Denton named SEC Runner of the Year

FAYETTEVILLE – University of Arkansas senior Aneita Denton was named the Southeastern Conference’s Women’s Runner of the Year it was announced by the league office in Birmingham, Ala.

Denton, just the third woman in NCAA history to sweep the 800-meter runs at both the indoor and outdoor championships, becomes Arkansas’ fifth SEC runner of the year and second during outdoor track.

“I’ve said this before, there is no one more deserving of these honors than Aneita Denton,” Arkansas head coach Lance Harter said. “She has worked very hard over the past year and earned this. I am very proud of her and wish her the best at the Jamaican Championships this weekend.”

Denton was one of five women to be honored by the SEC with outdoor track postseason awards. Along with Denton, Alabama’s Beth Mallory, Tennessee’s Cleo Tyson, Gerogia’s Sigrun Fjelsted and Vanderbilt’s Josie Hahn each took awards. Denton is the first Lady Razorback to take the outdoor runner of the year honor since Amy Yoder Begley in 2001.

During the course of the 2005 outdoor season, Denton not only completed a sweep of the NCAA 800-meter titles, she also won her first SEC Championship and became the first Lady Razorback to win an individual running event at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Her times in the 800 led the nation from her first competition at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays to her last, the NCAA Championships and she broke the Arkansas record in the event twice during the course of the spring.

Undefeated in finals throughout the outdoor season, Denton’s last second-place finish came in late February when she ran the third fastest indoor collegiate 800 meters in NCAA history, only to finish second to the eventual collegiate record.

Denton races once again at the Jamaican National Track Championships, June 24-26 in Kingston, Jamaica. For more information about Lady Razorback track or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to www.ladybacks.com.