NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The SEC announced its postseason awards Thursday, naming Vanderbilt track and field’s Janie Ford the league’s freshman field athlete of the year and Tyla Lumley the SEC Co-Newcomer Runner of the Year.
Ford adds another conference honor to her cap after already being named first-team all-SEC and winning the pentathlon at the SEC Championships this indoor season. She is the first-ever freshman to win the multi at the conference meet. In her debut season, Ford has set Vanderbilt records in five events and added four more marks ranking in the program’s all-time top 10. At the SEC Championships, Ford tallied 4,373 points in the pentathlon, a school record, and registered personal-best marks in the 60-meter hurdles (8.30 seconds), high jump (1.74 meters) and 800 meters (2:14.16.). Her hurdles and high jump-marks are respectively ranked sixth and tied for ninth in Vanderbilt history.
Lumley transferred to Vanderbilt after earning her undergraduate degree at Drake. Since coming to Nashville, she has recorded program all-time top 10 marks in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter races. At the Indoor Music City Challenge, Lumley registered a personal-best time of 9:27.66 in the 3,000 meters, good for fifth place and eighth all-time at Vandy. She turned in a time of 16:18.92 in the 5,000 meters at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, earning fourth place. The time is ranked fourth in program history.
Ford, along with Marta Sivina and Falon Spearman, will represent the Commodores Friday at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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