Posted: April 5, 2005

Athletics: Kastor named USATF Athlete of the Week

INDIANAPOLIS - Deena Kastor has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after setting the American women's 8 km record Sunday at the LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago, Illinois.

The 2004 Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon, Kastor ran 24 minutes, 36 seconds in placing 20th overall in the combined field in Chicago, first among women. Kastor finished nearly a minute ahead of Russia's Tatyana Petrova on her way to eclipsing the 14-year-old record of 25:02 held by Lynn Jennings.

Chaunte Howard, a 2004 U.S. Olympian in the high jump, turned in a world leading performance Saturday at the Yellow Jacket Invitational. A junior at Georgia Tech, Howard cleared 1.92 meters/6 feet, 3.50 inches, to equal the Griffin Track record held by fellow U.S. Olympian Tisha Waller.

Now in its fifth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2005 USATF Athlete of the Week Winners: January 4, Amy Rudolph; January 11, Dathan Ritzenhein; January 18, Janine Davis; January 25, Wallace Spearmon Jr.; February 1, Erin Gilreath; February 8, LaShawn Merritt; February 15, LaShawn Merritt; February 22, Walter Davis; March 1, Angela Daigle; March 8, Gov. Mike Huckabee; March 15, Kerron Clement; March 22, Lauren Fleshman; March 29, Deena Kastor; April 5, Deena Kastor.

Best Marks Week Ending April 3

MEN 
100 - 10.33 Tyree Gailes (Texas Tech) - El Paso, TX 4/2
200 - 20.72 Fernada Blakely (Unattached) - Starkville, MS 4/2
400 - 46.01 Darold Williamson (Baylor) - Arlington, TX 4/2
800 - 1:48.47 Zach Glavash (Illinois) - Berkeley, CA 4/2
110H - 13.73 David Oliver (Holyfield Intl.) - Tampa, FL 4/2
400H - 49.42 LaRon Bennett (Georgia) - Atlanta, GA 4/2
HJ - 2.31/7-7 Kyle Lancaster (Kansas St.) - El Paso, TX 4/2
PV - 5.50/18-0.5 Trent Powell (BYU) - Provo, UT 4/1
LJ - 7.89/25-9.25 Allen Simms (USC) - Northridge, CA 4/2
TJ - 16.15/53-0 Allen Simms (USC) - Northridge, CA 4/2
SP - 20.00/65-7.5 Reese Hoffa (NYAC) - Atlanta, GA 4/2
DT - 61.67/202-4 Casey Malone (Nike) - Greeley, CO 4/2
HT - 67.47/221-4 J.P. Smolenski (Purdue) - West Lafayette, IN 4/2
JT - 71.05/233-1 Paul Teinert (California) - Berkeley, CA 4/2

WOMEN 
100 - 11.49 Porchea Carroll (Arizona St.) - Tucson, AZ 4/2
200 - 23.16 Shalonda Solomon (South Carolina) - Atlanta, GA 4/2
400 - 52.52 Ashlee Kidd (Georgia Tech) - Atlanta, GA 4/2
3000SC - 10:29.81 Shannon Wommack (Tenn.-Chattanooga) - Atlanta, GA 4/2
10,000 - 33:20.25 Lindsey Scherf (Harvard) - Houston, TX 4/1
400H - 56.53 Lashinda Demus (Unattached) - Atlanta, GA 4/2
HJ - 1.92/6-3.5 Chaunte Howard (Georgia Tech) - Atlanta, GA 4/2World leader
PV - 4.20/13-9.25 Breanna Eveland (Kansas St.) - El Paso, TX 4/2 
and Andrea Wildrick (Unattached) - Lynchburg, VA 4/2
LJ - 6.26/20-6.5 April Holliness (Baylor) - Arlington, TX 4/2
TJ - 13.68/44-10.75 Chaytan Hill (Kansas St.) - El Paso, TX 4/2
SP - 16.68/54-8.75 Jessica Pressley (Arizona St.) - Tucson, AZ 4/2
DT - 55.07/180-8 Jessica Pressley (Arizona St.) - Tucson, AZ 4/2
HT - 68.33/224-2 Amber Campbell (Mjolnir) - Charlotte, NC 4/2
JT - 51.91/170-4 Kim Kreiner (Nike) - Houston, TX 4/1
Hept - 5338 Danielle McNaney (Liberty) - Lynchburg, VA 4/2