PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the 2019 Indoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Performance awards, as student-athletes from Cincinnati, Houston and Wichita State collected honors.
The award is presented to student-athletes who recorded the highest-ranking marks on the NCAA performance list at The American Indoor Track and Field Championships this season. Houston senior sprinter Kahmari Montgomery and Cincinnati senior high jumper Loretta Blaut each took home the award for a second-straight year. Houston sophomore hurdler Naomi Taylor and Wichita State redshirt senior Ben Johnson earned the honor for the first time. Each athlete’s mark in their respective event ranks within the top 10 on the NCAA’s performance list this season.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Kahmari Montgomery * Houston * Senior * 400-Meter Dash
Montgomery earned his second-straight award after helping the Cougars earn their fifth-straight conference indoor title. Montgomery ran the fastest 400-meter dash in the world and NCAA this year, setting The American’s meet record and Birmingham CrossPlex facility record for a second-consecutive year with his time of 45.04 seconds. Montgomery, who held the fastest CrossPlex and American record entering the meet, ran the two-lap sprint 1.72 seconds faster than this year’s American runner-up.
MEN’S INDOOR FIELD MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Ben Johnson * Wichita State * R-Senior * Heptathlon
Johnson’s score of 5,705 in the heptathlon set The American’s record and ranks No. 9 in the NCAA this season. Johnson won the heptathlon 60m hurdles, pole vault (4.70 meters) and shot put (14.35 meters). His time of 8.23 seconds in the 60m hurdles was a meet record. He finished second in the 60-meter dash (7.13 seconds), high jump (1.98 meters) and long jump (6.94 meters). Johnson became the third athlete in conference history to win the heptathlon.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Naomi Taylor * Houston * Sophomore * 60-Meter Hurdles
Taylor owns the top-two 60-meter hurdle times in conference history after setting the meet record in last Friday’s championships prelims (8.08 seconds) and running for the next-best time in the finals to capture gold (8.21 seconds). Her prelim time of 8.08 seconds ranks 10th nationally. Taylor improved from her second-place finish in last year’s conference indoor championships.
WOMEN’S INDOOR FIELD MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Loretta Blaut * Cincinnati * Senior * High Jump
Blaut earns her second-straight American Indoor Field Most Outstanding Performance award after winning her third-straight conference indoor high jump title. The senior cleared 1.82 meters on her second attempt to take home gold. Her mark ranks No. 10 in the NCAA this season, as Blaut also tied for the No. 1 clearance in the nation (1.87 meters) which she achieved at the Charlie Thomas Invitational on Feb. 1.