Shelley Spires Named MW Athlete of the Week
1/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Jan. 12, 2016
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After matching her career-best clearance to win the high jump at last week's Air Force Collegiate Open, sophomore Shelley Spires (Mobile, Ala.) was named the Mountain West Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
For the second straight meet, Spires matched a career-high of 5'8¾", en route to a victory in the high jump. That height, the third-best clearance in Academy history, came during an opening stretch that saw Spires clear three bars on her first attempt and register just one ‘miss' during the opening four bars. She clinched the event title in a jump-off, clearing 5'8½" to finish first among the full field of 18.
The sophomore, who currently is ranked second in the conference and 15th in the nation this season, became the ninth member of the women's program to earn a weekly award from the Mountain West ... and the first since fellow high jumper Rachel Herald in 2014.
Spires shared the weekly conference award with Colorado State's Leah Fair, who was named the women's track athlete of the week (no men's awards were given due to the limited number of teams in competition last weekend).
The Falcons travel to Lincoln, Neb., later this week for the Holiday Inn Invitational. The two-day meet, which is slated to begin on Friday, Jan. 15, will be held at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
