pole vault) swept the awards last week. Crouser shared the award on Jan. 29.
Sophomore Zack Bilderback was nominated for Big 12 Male Athlete of the Week. He posted career-best times of 21.18 in the 200 meters and 46.47 in the 400. Those times rank tied for 34th and No. 15, respectively, on the 2014 NCAA performers list.
Jordan Moore of TCU was the Big 12 Male Athlete of the Week.
