Humboldt's Brianne Theisen has been named female field athlete of the year for the NCAA Division-I 2011 indoor track and field season.
The University of Oregon junior was recognized by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association last week. One of her Oregon teammates, Jordan Hasay, earned the nod as the nation's top female track athlete.
On Saturday, the pair helped pace the Oregon Ducks to their second straight national women's indoor title at the NCAA Indoor Championships, held at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
A former Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) standout and 2007 Saskatchewan athlete of the year, the 5'8" Theisen set a collegiate record in the women's indoor Pentathlon with a score of 4,540 points, beating the previous record of 4,496 set in 2008.
Event by event, her performances were as follows: 60-metre Hurdles, 8.35; High Jump, 1.84; Shot Put, 12.38; Long Jump, 5.96; 800 metres 2:11.82.
Theisen's mark of 4,540 was just 10 points shy of a Canadian record. And her numbers in the 60m hurdles, high jump and the 800-m were all personal bests.
Theisen has actually set the NCAA collegiate record in the pentathlon twice this year. Her score of 4,540 bettered her previous all-time collegiate best of 4,507, set in January at the University of Washington invitational in Seattle.
But some felt her January performance was not a legitimate record, as the 800m event there took place on an over-sized (non-regulation) track.
This time, however, her gutsy effort in the same event on Texas A&M's regulation-sized track left no doubt.
Theisen's latest feat did not come easy, however, as she strained her back a couple of weeks ago, and she suffered from flare-ups throughout the indoor championships.
Despite struggling a little through the long jump and shot put, however, she was as strong as ever on the track. She saved the best for last in the final event, the 800m, finishing second only to NCAA recordholder Kiani Profit of Maryland, and posting another personal best time.
Theisen is an eight-time all American and a five-time NCAA champion, and holds numerous University of Oregon track and field records.
She has won the NCAA heptathlon and penathlon titles twice each, and has a gold medal as a member of the University of Oregon's 4 x 400m women's relay team.
Although listed as a junior for indoor competition, Theisen is actually a senior and in her fourth year at the University of Oregon. An injury forced her to miss the indoor season in her first year, however, so she still has one year of eligibility remaining in indoor track and field.
