INDIANAPOLIS -- University of Georgia freshman
Kendell Williams (Marietta, Ga.) earns USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week for her record-breaking heptathlon performance at the Spec Towns National Team Invitational in Athens, Ga., April 12.
Scoring 6,018 points, Williams established a new American Junior record and claimed the top spot in both the national and collegiate rankings. She easily bested the previous AJR of 5,678 points set by Ellannee Richardson of Washington State in 1999. The young multi-event star now sits at the number two position in the 2014 world rankings.
Williams is no stranger to breaking records. At the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., earlier this year, the 18-year-old Williams shattered the World Junior pentathlon record, scoring 4,635 points.
Williams was named USTFCCCA National Indoor Women’s Field Athlete of the Year in recognition of her remarkable accomplishments during the indoor season.
There were several other noteworthy track & field accomplishments this week aside from Williams.
Tim Glover (Normal, Ill.) moved into fifth place on the all-time American men’s javelin list with a world-leading throw of 84.01m/275-7 at the Tennessee Relays.
Raven Saunders (Charleston, S.C.) broke Michelle Carter's national high school record in the shot put with a throw of 56-8.25 at the Taco Bell Classic in Columbia, S.C. Wisconsin ultra-marathon runner
Zach Bitter crossed the finish line more than 12 minutes before the rest of the field, earning the gold medal with a time of 6:44:03 in the USATF 100km Championship in Madison, Wisc.
2014 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 22, Galen Rupp; January 29, Galen Rupp; February 5, Alexa Efraimson; February 12, Mike Rutt; Feb. 19, Bernard Lagat; Feb. 26, Sharon Day-Monroe; March 3, David Torrence; March 13, Francena McCorory; March 19, Irene Obera; March 26, Duane Solomon; April 2, Maria Michta; April 7, Noah Lyles; April 14, Kendell Williams.
About USA Track & FieldUSA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
Nick MoyleCommunications Intern
[email protected]