A member of the New Mexico track and field team received national athlete of the week honors in her sport after she posted the top time in the world this year in her event.
Courtney Frerichs was named Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as the NCAA Division I Women’s National Athlete of the Week.
Freichs earned the honor for the second time in her career after she set a personal record on her way to winning the women’s steeplechase on Sunday at the Payton Jordan Invitational in California.
The time of 9:29.31 was not just a personal-best for Frerichs but a new school record, and eclipsed the conference record as well. In fact, it is the fastest recorded time this year.
The distance runner said breaking the 9:30 mark is a goal that was over a year in the making, coming up just short of achieving the feat last year. She said it felt good to cross it off her list, but there is still more work to be done.
Head coach Joe Franklin said assistant coach James Butler deserved a lot of credit. He said Butler works with her directly and he’s done an outstanding job preparing her to become one of the best steeplechasers in the world.
“This is one of the major weekends of the year for track and field,” Franklin said. “It’s a huge honor for her…she’s currently ranked number one in the world.”
Frerichs now has her name stamped on three of the top eight times in NCAA history. She also owns the record in two different conferences, the Mountain West and the Western Athletic Conference.
On the heels of her performance and her teammates, the women’s track and field team also reached its highest program ranking, sliding in to number 14 in the USTFCCCA national rankings.
“I think Sunday showed that we aren’t going anywhere, we’re still here,” Frerichs said. “We’re finally getting a chance to show that we are strong in a lot of events, and it’s exciting to see the program growing as a whole.”
Frerichs has continued to enjoy success since transferring to New Mexico less than a year ago, and she said she has really enjoyed the team atmosphere. She was part of a talented group of women that ripped through the competition last fall to win the national championship in cross country.
All five scorers finished in the top 25, and Frerichs led the team with a fourth place finish. Her then-boyfriend, proposed to her moments after the victory at E.P. ‘Tom Sawyer State Park” in Louisville, Kentucky.
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She said yes.
Frerichs said she will remember that day for the rest of her life. Not only the feeling of her engagement, but said the feeling she experienced winning that title with her teammates is something she craves and hopes to feel it again soon.
She appears primed to make a run at crossing off one of her remaining goals, which is to win an individual title at the national championships this year. She said she is really excited for the rest of the season.
Robert Maler is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers cross country, tennis, and track and field. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
