Palmer Receives MWC Athlete of the Week Award

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Sophomore Katie Palmer has earned Mountain West Conference Athlete of the Week honors for her performance at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

The Boulder City, Nev., native finished second overall and first among collegiate participants in the 800-meter run at last weekend’s meet. Palmer’s time of 2:05.56 is not only an NCAA regional-qualifying mark but also the second fastest time in the nation and the top MWC time this season.

“It’s great to receive this honor again,” Palmer said. “It was good to open the outdoor season on such a positive note. I hope I can build off of last week’s performance and continue to improve.”

Palmer’s time places her fourth on the MWC and fifth on the BYU all-time record lists. She also had an impressive 1,500-meter race where she took eighth overall with a time of 4:23.21. Her 1,500-meter time ranks ninth in the nation and qualifies her for NCAA Regionals.

“Katie performed great at Stanford,” said BYU women’s head track and field coach Craig Poole. “She is an excellent competitor and deserves this award.”

This is Palmer’s second MWC Athlete of the Week award and her first career outdoor athlete of the week honor. She earned her first award during the 2009 indoor season, where she received All-America status with a fourth-place finish at Nationals in the 800-meter event and a third-place finish in the Distance Medley Relay.

Palmer and the Cougars will next compete on Friday at the BYU Cougar Invitational in Provo, Utah.