NEW ORLEANS – Texas A&M junior Devin Dixon was named the South Central Region Track Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Friday, sharing the honor with Houston’s Kahmari Montgomery.
This marks the fourth time an Aggie has won this award in the past seven years, as Dixon joins Fred Kerley (2017) and Deon Lendore (2013, 2014), who claimed the honor twice. On the women’s side Texas A&M has received this award four times in the past nine seasons with Jazmine Fray (2017), Kamaria Brown (2014) and Jessica Beard (2010, 2011).
The last time the Track Athlete of the Year was shared in the South Central Region occurred in 2007 with Leo Manzano of Texas and Baylor’s Reggie Witherspoon.
With an American collegiate record in the 800m to his credit this season, Dixon’s time of 1:45.27 ranks as the No. 3 performer with the No. 4 performance on the all-time collegiate list. He is also the No. 3 performer with the No. 6 performance on the all-time American list.
On the 2019 world indoor list, Dixon is third fastest behind a 1:43.98 by Kenya’s Michael Saruni and Aggie alum Donavan Brazier’s American record of 1:44.41.
An indoor best of 45.68 for Dixon in the 400m currently leads the SEC, while ranking sixth among collegians and 10th on the 2019 world list. With relay splits of 44.24 and 44.60 this indoor campaign, Dixon has produced an all-time world indoor best along with the 12th fastest split.
Dixon became the sixth Aggie to produce a sub-45 second split on an indoor 4×400 relay and joined Lendore as they only two to have ever produced a pair of splits faster than 44.60.
Montgomery, who transferred to Houston from Missouri, is the current world leader at 400m with a time of 45.04, which ranks him as the No. 9 performer on the all-time collegiate list. Montgomery anchored Houston’s 4×400 relay with a split of 44.45 to a world-leading time of 3:01.51 when they finished ahead of Texas A&M (3:01.56) in Clemson. The split by Montgomery ranks third fastest all-time indoors.
USTFCCCA South Central Region Awards
MEN
Track Athlete of the Year – Devin Dixon, Texas A&M and Kahmari Montgomery, Houston
Field Athlete of the Year – Mondo Duplantis, LSU
Coach of the Year – Leroy Burrell, Houston
Assistant Coach of the Year – Carl Lewis, Houston
WOMEN
Track Athlete of the Year – Payton Chadwick, Arkansas
Field Athlete of the Year – Lexi Jacobus, Arkansas
Coach of the Year – Lance Harter, Arkansas
Assistant Coach of the Year – Bryan Compton, Arkansas
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics