May 15, 2007

IRVING, Texas - Conference USA announced six individual award winners today following the conclusion of the 2007 C-USA Outdoor Track and Field championships Saturday.

C-USA TRACK & FIELD NOTEBOOK & TOP PERFORMANCES

The C-USA Women's Coach of the Year went to Rice's Jim Bevan who guided the Owls to a sweep of the track team honors this year by winning the outdoor and indoor crowns. Only four programs in league history have accomplished this task - Houston (4), Marquette (2), Tulane and Rice.

First-year head coach Kevin Robinson of Memphis led his Tigers to the 2007 men's outdoor crown, earning him Men's Coach of the Year accolades. Since joining the league in 1996, the highest finish for Memphis was second in its inaugural year.

Houston's Ebonie Floyd was the Female Performer of the Meet and the Female High Point Scorer of the Meet. She set three championship records when she won both the 200- (22.67) and 400-meter (51.74) dashes and was on the winning 4x100 relay team (44.24). The senior also ran the final leg of the gold medal 4x400 relay team (3:40.58) for a championship-best 25 points. Floyd turned in four of the Cougars nine individual titles won in over the weekend.

Memphis senior Brandon Winbush was named the Male High Point Scorer of the Meet, while teammate Steffen Nerdal was voted Male Freshman of the Year. Nerdal won the hammer throw with a winning toss of 198-9" and finished fourth in the discus (164-8").

Winbush edged Rice's Pablo Solares for the High Point title with 21 points to Solares' 20.75. Winbush, a senior, won gold in the long jump with a performance of 23-10" on Friday. He followed that performance with a career best and winning leap of 49-04.25" in the triple jump Saturday. Winbush also ran on the 4x100m relay team that placed fifth, giving him the .25 advantage over Solares.

Solares raced to one of the greatest middle-distance doubles in Conference USA history Saturday to earn C-USA Male Performance of the Meet. The senior won the 1500-meters in 3:43.69, and less than 90 minutes later he out kicked pre-meet favorite Dominic Tanui of UTEP to take the 800-meters in 1:47.69. Solares established championship records in both events and became just the second athlete to win both titles at the same meet. Jackson Langat of TCU had previously won the 800/1500 double, in 2003.

UCF and Tulsa distance runners Jenny Clausen and Ashlea Gilfillan were named Co-Conference USA Female Freshmen of the Year. Clausen opened up with meet for UCF with a second-place showing in the 10,000-meter run (35:53.98) and concluded the three-day event with a fifth-place time in the 5,000m (17:39.55). Gilfillan took fourth in the 5,000m (17:36.34) and clocked a second-place time of 10:45.92 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, second to Rice senior Kate Gorry.

C-USA Male and Female Athletes and Newcomers of the Year honors will be announced following the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.

2007 CONFERENCE USA OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Male Freshman of the Year
Steffen Nerdal, Memphis

Male Performance of the Meet
Pablo Solares, Rice

Male High Point Scorer of the Meet
Brandon Winbush, Memphis

Male Coach of the Year
Kevin Robinson, Memphis

Female Co-Freshmen of the Year
Jenny Clausen, UCF and Ashlea Gilfillan, Tulsa

Female Performance of the Meet
Ebonie Floyd, Houston

Female High Point Scorer of the Meet
Ebonie Floyd, Houston

Female Coach of the Year
Jim Bevan, Rice