Brenda Martinez Listed In Top 15 In Preseason T&F Athlete of Year Rankings
1/14/2010 8:29:38 AM
The Bowerman Women's Watch Committee released its preseason rankings for the 2010 Collegiate Track & Field Athlete of the Year Award (The Bowerman) Thursday, January 14 and Brenda Martinez, UC Riverside's two-time All-American, found her name among the 15 listed.
The Bowerman is awarded each year to the top male and female collegiate athlete in the sport of NCAA track & field. An athletes preformances in both indoor and outdoor events are considered. This year's window of competition for The Bowerman runs from December 1, 2009 through the end of the collegiate season in 2010. The award is presented by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The release of the preseason rankings comes two weeks after Martinez picked up two end-of-season accolades from Flotrack.org, who named Martinez their "Athlete to Look For in 2010" following her impressive 2009 season, and Let'sRun.com who ranked the Rancho Cucamonga native eighth in the US in the 1500m and ninth in the 800m.
Martinez began building her 2009 resume early in the year as she broke the school record in the indoor mile on February 14. Later in the spring, she would participate in the NCAA Indoor Championship finishing seventh in the mile earning All-America honors in the process—the first such honor for a UC Riverside female athlete in the Division I era.
During the outdoor season, Martinez ran the fastest time in the nation in the 1500m at one point, and would go on to win both the 1500m and 800m at the Big West Conference Championship. Those performances helped earn her Big West Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors and the UC Riverside Female Athlete of the Year Award.
She followed that up with an NCAA Regional Championship in the 1500m and a second place finish in the 1500m at the NCAA Track & Field Championship. The rising senior ran the 800m at the USA Track & Field Championships, advancing to the finals.
Martinez saved her best for last, however, as she traveled to Europe during the summer to compete in six races against top competition from around the globe in the 800m and 1500m. She broke her personal bests and UC Riverside records in those events while winning four of the six races in which she participated.