University of Tennessee Athletics
Alexander sweeps SEC Rookie honors
May 27, 2008 | Women's Track
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Southeastern Conference released its 2008 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Awards, and a pair of Lady Vols were among those receiving honors bestowed upon them by the league???s coaches.??
Freshman Annie Alexander (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago), who was likewise honored following the indoor campaign, was named the Female Freshman Field Athlete of the Year outdoors.?? Junior Sarah Bowman (Warrenton, Va.), meanwhile, was selected as the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the sport.
Additionally, Alexander was recognized as a first-team All-SEC selection in the discus and shot, Bowman was a first-team honoree in the 1500 meters and senior Shanna Dickenson (Cincinnati, Ohio) was a second-team designee for her runner-up effort in the hammer throw.?? Earning All-Freshman Team distinction were Alexander in the shot and discus, Brittany Sheffey (Bellport, N.Y.) in the 1500m and Jeneba Tarmoh (San Jose, Calif.) in the 200m dash.
Alexander became the first SEC woman to sweep Freshman Field Athlete of the Year accolades, indoors and out.?? She did so after becoming the initial female rookie in the league to win both the indoor and outdoor conference titles in the shot put.?? She closed the deal at the recent SEC Outdoor meet in Auburn, producing a victorious toss of 56 feet, 6 3/4 inches in the shot on her final attempt. She came back the next day to triumph in the discus, as well, unleashing a career-best fling of 187-6 on her last try.
After adjusting the UT record in the shot indoors to 57-2, Alexander came outside and managed to reset the standard there at 57-3.?? Only the sixth woman in SEC history to win both the shot and discus at the outdoor meet, she ranks No. 1 in the SEC in the discus this season and No. 2 in the shot.
???Annie is the Freshman Field Athlete of the Year, and deservingly so,??? Clark said. ???I guess you could argue that she could have been the SEC???s outright Field Event Athlete of the Year, but we are very happy about the accolades that have come her way. Our conference is very well-represented nationally in the field events, so being a freshman and getting that honor is very notable.
???I am very pleased with the effort Annie has given us this year.?? She has made herself known nationally and also in her country by getting a Trinidad & Tobago record-setting mark in the discus at the SEC meet.?? Congratulations to Annie on a job well done.???
Bowman boasts a 3.85 grade point average in human resource management at UT. The 2008 SEC Outdoor 1500m champion is a two-time Academic All-SEC selection and was chosen to the 2007 USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field/Cross Country Team and was a 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Second Team selection.?? She is the first UT woman to receive this honor for track & field in the five-year history of the award.
During her competitive career at UT, Bowman has won eight SEC titles and earned five All-America awards on the oval, including honors indoors in 2008 for a national championship with the distance medley relay and a third-place finish in the mile run.
???Most people know Sarah for her athletic achievements,??? Clark said. ???She kind of downplays her academics, but she is very bright, obviously, as shown by her getting this award in the SEC.?? It is quite an accomplishment.
???It???s kind of like Michael Jordan or someone being named the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year.?? It???s very rare something like that happens, and she???s a very rare student-athlete who has the ability to earn these types of awards for her work in the classroom as well as for her excellence on the track.???
In terms of the all-conference accolades, Bowman improved her career total to nine, while Alexander increased to three and Dickenson to four.?? Dickenson posted a season-best of 194-3 in the hammer at the SEC Championships for her most recent honor.
Alexander, Sheffey and Tarmoh duplicated their indoor kudos by earning a spot on the SEC Outdoor All-Freshman Team. They achieved that status as the highest rookie finishers in the shot/discus, 1500m and 200m, respectively.
???We had three make the SEC All-Freshman Team, and that just bodes well for our future,??? Clark said. ???We???re excited about those three being a part of that future and hopefully adding to that so we can continue to move back to the top of the SEC and NCAA ranks.???
LSU sprinter Kelly Baptiste got the nod for SEC Outdoor Female Runner of the Year, while jumper/sprinter Brittney Reese of Ole Miss was named SEC Outdoor Female Field Athlete of the Year, making it a sweep of those awards.?? LSU skipper Dennis Shaver did the same thing, making it a clean sweep by being chosen SEC Outdoor Women???s Coach of the Year.?? Florida distance standout Rebecca Lowe drew acclaim as the Female Freshman Runner of the Year.
2008 SEC Outdoor Women???s Track and Field Awards
Female Runner of the Year:
Kelly Baptiste, LSU
??
Female Field Athlete of the Year:
Brittany Reese, Ole Miss
Female Freshman Runner of the Year:??
Rebecca Lowe, Florida
Female Freshman Field Athlete of the Year:??
Annie Alexander, Tennessee
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year:??
Sarah Bowman, Tennessee
Female Coach of the Year:
Dennis Shaver, LSU
2008 SEC Outdoor Track All-SEC Teams
Women???s First Team
Katie Stripling, Arkansas
Amelia Anderson, Auburn
Raevan Harris, Auburn
Valentina Srsa, Auburn
Evelien Dekkers, Florida
Natalie Knight, Florida
Rebecca Lowe, Florida
Shara Proctor, Florida
Sarah Madebach, Georgia
Kelly Ann Baptiste, LSU
Juanita Broaddus, LSU
Samantha Henry, LSU
Deonna Lawrence, LSU
Brooklynn Morris, LSU
LaTavia Thomas, LSU
Kayann Thompson, LSU
Nickiesha Wilson, LSU
Kenyata Coleman, Ole Miss
Brittney Reese, Ole Miss
Marrissa Harris, Mississippi State
Annie Alexander, Tennessee
Sarah Bowman, Tennessee
??
Women???s Second Team
Betty Rotich, Alabama
Dacia Barr, Arkansas
Tominque Boatright, Arkansas
Courtenay Brown, Arkansas
Paige Farrell, Arkansas
Christine Kalmer, Arkansas
Shelise Williams, Arkansas
Danielle Gilchrist, Auburn
Abigail David, Florida
Lakecia Ealey, Florida
Mariam Kevkhishvilli, Florida
Dominique McLeggan, Florida
Lindsay Sundell, Florida
Sigrun Sveinsdottir, Georgia
Danielle Sampley, Kentucky
Emilee Strot, Kentucky
Jessica Ohanaja, LSU
Katelyn Rodrigue, LSU
Kayann Thompson, LSU
Brandi Cross, South Carolina
Shanna Dickenson, Tennessee
??
2008 SEC Outdoor All-Freshman Team
Women
100m dash - Jeneba Tarmoh, UT (7th)
200m dash ??? Cache Armbrister, AU (5th)
400m dash ??? LaJada Baldwin, UM (5th)
800m run ??? Brittany Hall, LSU (5th)
1500m run ??? Brittany Sheffey, UT (5th)
5000m run ??? Rebecca Lowe, UF (1st)
10,000m run ??? Rebecca Lowe, UF (1st)
100m hurdles ??? Danielle Sampley, UK
400m hurdles ??? Sofie Persson, UM (6th)
3000m steeplechase ??? Ilana McQuin, UG
High Jump ??? Brittani Carter, LSU (3rd)
Pole Vault ??? Daisy Glasser, UF (5th)
Long Jump ??? Rachel Jenkins, UM
Triple Jump ??? Melissa Ogbourne, LSU (7th)
Shot Put ??? Annie Alexander, UT (1st)
Discus ??? Annie Alexander, UT (1st)
Hammer ??? Juliana Smith, UM
Javelin ??? Meghan Austin, UA (5th)
Heptathlon ??? Danielle Sampley, UK (2nd)
