University of Tennessee Athletics
Kikaya Named SEC Track Athlete of the Week
February 19, 2003 | Men's Track
Feb. 19, 2003
Tennessee's Gary Kikaya claimed his first SEC Track Athlete of the Week honor Wednesday after the conference office selected him for his Most Valuable Runner heroics last weekend at the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York, N.Y.
Kikaya won the 400m dash in 46.01, the second-fastest time in the NCAA and fastest time in the SEC this season. Kikaya was thought to hold the NCAA lead, but Minnesota's Mitch Potter ran a 45.89 at another meet at the same time Saturday. However, Kikaya's time improved his season-best NCAA automatic qualifier and stands as the second-fastest indoor 400m dash in Tennessee history, second only to his school record 45.93 last year at the NCAA Indoors.
Meanwhile, Kikaya also chipped in a team-leading 45.6 split on Tennessee's provisionally-qualified 4x400m relay team. Tennessee finished the star-studded meet second, just 2.5 points behind Purdue.
While the honor is Kikaya's first, it marks the second time a Volunteer has been named SEC Track Athlete of the Week this season, as sprinter Jonathan Wade opened the season with a Jan. 15 nod.
