Jeremy Wariner Named Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year
6/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
June 21, 2004
WACO, Texas - Baylor sophomore Jeremy Wariner (Grand Prairie, Texas) was named the Mondo Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, the United States Track Coaches Association announced Monday.
Wariner captured NCAA titles in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters, setting stadium records at each championship. Wariner ran 44.71 at the outdoor championships in Austin and 45.39 at the indoor championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Wariner also led the 4x400-meter relay to a pair of national titles, setting an NCAA indoor record at 3:03.96 and clocking the fastest collegiate time this season of 3:01.03 at the NCAA outdoor meet.
Wariner came from behind to edge junior teammate Darold Williamson (San Antonio, Texas) to win the 400-meter title at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a time of 44.50, the fastest time in the country and currently the second-fastest in the world. The pair also helped the 4x400-meter relay capture the regional title. For his efforts, Wariner was named the Mondo Midwest Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
Wariner was the Big 12 champion indoors and was disqualified after finishing first at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Williamson, who won the Big 12 outdoor title and was named Big 12 Outdoor Athlete of the Year and has the second-fastest time in the nation at 44.51, is the only runner to beat Wariner this year. The pair has only been beaten by each other in 16 meets this season, and with Wariner running the third leg and Williamson anchoring, the 4x400 relay is also undefeated.
UCLA senior Sheena Johnson, the national 400-meter hurdle champion and high scorer at the NCAA Championships, was named the Female Outdoor Athlete of the Year. Mondo, which sponsors the award, is the world's largest supplier of track and field surfaces and is the official supplier of all tracks and equipment for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Wariner is currently training for the United States Olympic Trials July 9-18 in Sacramento, Calif.
