By: Tyler Pounds, Athletics Communications
NEW ORLEANS – Texas A&M track & field’s Tyra Gittens, Athing Mu and assistant coach Sean Brady were named to the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Central Region awards list, the organization announced Friday.
Gittens was named the Field Athlete of the Year, while Mu was named the Track Athlete of the Year. Brady earned Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
In March, the trio earned USTFCCCA Indoor National accolades in their respective areas.
Gittens, a junior, is one of the top multi-athletes in the nation. She has qualified for the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon, high jump and long jump. At the SEC Championships, she won the heptathlon title with the third-best performance in collegiate history at 6,418 points. She placed second in the high jump at 6-2.25 (1.89m) and fourth in the long jump 21-6.25 (6.56m). During her heptathlon performance, she cleared 6-4.75 (1.95m) and long jumped 22-10 (6.96m) to become the first woman in world history to record such marks in the two events within the same heptathlon. She scored 23 points to finish as the top female point scorer in the meet.
During the outdoor season, she has recorded four all-time top 10 marks in collegiate history and set Texas A&M school records in the long jump, high jump and heptathlon. It is Gittens’ fourth career USTFCCCA South Central Regional Field Athlete of the Year award.
Mu, a freshman, has had a record-breaking freshman outdoor season. The middle-distance sprinter has set collegiate records in the 400m (49.68) and 800m (1:57.73), in both events she broke the American under-20 record. In total, she has recorded four all-time top 10 collegiate marks. Mu broke Texas A&M school records in the 400m, 800m and 1,500m (4:16.06).
The rookie scored 12.5 points at the SEC Championships, winning the 400m title with a then-American U-20 record time of 49.84. She also anchored the 4x400m to a relay winning time of 3:26.17. Two weeks later, Mu finished as the top 400m qualifier in the West Region bettering her American U-20 record with a time of 49.68. She enters the NCAA Championships as the top seed in the 400m, as well as a member of the top 4x400m relay.
Brady, in fourth year with the Texas A&M staff, has collected three USTFCCCA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors and two Indoor Women’s National Assistant Coach of Year accolades.
Most recently, his women’s group, jumps and multi-events, scored 50 of 82 points for the Aggies at the SEC Championships. He produced two conference champions, Deborah Acquah (long jump) and Tyra Gittens (heptathlon). Four of his athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships in a total of seven entries.
He mentored and coached Gittens to four all-time top 10 collegiate marks in the high jump, long jump and two marks in the heptathlon. Gittens and Acquah combined to break Texas A&M school records in the long jump, triple jump, high jump and heptathlon.