NEW ORLEANS, La. (UCFKnights.com) - No stranger to accolades, redshirt senior Anne-Marie Blaney picked up another honor on Tuesday. She was named the USTFCCCA South Region Athlete of the Year.
Blaney, who won the NCAA South Region with a season-best time of 20:07.2, became the first Knight to receive regional recognition since Sonja Shedden was honored in 2000 and 2001.
The Ocala, Fla., native won five races this season, including the American Athletic Conference Championship on Oct. 29. She posted the second-fastest 6K time in program history at The American Championship, and shaved seven seconds off of it at the NCAA South Region race. Blaney now holds the top five 6K times in school history.
Blaney is ranked No. 19 in the FloTrack Top 25 individual rankings heading into the NCAA Championship. She has been recognized in the poll three times this season.
Named the USTFCCCA Division I National Athlete of the Week on Oct. 11, Blaney earned the accolade for the first time in her career. A two-time recipient of The American Runner of the Week in 2016, she has now earned the conference honor nine times during her UCF cross country tenure and has been recognized by the league 13 times overall when including indoor and outdoor track.
Blaney is currently preparing for the NCAA Championship on Saturday in Terre Haute, Ind.
