MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Texas A&M track & field’s Athing Mu was named the Indoor U.S. Woman of the Year as Tyra Gittens was named the Collegiate Woman of the Year by Track and Field News, the organization announced Sunday.
Gittens, a redshirt junior, recorded one of the best performances in collegiate history, winning the NCAA championship in the pentathlon and high jump, while finishing third in long jump to score 26 points. The 26-point performance is the third-most all-time at an NCAA Championship meet. She became the first woman to win national championships in the pentathlon and high jump in the same meet.
The multi-athlete set a collegiate record in the pentathlon with a winning score of 4,746. She ended the weekend with school records in the pentathlon, high jump (1.93m/6-4) and long jump (6.68m/21-11).
Prior to the NCAA Indoor Championships, she turned in one of the most impressive performances in over a decade. She scored 23 points winning the high jump and long jump titles, while finishing sixth in the pentathlon. She received the Cliff Harper Award for being the top point scorer. Her 26 points were the most points by a female athlete since 2008. Gittens also became the first female athlete to win the award outright in back-to-back seasons since 1997.
Mu, a freshman from Trenton, New Jersey, scored 10.5 points for the Marron & White at the NCAA Championships. She placed second in the 400m at 51.03, and was a member of the 4x400m that clocked a meet record time of 3:26.68, which is the second-fastest in Aggie history and collegiate history. Mu anchored the group with a 49.54 split, the fastest indoor 400m split in the world all-time.
Thus far in her rookie campaign, she has set four school records and three collegiate records. Mu has been named athlete of the week eight times including four USTFCCCA honors, three SEC accolades and once the United States Track & Field Athlete of the week.
Both athletes earned USTFCCCA National accolades. Gittens was named the National Field Athlete of the Year, while Mu was named the National Track Athlete of the Year.