| Dana Mecke |
FRISCO ? UTSA junior Dana Mecke added another honor to her ever-growing resum?, as she was tabbed Southland Conference Indoor Women’s Outstanding Track Performer in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
Mecke won two gold medals and was a part of a victorious relay team in scoring a team-high 22.5 points at the SLC Indoor Championships held last Friday-Saturday in Houston.
On Friday, Mecke anchored the distance medley relay team, joining sophomore Jayde James and freshmen Rebecca Crain and Kayla Pratt for a winning time of 12:15.90. She grabbed the lead for good with 400 meters left as part of a 5:06 mile leg after running in preliminary rounds of the 800 meters and mile earlier in the evening.
The 2008 SLC Women’s Cross Country Athlete and Student-Athlete of the Year then pulled off an impressive double on Saturday in the middle distance races. Mecke won the mile with a 5:00.35 clocking for UTSA’s first conference crown in the event since two-time Olympian Liza Hunter in 1992. Less than an hour later, she raced to a personal-best time of 2:13.00 to successfully defend her title in the 800m.
Mecke had a hand in three of four league crowns in the two-day meet, as junior Jessica Jones grabbed gold in the 60m hurdles with a personal-best 8.48 on Saturday. The four titles were the most won by the women’s program at a conference indoor meet since 1998.
Southland Conference Indoor Women’s Track & Field Awards
Coach of the Year ? Phil Olson, Stephen F. Austin
Athlete of the Year ? Asiya Iskakova, Texas State
Outstanding Track Performer ? Dana Mecke, UTSA
Outstanding Field Performer ? Frednisha Marshall, Stephen F. Austin
Freshman of the Year ? Stephanie Ganter, Stephen F. Austin
Newcomer of the Year ? Asiya Iskakova, Texas State