Harmon and Phillips Earn UAA Indoor Track & Field Accolades

St. Louis, Mo., March 10, 2010 – Junior Ben Harmon of the Washington University in St. Louis men’s indoor track and field team and sophomore Liz Phillips of the women’s indoor track and field team each received University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Track and Field Championship honors, as announced Wednesday by the association.

Harmon was tabbed as the UAA Men’s Most Outstanding Performer in Field Events for the second time in his career, while Phillips earned UAA Women’s Most Outstanding Performer in Running Events after being named the UAA Indoor Rookie of the Year in 2009.
 

Additionally, head coach Jeff Stiles and his staff of Lane Lohr, Doug Beattie, Jamie Kootz, Seth Kelly, Ryan McDonald, Justin McKnight, Gena Melick, Brian Miller and Aubrey Edwards were named the UAA Indoor Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year, after guiding the WUSTL men’s indoor track and field team to the UAA championship last weekend in Waltham, Mass. It marks the first time in his career Stiles has garnered UAA men’s indoor coach of the year honors.

Harmon played a crucial part in the Bears’ ability to bring home the 2010 UAA title as he captured a pair of event victories at the conference championship meet. He won the long jump with an NCAA provisional distance of 6.94 meters and the pole vault with a new personal best 4.55 meters

Harmon also earned All-UAA honors in two other events, capturing a second-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay and the high jump, also scoring with a fourth-place showing in the triple jump.

Phillips was impressive in the women’s distance events, winning the mile and the distance medley relay. Her time of 4:55.32 in the mile set both a Washington University and UAA record, and fell just 0.32 shy of automatically qualifying her for the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships.

Phillips ran the 1,600 leg for the Bears’ first-place distance medley relay team, leading the squad to a UAA title with an NCAA provisional time of 12:11.67.

Both Harmon and Phillips have qualified to compete in the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, to take place Friday-Saturday, March 12-13, in Greencastle, Ind. Harmon will compete in the pentathlon for the second year in a row after earning All-America honors with a third-place showing in 2009. Phillips will run in the women’s DMR and aim to improve on an eighth-place All-America finish from 2009.