March 4, 2008

IRVING, Texas - The Big 12 Conference has announced the Indoor Track & Field postseason honors, as selected by the league's head coaches. Honors include men's and women's Coach, Performer and Freshman of the Year.

Bubba Thorton (Texas) was named Men's Coach of the Year for the third time, while Pat Henry (Texas A&M) earned his second straight Big 12 Women's Coach of the Year accolade. Kansas State's Scott Sellers was named Men's Indoor Performer of the Year and Sally Kipyego of Texas Tech claimed her second straight Women's Indoor Performer of the Year honor. The Men's and Women's Freshman Performer of the Year honors went to Julian Reed (Texas A&M) and Jessica Beard (Texas A&M).

Entering his 13th season, Thornton has has produced 69 All-Americans (indoor and outdoor), and his athletes hold 15 of the 19 indoor school records and 11 of the 21 modern outdoor records. The Horns have produced 14 NCAA individual champions and 74 athletes who have combined to secure 113 All-America honors during his tenure. In March of 2007, the United States Track and Field Olympic Committee officially named Thornton as the leader for the men's squad at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Before coming to Texas A&M in 2004, Henry made LSU, one of the top track and field programs in the country by winning 27 team national championships with numerous titles coming on both the men's and women's sides. He is the only coach in NCAA history to win both men's and women's track and field national championships not only in the same year but at the same national meet. Henry has led the Aggies to back-to-back Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships in the past two seasons.

Sellers won the men's high jump competition which featured the nation's top two competitors squaring off head-to-head. He of Kansas State topped Nebraska's Dusty Jonas with a NCAA automatic-qualifying mark and nation-leading leap of 7 feet, 6 inches (2.29m.) On January 22, Sellers was named Big 12 Men's Athlete of the Week.

For the women, Sally Kipyego was awarded the honor again by tying Crystal Manning of Kansas as the high-point scorer with 21.5. In just two years, Kipyego has already won nine conference titles in cross country and track and field. She accumulated her points by defending her crown in the mile (4:36.31), and the 3,000 meter (9:17.01). Her time in the mile set a Big 12 Championship record as both of her individual event times automatically qualified her for NCAA competition.

Men's Freshman of the Year Julian Reid won the high jump and had a provisional-qualifying mark of 25 feet, 5 ½ inches (7.76 meters). His jump places him in the top 10 in the nation. On the women's side, Jessica Beard was named Freshman of the Year for her performance in the 400-meter dash. She won title with the nation's second-best time (52.61).