BIRMINGHAM – A pair of Texas A&M athletes were honored by conference coaches in receiving 2017 SEC Outdoor track and field awards, which recognizes outstanding performances during this outdoor season through the conference championship meet. Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry was named men’s SEC Coach of the Year.
For the second consecutive year Lindon Victor has been named the men’s SEC Field Athlete of the Year while Jaevin Reed shared the women’s Freshman Runner of the Year with LSU’s Ruby Stauber.
Victor broke the decathlon collegiate record twice this season, breaking the previous record of 8,465 with a score of 8,472 to win the Texas Relays and then improving his score to 8,539 to defend his SEC title. Over the past two seasons, Victor has generated four 8,300-plus decathlons and ranks 1, 2, 6, and 7 on the all-time collegiate list.
In the process breaking the collegiate record twice, Victor produced the best first day score of 4,516 points during the Texas Relays and the best second day score of 4,174 points during the SEC Championships. Victor also improved his collegiate best in the decathlon discus to 181-2 (55.22) during the SEC meet to better the 179-0 (54.56) mark be achieved the previous year at the SEC meet.
Reed posted a career best of 52.18 in the 400m this season, ranking as the top freshman in the SEC and second nationally. Reed’s freshman season with the Aggies included a collegiate record as well with her running the third leg (400m) on the sprint medley relay.
Texas A&M won the sprint medley title at the Texas Relays in 3:42.10, which at the time was the third fastest collegiate mark ever. Then during the SEC Relays, the Aggies posted a time of 3:39.04 to break the collegiate record as Reed supplied a 50.9 split on her 400m leg.
Coach Henry’s Aggie men, who have been ranked No. 1 nationally since April 24, won their second SEC Outdoor title in defeating defending champion Arkansas, 119 to 106. Texas A&M generated 81 points on the final day of the SEC Championships with 40 points coming off victories in the 400m, 800m, pole vault and 4×400.
Following a NCAA Indoor team championship by the Aggie men in March, accolades during the outdoor season included winning the combined team title as the inaugural SEC Relays as well as breaking four collegiate records. In addition to the two collegiate records by Victor in the decathlon, Fred Kerley ran 43.70 to break the 400m collegiate record and Texas A&M broke the men’s collegiate record in the sprint medley relay with a time of 3:11.94.
Aggie men named to the All-SEC First Team include Devin Dixon, Robert Grant, Fred Kerley, Mylik Kerley, Ioannis Kyriazis, Richard Rose, Lindon Victor, and Audie Wyatt. Texas A&M women on the All-SEC First Team include Kadecia Baird, Briyahna Desrosiers, Jazmine Fray, and Jaevin Reed.
All-SEC Second Team includes Carl Johansson, Jeffrey Prothro, Aaliyah Brown, Serena Brown, Audrey Malone, Diamond Spaulding, and Brenessa Thompson. Making the SEC All-Freshman team were Devin Dixon (800m), William Petersson (javelin), and Serena Brown (discus).
2017 SEC Outdoor Track and Field Awards
Men’s Runner of the Year: Christian Coleman, Tennessee
Men’s Field Athlete of the Year: Lindon Victor, Texas A&M
Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year: Grant Holloway, Florida
Men’s Freshman Field Athlete of the Year: Ja’Mari Ward, Missouri
Men’s Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kenzo Cotton, Arkansas
Men’s Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Craig Engels, Ole Miss
Men’s Coach of the Year: Pat Henry, Texas A&M
Women’s Runner of the Year: Aleia Hobbs, LSU
Women’s Field Athlete of the Year: Keturah Orji, Georgia
Women’s Co-Freshman Runner of the Year: Jaevin Reed, Texas A&M
Women’s Co-Freshman Runner of the Year: Ruby Stauber, LSU
Women’s Freshman Field Athlete of the Year: Beatrice Llano, Georgia
Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Lexi Weeks, Arkansas
Women’s Coach of the Year: Lance Harter, Arkansas
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics