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NCAA News Release
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NCAA Names Carlette Guidry And Trecia Kaye Smith Division I Indoor Track And Field Most Outstanding Student-Athletes In Honor Of The 25th Anniversary Of Women's Championships
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For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
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Contact(s)
Gail Dent
Associate Director of Public and Media Relations
317/917-6117
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INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA announced former University of Texas student-athlete Carlette Guidry and former University of Pittsburgh student-athlete Trecia Kaye Smith have been named NCAA Division I Most Outstanding Student-Athletes in indoor track and field for their accomplishments in NCAA Championship competition. The honor, which was bestowed as part of the NCAA 25th Anniversary of Women�s Championships celebration, takes into account outstanding performances in NCAA Championships over the past 25 years.
Guidry is one of the most decorated student-athletes in the history of the Texas Longhorns athletics program. She earned eight NCAA indoor national titles in sprint events, the long jump and as a member of Texas� 4 x 400 relay teams over the course of her career. Her records in the 55 meters (6.66, 1990), the 60 meters (7.14, 1991), the 100 meters (10.94, 1991) and the sprint medley relay (3:41.96, 1988) still stand at Texas today. Additionally, Guidry earned four outdoor NCAA titles as a Longhorn.
Guidry earned numerous awards and accolades for her athletic accomplishments, including 23 All-America honors; the 1992 Babe Zaharias Award as the nation�s top amateur female athlete; the 1991 Honda-Broderick Award as the national track and field athlete of the year; and was named Southwest Conference Athlete of the Decade as a seven-time conference champion in the late 1980s.
She took her national accomplishments to the international level, winning two gold medals for the U.S. as a member of the 1992 and 1996 4 x 100 relay teams. She won world and numerous U.S. titles and medals in the sprint events over a period of time that spans more than a decade. A native of Houston, Texas, Guidry earned her bachelor�s degree at Texas in sociology.
Smith competed at Pittsburgh where she earned three national indoor titles in the long jump and one in the triple jump. The seven-time NCAA national champion is a 15-time All-American, a 14-time Big East champion and a 15-time Eastern College Athletic Conference champion. She currently holds four Pittsburgh school records in both indoor and outdoor triple and long jump competitions. She received the school�s prestigious Panther Award, as the senior female student-athlete who has best promoted Pittsburgh athletics through outstanding athletic achievement. She was also a finalist for the Honda Award in 1998 and 1999.
Smith, a native of Jamaica, has earned numerous indoor and outdoor honors, including being named the 1997 Big East indoor and outdoor outstanding field performer and the 1997 ECAC indoor and outdoor outstanding field performer. She earned the Big East/Target Scholar Athlete Award and was the State Farm Athlete of the Week in January 1998.
Smith competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, finishing fourth for her country in the triple jump. She earned a bachelor�s degree at Pittsburgh in exercise science and a master�s degree from Pittsburgh in physiotherapy.
In 1981, the NCAA began sponsoring women�s championships, which opened the door to increased athletic and academic opportunities for female athletes. Today, the NCAA sponsors 44 women�s championships in 20 sports, providing more than 150,000 women with an opportunity to compete for national titles each year. The NCAA began honoring women in the 2005-06 season for 25 years of outstanding athletic accomplishments.
An NCAA expert panel selected the 25th Anniversary athletes in Division I women�s indoor track and field. The panel used historical data compiled from the last 25 years of women�s collegiate indoor track and field competition to make its decision.
Both Guidry and Smith will be in attendance at the NCAA Division I Women�s Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held March 9-10, 2007 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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