Stellar performances this past weekend earned national recognition for Texas A&M sophomore Jazmine Fray (Long Island, New York) and Aggie senior Fred Kerley (Taylor, Texas) as they were both honored as the National Athletes of the Week by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as well named SEC Runners of the Week.
“National recognition is big time at this time of the year,” said Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. “This is the time of the season when most athletes are at the top of their game heading into conference meets. This is a great indication of the level of talent that both of these young people have.”
A collegiate record of 2:00.69 by Fray in winning the 800m at Clemson’s Tiger Paw Invitational sliced four seconds off the Texas A&M school record of 2:04.76 she set two weeks ago. Her performance bettered the 12-year-old collegiate standard of 2:00.75 set by Nicole Cook of Tennessee in winning the 2005 SEC Championships held at Arkansas.
Kerley, who previously earned the national and conference honor two weeks ago, set a school record in the 400m as he produced the fastest indoor time over the past six years with a 45.02 performance. It eclipsed the Aggie record of 45.03 set by Deon Lendore in 2014, the same season he won the Bowerman Award.
“Jazmine has the fastest 800m time ever run by a female collegiate athlete in the history of track and field in this country,” noted Henry. “When you think of it that way, it’s pretty impressive. For Fred to run 45.02 at this time of the year is just a fantastic run. So, for both of them, those were huge performances at this point of the season.”
Texas A&M currently holds seven collegiate records, setting four of them the past two seasons. The collegiate records held by Aggies in addition to Fray’s indoor 800m include Donavan Brazier in the outdoor 800m (1:43.55, 2016), the women’s 4×100 (42.36, 2009), 4×200 (1:29.42, 2010), and 4×100 Hurdles (52.50, 2010), the men’s indoor 4×400 (3:02.52, 2017), and Maggie Malone in the women’s javelin (204-0, 2016).
The 19-year-old Fray, who will turn 20 in June, also ranks 10th among U.S. collegians on a combined indoor and outdoor all-time list of 800m times. For the 2017 season Fray’s time currently ranks fifth in the world and third among Americans.
On the Aggie all-time list, Fray now has marks in four indoor events – 400m (12th – 53.91), 800m (school record 2:00.69), 1,000m (school record 2:43.15) and mile (2nd – 4:44.87).
Fray also ran third leg on the second fastest 4×400 in school history as her 51.99 split at Clemson moved Texas A&M into the lead on the way to a world-leading 3:29.74 victory. The relay effort just missed breaking the Aggie record of 3:29.72 set in 2011.
Currently the world leader for 2017, Kerley equals the No. 5 performer and No. 7 performance on the all-time world indoor list. On the all-time American list, Kerley equals the No. 4 performer and No. 6 performance. Among collegians, Kerley is now the No. 4 indoor performer all-time and third among U.S. collegians.
The four individuals faster than Kerley on the world all-time indoor list include Kerron Clement (44.57, 2005), Michael Johnson (44.63, 1995), Kirani James (44.80, 2011), and LaShawn Merritt (44.93, 2005).
Kerley’s previous career best indoors was 46.48 from last season while his outdoor best is 45.10 from 2016. Two weeks ago, though, Kerley split 44.96 on the opening leg of a collegiate record 3:02.52 4×400 relay. This indoor season he ran the 200m four times, producing a career best 20.58, before opening in the 400m this past weekend.
During the Clemson meet Kerley supplied another quick opening leg for the Aggies on the 4×400 relay, splitting 45.23, and Texas A&M won the race in 3:03.30, the second fastest time this season, and the eighth best time on the United States all-time list and fifth on the collegiate all-time list.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics