Diamond Dixon Named Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year

June 6, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –

Kansas freshman Diamond Dixon was named the Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Winners of USTFCCCA Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year honors for the 2011 Outdoor Track & Field season in Division I were voted on by the nation’s coaches.

Dixon will compete at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships June 8-11 in both the 400 meters and the 4X400-meter relay. She currently is the co-leader nationally in the 400m dash entering the championship meet. Her top time of the season in the 400 meters is 51.55, a school record.

Dixon, an El Paso, Texas native, took home the 400 meter title at the 2011 Big 12 Outdoor Championships and was recently named the Big 12 Female Outstanding Freshman of the Year after her impressive outdoor season for the Jayhawks. Over the three month outdoor season, Dixon amassed three first-place finishes in the 400 meters and was a regular in the top 25 of the national rankings. She was also a leader on the 4X400-meter relay team that is now second in the school record books and will be competing at this week’s NCAA Championships.

A total of 12 Jayhawks, including Dixon, will compete in 12 events at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships this week in Des Moines, Iowa. Freshman Jessica Maroszek will kick things off for the Jayhawks in the women’s shot put on Wednesday, June 8 at 3 p.m. (CST) while Dixon will take to the track in the 400 meters later that evening at 6:45 p.m. (CST).