Teams: Women's Track & Field: Press Releases

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

MCNAMARA NAMED USTFCCCA WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK REGIONAL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

MEDFORD -- Tufts University sophomore Stephanie McNamara (North Attleborough, MA/North Attleborough) has been selected as the 2009 New England Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The 11th place finisher at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in November, and a national champion with the Tufts distance medley relay as well as the runner-up in the 5,000 meter run in March, McNamara is finishing a remarkable 2008-09 season with a similarly stellar outdoor campaign.

McNamara opened 2009 outdoor season by doubling in the 800 meters (2:19.85) and the 1,500 meters (4:37.35) at the annual Snowflake Classic hosted by the Jumbos. She was a run-away winner in the 5,000 meters at the Skyhawk Invitational hosted by Stonehill College on April 4 with a 17:16.73 time. McNamara improved her previous NCAA 1,500 provisional time to 4:34.24 by winning the event among 27 racers at Northeastern University's Solomon Invitational on April 11.

Running against a field of primarily Division 1 athletes under the lights at Princeton University's Weaver Stadium on April 17, she ran 16:51.22 in the 5K, almost four seconds faster than the NCAA Division 3 automatic standard of 16:55. It was also better than the NCAA Div. 1 standard of 16:52 and improved her NCAA qualifying time.

At the conference championships on April 25, McNamara won the 1,500 meters (4:31.28) as well as the 5,000 (17:34.84). The winning continued at the New England Div. 3 meet when McNamara ran a meet record, school record and NCAA automatic qualifying time of 35:32.79 in the 10,000 meters at Springfield College. The time was over 15 seconds faster than the NCAA automatic qualifying time of 35:48. She also improved upon her NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the 1,500 meters at the All-New England meet, running a 4:28.82 time.

Automatically qualified in three events for the Division 3 Outdoor Championships, to be hosted this week (May 21-23) at Marietta College in Ohio, McNamara had the second-fastest time in the 5,000 meters (16:51.22), the third-fastest time in the 10,000 meters (35:32.79) and the fourth-fastest time in the 1,500 meters (4:28.82). She will compete in the event at the NCAA's on Thursday night.

►2009 USTFCCCA Regional Track & Field Honorees

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