| Shana Cox was the recipient of the Tony Wilson Award at last weekend??s Sea Ray Relays. The award is presented to the most outstanding male and female athlete in both the running and field events at the prestigious Knoxville meet. |
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.: April 16, 2007 ?C Despite the cancellation of several events on the last day of Sea Ray Relays, Shana Cox(Westbury, N.Y.) managed to make her mark in Knoxville, as the Nittany Lion junior was the recipient of the Tony Wilson Award, given to the top women??s track athlete of the meet.
Cox, last week??s Big Ten Athlete of the Week, won the 400-meters with a season-best 51.81, the second-fastest time in the NCAA, and fifth-best time in the world at the time it was run. Cox held off a hard-charging Mary Wineberg, last year??s Sea Ray winner, and former NCAA champ and Olympic gold medalist Dee Dee Trotter to clock the fastest time at Sea Ray since Jearl Miles-Clark went 51.80 in 2001.
The junior also ran legs on a pair of relays, finishing third in the 4x200-meters in 1:35.98, and seventh in the 4x100-meters in 46.27.
The six-time All-American is the first Nittany Lion, male or female, to capture the award, which was named for Tony Wilson, a former Tennessee athlete and SEC high jump champion who died of a brain hemorrhage in 1973. The award is presented to the most outstanding male and female athlete in both the running and field events at the prestigious Knoxville meet. Previous women??s track award winners include such standouts as Shalonda Solomon and Tiffany Ross-Williams of South Carolina, and Tonette Dyer of San Diego State.