Utah State senior multi-eventer Chari Hawkins was selected as the 2015 Mountain West Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year, it was announced Wednesday by the conference office.
Air Force senior Joey Uhle and New Mexico senior Peter Callahan were tabbed the co-Student-Athletes of the Year on the men’s side. Student-athletes are nominated and selected by the head coaches at each member institution.
“The thing with this outdoor award, is all year long her consistency has been her strength,” Utah State head coach Gregg Gensel said. “They honor people with these kinds of rewards who work at and are consistently at a high level. Chari is exactly that. She works really hard, she performs at a high level and she has been consistent the entire year.”
The native of Rexburg, Idaho, was tabbed the Women’s Outstanding Performer of the Meet at the MW Outdoor Track and Field Championships in San Diego, California. Hawkins won the heptathlon (5,622 points) and high jump (1.76m) titles, while taking second in the long jump (5.92m) and fifth in the 100m hurdles (13.75) at the Outdoor Championships.
Hawkins competed in the heptathlon at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Finals and earned her third-straight second-team All-America honor with a 14th-place finish in the event. Her point total of 5,750 broke her own school record and is the fourth-highest total in MW history.
“If you look at what she did in the national meet, what she did in the first round of the NCAAs, what she did at the Mountain West Championships and then what she did throughout the year, it’s hard to argue with someone like Chari receiving the award,” Gensel said. “I am certain there are other athletes who are deserving of being honored, but Chari has been consistently up high, so that’s probably why they honored her with this award.”
Hawkins, who is the most decorated female athlete of all time as she is a five-time All-American, has now won Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year honors three times from the MW, including twice during the indoor season.
Hawkins was also recognized by the United States Track and Field And Cross Country Association as its Mountain Region Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.