Princeton University Athletics
Harris and Simmons named Regional Athletes of the Year
May 24, 2002 | Men's Track and Field
May 24, 2002
Princeton, N.J. - Tora Harris and Lauren Simmons have been named the male and female Athlete of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic region by the United States Track Coaches Association. Both Harris and Simmons will enter the pool of athletes from which the male and female Athlete of the Year will be selected. Voting for Athlete of the Year will be conducted at the conclusion of next week's NCAA championships.
Tora Harris cleared 2.31m (7'7") at the 2002 outdoor Heptagonal championships. Harris' jump is the best collegiate mark, this season, the highest jump by an American this year and ranks Harris as the No. 2 high jumper the world. It also breaks the existing Heptagonal record of 2.27m (7'5.25"), which Harris set last season.
Harris and Matt Hemmingway were the only two Americans to clear 2.30m (7'6.5") this season and were amongst two other athletes to clear that height, Staffan Strand of Sweden and Mark Boswell of Canada. Harris cleared 2.30m at the Penn Relays on April 27.
Harris, 2.31m mark is a new Princeton record and sets him as the top American high jumper. The NCAA record is 2.37m (7'9.25") set in 1989 by Hollis Conway of Southern Louisiana. Jacques Freitag of South Africa is the world's No. 1 ranked high jumper. He cleared 2.37m this year on March 23.
Lauren Simmons recently captured the ECAC 800m title with a time of 2:09.20. Earlier in the year, Simmons captured the indoor and outdoor 800m heptagonal championships.
Simmons qualified for the finals of the 800m with a time of 2:07.30. This season, Simmons recorded the 12th fastest time in the country, 2:05.23 at the Duke Invitational and captured the outdoor HEPS title with a time of 2:07.03.