Auburn track and field athletes Holly Knight and Stephen Saenz were awarded SEC Honors last week for their exceptional contributions to SEC track and field.
This year has been a record-setting one for the track and field duo.
Knight qualifed for the 10,000 meters, and Saenz qualified for the shot put and discus throw in the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Knight, a senior, was awarded the SEC Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year award for the outdoor season. She has a 4.0 GPA and just finished her second degree in human development. Knight's first degree is in psychology.
"I didn't actually know till we were on the bus to regionals," Knight said. "Yeah, it was kind of a shock. I was excited."
Knight runs numerous events in track and field.
"I run anywhere from the 1,500 to the 10,000," Knight said. "My favorite is the 5,000, but I've been training more for the 10,000 this year. It's not the most fun, but it's really good when you do well in it."
Knight has been a leader on the track and field team since she first came to Auburn from her hometown, Devon, England. She was named NCAA Outdoor All-American in the 5,000- meter race and NCAA All-American in cross country in 2008. Knight was also named to the All-SEC first team in 2009.
Knight holds various records in Women's All-Time Top Outdoor Marks for the Auburn Tigers. She holds the Auburn record for the 5,000-meter run, with a time of 16:06.25, the third-highest time for the 10,000-meter run with 34:10.98, the fourth-highest time in the 3,000-meter run with 9:25.01 and the seventh-highest time in the 1,500-meter run with 4:26.68. Knight is a true warrior on the track.
"She's been solid all year long," said Ralph Spry, head coach of the track and field team. "She's already been All-American. She's been solid and consistent. I look forward to that in the Championship."
Saenz, freshman thrower, was awarded the SEC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year for the outdoor season.
"I was definitely pretty excited," Saenz said. "I got the award for indoors also, so to get it twice was pretty cool."
The red-shirted athlete competes in the shot put, discus and hammer throw events.
"The shot put is definitely my favorite," Saenz said. "I have a better touch for that one. I usually enjoy throwing the metal ball more."
Saenz has proved to be an invaluable track and field competitor for the Auburn Tigers. He is currently ranked second in the NCAA overall. He is ranked first in shot put and 10th in the discus throw for the East Region.
Saenz is also ranked in the Men's All-Time Outdoor Marks for the Auburn Tigers for all three of the events in which he competes. He has the third-highest distance in Auburn history in the shot put throw, with 64-3, the fifth-highest distance in the discus throw, with 183-5 and the tenth-highest distance in the hammer throw, with 185-0.
"Stephen is one of the top SEC athletes," Spry said. "As a freshman, he's just been really phenomenal.
"We've been very fortunate. I was very excited because it's a very difficult award to win, both as a student and as an athlete as an SEC student."
They're both role models. They're the kind of athletes that make our job easy. They're both team players and unselfish. It's not a surprise that they got those awards," Spry said.
This past weekend, the Auburn track and field team competed in the first round of the NCAA Championships in Bloomington, Ind.
"You have to do well here to get to the NCAA Championships, so it's very important," Spry said.
Saenz and Knight both performed some of their personal bests in the first round of the NCAA Championships.
Saenz set a new personal record in the shot put on Thursday. He hit 19.82 meters, which is a little over 65 feet.
"I've been working some stuff out technique-wise," Saenz said. "I'm much more balanced. This is the point in the year you want to peak and I think I'm doing a really good job."
Knight also set a new personal record in the 10,000-meter run.
"I ran a 33 minutes and 51 seconds for the 10,000," Knight said. "It was like a 20 second PR."
Coach Spry said he is impressed by Knight and Saenz's leadership.
"They have been solid all year, and they're just role models to us," Spry said.
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