NEW ORLEANS – Freshman long jumper Sophia Beckmon has been named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week, the office announced Monday.
Beckmon earns this honor on the heels of leaping an Olympic-standard long jump of 6.86m (22-6 1/4) at the Fighting Illini Tune-Up on Saturday (May 4).
The Oregon City, Ore., native shattered the Big Ten, Illinois and Demirjian Park records and equaled the American U20 record set by Alyssa Jones of Stanford last year at the NCAA Championships.
Beckmon and Jones both sit at No. 11 on the all-time collegiate leaderboard with the farthest jumps by freshmen in collegiate history.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Illinois has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.
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