Chelsea Cassulo named National Athlete of the Week
The No. 8 Arizona State University women's track and field team reaped the rewards of an impressive performance at home this past weekend as senior Chelsea Cassulo has been the named the United States Track and Field And Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week, the USTFCCCA announced today.
Cassulo (Lompoc, Calif.) became the eighth-best all-time collegiate performer in the women's hammer throw over the weekend with a mark of 229-0 (69.80m) at the Arizona State Invitational.
Making her outdoor debut for the Sun Devils following a transfer from UNLV, Cassulo recorded her winning mark on her second attempt, followed by throws of 213-11 (65.20m), 201-7 (61.45m) and 225-1 (68.62m).
She won the event by 21 feet over the runner-up and 31 feet over the next-best collegian, and she currently holds a lead of more than 13½ feet over Ida Storm of UCLA on the 2013 collegiate performance list.
Cassulo broke the Arizona State school record previously held by Jessica Pressley of 68.31m (224-01) that was set back in 2008. Cassulo's mark, though an opener, was further than any student-athlete through in the entirety of the 2012 season.
Cassulo is riding a wave of momentum for the Sun Devils after earning indoor All-America honors in the weight throw a couple weeks ago with a fourth-place finish in the event, despite being one of the lowest-seeded individuals coming into the event.
In its first year of being awarded, this USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honor is the first to be received by the Sun Devils, Cassulo, throws coach David Dumble and head coach Greg Kraft.
ABOUT THE AWARD
Awarded to six collegiate track and field and cross country athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions) each Monday by the USTFCCCA office, the National Athlete of the Week Award will spotlight exceptional performances by student-athletes from around the nation.
Nominations are open to the public. Coaches and sports information directors are encouraged to nominate their student-athletes; as are student-athletes, their families and friends, and fans of their programs.
The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.