Pendleton Named Big Ten Outdoor Freshman of the Year
5/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 19, 2010
PARK RIDGE, Ill.-- Freshman Erin Pendleton (Lindsey, Ohio/Woodmore) of the University of Michigan women's track and field team was named Big Ten Outdoor Freshman of the Year to go along with first team honors, the conference office announced Wednesday (May 19). Junior Emily Pendleton (Lindesey, Ohio/Woodmore) also earned second team honors after picking up two runner-up finishes at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships (May 14-16).
Michigan swept the Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Freshman of the Year honors as freshman Jillian Smith (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) earned the Indoor honor after winning the 800-meter run and helping the distance medley relay team to its seventh consecutive conference title.
Junior Jennifer Neville (Dearborn, Mich./Divine Child) was named Michigan's Sportsmanship honoree. The student-athletes chosen for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award are individuals that have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Erin Pendleton picks up conference honors for the first time in her career after winning her first Big Ten Title, earning the first team distinction. She won the discus with a throw of 56.31 meters (184-09), setting a new championship record. Her throw beat the old record of 56.00 meters held by Indiana's Katrina Koch, set in 1992. Her title in the discus marked the third consecutive year that a Wolverine has won the event at the Big Ten Championships. She also finished 10th in the hammer, with a throw of 50.93 meters (167-01).
Emily Pendleton, who was the two-time Big Ten defending champion in the discus, garners All-Big Ten accolades for the third consecutive outdoor season, earning second-team honors this season. The junior captain finished runner-up in the discus (54.57 meters, 179-00), runner-up in the hammer throw (55.86 meters, 183-03) and seventh in the shot put (14.40 meters, 47-03.00), scoring 18 points for the Wolverines.
The Pendleton sisters combined to win every discus event this season, picking up eight titles between the two. Erin Pendleton set a new school record in the discus at the Jesse Owens Classic (May 1), throwing 56.87 meters (186-07) to collect the second of her Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honors.
The Wolverines will take a weekend off before going to the NCAA Preliminary Round (Thu-Sat., May 27-29), hosted by North Carolina A&T University. The qualifying format for the NCAA Championships changed this year, with only two sites -- East and West. Michigan will participate in the East Region, hoping to grab qualifications for the NCAA Championships (June 9-12).
Track Athlete of the Year: Angela Bizzarri, ILL
Field Athlete of the Year: Faith Sherrill, IND
Coach of the Year: Beth Alford-Sullivan, PSU
Freshman of the Year: Erin Pendleton, MICH
Track Athlete of the Championships: Fawn Dorr, PSU
Field Athlete of the Championships: Faith Sherrill, IND
First Team
Angela Bizzarri, ILL
Faith Sherrill, IND
Molly Beckwith, IND
Erin Pendleton, MICH
Rebecca Buchholtz, MSU
Megan Duwell, MINN
DeAnne Hahn, MINN
Todea-Kay Willis, MINN
Maggie Mullen, OSU
Doris Anyanwu, PSU
Aleesha Barber, PSU
Caitlin DeFusco, PSU
Fawn Dorr, PSU
Megan Duncan, PSU
Bridget Franek, PSU
Shavon Greaves, PSU
Nkeiru Ugwoaba, PUR
Dorcas Akinniyi, WIS
Jenny Soceka, WIS
Second Team
Alecia Beckford-Stewart, ILL
Aja Evans, ILL
Ashley Kelly, ILL
Cheria Morgan, ILL
Tamika Robinson, ILL
Kayla Smith, ILL
Kelsie Ahbe, IND
Sarah Pease, IND
Ashley Rhoades, IND
Emily Pendleton, MICH
Charelise Davis, MSU
Emily MacLeod, MSU
Gabriele Anderson, MINN
Amy Laskowske, MINN
Kylie Peterson, MINN
Ashley Caldwell, OSU
Nyjah Cousar, OSU
Shaniqua McGinnis, OSU
Latoya Sanderson, OSU
Karlee McQuillen, PSU
Leah Eber, PUR
Chavon Robinson, WIS
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
