Daniels' Heroics Earn National Athlete of the Week Honors
May 6, 2013
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior Paris Daniels was named the National Female Athlete of the Week it was announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Monday. Daniels scored a meet-high 23 points in leading her team to its first Big 12 Outdoor Championship over the weekend. Jayhawks also getting recognized were 400-meter specialists, junior Diamond Dixon and senior Kyle Clemons, who were listed on the honorable mention lists.
Daniels, who hails from St. Louis, Mo., was instrumental on the final day of the Jayhawks’ first Big 12 Outdoor title in program history, winning an individual event, finishing runner-up in another and running two winning relay legs en route to a Big-12-best 23-point contribution of the Jayhawks’ 83 Day Three points. She led off Kansas’ winning 4×100 relay team that won in 43.89. She then finished runner-up at 100 meters in 11.34 for eight team points and won at 200 meters in 22.73 after pulling away from the field in the final 50 meters, giving her the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the country. She capped off the day with the anchor leg of the 4×400 relay for a time of 3:32.00 to seal the championship for the Jayhawks.
The Athlete of the Week award is the second claimed by a KU female this year after Senior Andrea Geubelle was given the honor on Feb. 4, following her NCAA-leading mark in the indoor long jump.
Dixon and Clemons were also tabbed to the Athlete of the Week honorable mention list. Dixon also contributed heavily to the Jayhawks’ team title with a collegiate-leading 51.73 in the 400 meters, a fourth-place showing at 200 meters and victories as a leg of both winning relays.
Clemons won the 400 meter conference title in 45.10 for the No. 2 time in the country this season, and ran the opening leg of the winning 4×440-yard relay team.
Daniels, Dixon, Clemons and the rest of the Kansas men’s and women’s teams will get one final chance to earn marks that will extend their seasons into the NCAA Championship rounds as some Jayhawks will travel to Atlanta, Ga., for the Georgia Tech Invitational May 10-11, while others trek to Manhattan, Kan. for the Ward Haylett Invitational, May 11. For updates and a complete recap on KU’s performances, log on to KUAthletics.com and follow on twitter at KUTrack.
