Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Ratcliffe Captures Regional Athlete of the Year Honor
June 05, 2017 | Women's Track and Field
Julia Ratcliffe has been named the Regional Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the second time in her career.
This year Ratcliffe became the first student-athlete to win four Ivy League Heptagonal Championships in the hammer throw after throwing a league record of 69.24 (227-2) in May, the second-best throw in the nation. All four of her winning throws are the best four in the Ivy League. That wasn't her only impressive sweep this season. She is the only hammer thrower in the 123-year history of the Penn Relays to win the event four times after capping off her fourth win in April at Franklin Field.
Ratcliffe will compete for the NCAA title this week as she makes her fourth trip to Eugene. A three-time All-America, Ratcliffe won the championship in 2014 concluding an undefeated season as a Bowerman Trophy semifinalist. She was the runner-up in 2015. The 2014 U.SSTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and is also a first-team Capital One Academic All-America. Ratcliffe holds the Princeton, Ivy League and New Zealand national record in the event. Incredibly, during her career she has thrown the best 130 throws in the Ivy League in the event.