Stapleton-Johnson named Women’s Field Athlete of the Year

NEW ORLEANS – The US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced All-American Andrea Stapleton-Johnson received the Mountain Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year honors on Friday.

“As far as her ability to compete, Andrea is in the best place she’s ever been and that is very exciting,” BYU associate head coach Mark Robison said. “She’s a phenomenal athlete and an even greater person. She’s just fine-tuned things physically and mentally. The fun part of the journey is that she’s still learning.”

Stapleton-Johnson sits atop the NCAA Division I rankings in the high jump after setting a career best at the 2019 Air Force Team Challenge with a clearance of 1.87m/6-1.5. The height qualified the All-American for her third-straight NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships which will take place March 8-9, in Birmingham, Alabama.

“In situations like this, the biggest emotion I feel is gratitude,” Stapleton-Johnson said. “Gratitude for the opportunity to compete at BYU and for the coach that I have. Coach Robison means so much to me and he means a lot to the athletes around him. He inspires us all to be our best selves in all aspects, not just on the track. I’m incredibly grateful to be at this point and I’m leaving it all out on the track with this being my senior season.”

At the 2019 MPSF Indoor Championships, Stapleton Johnson took third place for the Cougars with a mark of 1.79m/5-10.5. The senior has jumped over 1.82m/5-11.5 three times this season and earned the No. 2 mark all-time at BYU with her performance at the Air Force Team Challenge (1.87m/6-1.5).

Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Each of the nine regions honored both genders’ top track and field athletes and the top men’s and women’s head coaches and assistant coaches.

The high jumper joins Amy Menlove Otis and Ada Robinson as the only BYU field athletes to receive the annual award. Otis received the award in 2009 after winning Mountain West Conference individual titles in the 60m hurdles and pentathlon before winning an indoor national championship in the pentathlon with a school record 4365 points. Robinson received the award in 2011 after winning the high jump at the 2011 MWC Championships. The All-American finished the 2011 indoor season placing fifth at Nationals.

The full list of the 2019 regional honorees can be found on ustfccca.org.