June 12, 2007

A proven champion on the track and in the classroom, South Carolina junior Natasha Hastings has been named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year after winning three NCAA titles this year. An 11-time All-American, Hastings is preparing for the USA Championships June 20-24 where she will run the 400m. She has the world’s top time in the 400m this year, clocking a 50.15 at the NCAA Championships last weekend.

“I’m really honored. I worked really hard this year. I have faced struggles on both the track and in the classroom and to win this award – I am very pleased,” said Hastings. “It takes the same competitive spirit on the track to be successful in the classroom. I would tell younger athletes to take the same competitive nature they use to succeed on the track to the classroom as well.”

Hastings, an Exercise Science major, was on the USTCCCA All-Academic Team in 2006. She was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American All-District team in 2006 and 2007. She was named the NCAA Southeast Region Athlete of the Year during the 2007 Indoor season.

A member of the Honors College who is also a finalist for the Honda Award, Hasting has been a two-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, a three-time member of the Dean’s List, and on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll four times.

Hastings was the 2007 South Carolina Female Athlete of the Year.

Indoors in 2007 she was the 400m NCAA and SEC Indoor champion, setting the collegiate record. Hastings anchored the 4x400m team that won the NCAA Indoor championship and posted the No. 1 time in the nation.

Outdoors she won the 400m title at the SEC and NCAA Outdoor Championships; and led the women to a runner-up finish with the 4x400m relay outdoors at the NCAA meet. She was a member of the 4×100 and 4×400 teams that won the SEC Outdoor Championships and helped win two of three relays for USC at the prestigious Penn Relays. She set the NCAA East Region records in winning both the 200m and 400m. The women also won the 4x400m relay and finished third in the 4x100m relay at the regional meet.

Tennessee Head Coach Bill Webb was named 2007 SEC Men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year. Ole Miss distance runner Barnabas Kirui was named Men’s Runner of the Year. Auburn’s Cory Martin was named Field Athlete of the Year and Donald Thomas was named Scholar Athlete of the Year. Florida freshman Calvin Smith was named Freshman Runner of the Year, while Mike Morrison was named Freshman Field Athlete of the Year.

LSU’s Dennis Shaver was named 2007 SEC Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year, while Auburn’s Kerron Stewart took home Runner of the Year Honors and Ole Miss’s Britney Reese was named Field Athlete of the Year. Nia Ali of Tennessee was named SEC Freshman Runner of the Year and Florida’s Mariam Kevkhishvili was named Freshman Field Athlete of the Year. Georgia’s Natalie Picchetti and Hastings were named Co-Scholar Athletes of the Year.

The awards were voted on by the coaches before the NCAA Championships.