Colorado University Athletics
Barringer Named Big 12 Athlete of the Week
April 28, 2009 | General, Track and Field
IRVING, Texas- For the third time this year and the first time this outdoor season, University of Colorado senior Jenny Barringer has been selected the Big 12 Track & Field Athlete of the Week.
Barringer competed in two races at the Oregon Relays in Eugene this past weekend and took top honors in both while making her mark in the CU record book. Barringer had not competed on the track since winning her first NCAA Indoor title in the 3,000-meter run on March 14 in College Station, Texas.
On Friday night, she opened her outdoor campaign by running the fastest time in the NCAA Division I in the 1,500-meter run. Barringer recorded a time of 4 minutes, 8.38 seconds to beat the field by 8.98 seconds as the runner-up, Wichita State's Kellyn Johnson, recorded a time of 4:17.36. The time was a school record, surpassing the former record of 4:10.81 that was set by Shayne Wille in 1997. Barringer is the first NCAA Division I athlete to finish in under 4:10 this season. The second best time in the country at the moment is 4:14.66 (Brenda Martinez, UC-Riverside).
Barringer followed up her performance on Saturday night by running the 800; taking first with a time of 2:05.43. It is the 11th fastest time recorded this season. The time was not quite a CU record, but it is the second fastest time ever run by a Buff as well as the fastest time run in 29 years. Lee Ballenger owns the record at 2:03.7, which she set in 1978. Her fifth best mark at 2:07.51 was run on April 26, 1980; which was the last time a Buff finished in under 2:08.00.
The Buffs will host the Front Range Classic on Saturday, May 2, at Potts Field and several of CU's top distance runners will compete at the Jordan Payton Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
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