News and Notes, Volume 8, Number 37 – Stuczynski named USOC Female Athlete of the Month – US Track & Field – NEWS

The U.S. Olympic Committee announced USA Track & Field's Jenn Stuczynski and USA Cycling's Steven Cisar as its May Athletes of the Month, while the USA Men's Senior National Water Polo Team was awarded Team of the Month honors.

The third woman ever to clear the 16-foot barrier in the pole vault and a two-time USA Outdoor champion, Stuczynski (Churchville, N.Y.), became the No. 2 performer all-time in that event Sunday, May 18 at the 2008 adidas Track Classic at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The 2008 World Indoor silver medalist, Stuczynski cleared 4.90 meters/16 feet .75 inch in bettering her own American record of 4.88m/16 feet set on June 2, 2007 in New York City. Only Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia has soared higher in the history of the event. For her efforts, Stuczynski was named The Team USA Athlete of the Meet, presented by Visa. Later that week, she was also named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week.

Johnson Receives Honda Sports Award

Arizona State senior, Jacquelyn Johnson, has been named the nation's top female collegiate track and field athlete for 2008, for which she will receive the Honda Sports Award, given to the top women athletes in each of the 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. She earned this distinction by gaining the most votes in a national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools. This honor automatically nominates her for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Award.

Johnson stuck out from the crowd for her athletic leadership and excellence. She has six NCAA championships, equally split between the heptathlon and pentathlon. This year she scored 4,496 points, a collegiate record, to win the indoor NCAA title in the pentathlon, and she won the Pac-10 heptathlon title this year with 6,307 points, the third highest total in NCAA history. She also was the runner-up in the 100m hurdles and long jump, accrued a third place finish in javelin and tied for seventh in the high jump. For her accomplishments she was named Pac-10 Female Athlete of the Meet.

Johnson made ASU history by leading her team to three national and three conference titles, the first the university has received in track and field. All this Johnson has accomplished while maintaining a strong GPA and graduating with a degree in kinesiology.

The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year will be determined by all NCAA-member institutions. The winner will receive the Honda-Broderick Cup at Columbia University's Low Library on Monday, June 23.

Gaby Remington
Communications Intern
USA Track & Field