Pixler Races to Record, GNAC Honor
With Sizzling Mile, SPU Distance Star Collects Another Athlete of Week Award
Jessica Pixler has 27 GNAC Athlete of the Week awards as a Falcon.
2/1/2010 4:22:04 PM
SEATTLE – With yet another run into the indoor track record book, Jessica Pixler has added to her record-setting collection of Great Northwest Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week Awards. The Seattle Pacific senior was honored on Monday as the Athlete of the Week for women’s track after rewriting her own standard in the mile at last Saturday’s UW Invitational.
Pixler (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake HS) cruised to an 11-second victory at Dempsey Indoor on the University of Washington campus in 4 minutes, 33.46 seconds. That shattered her old Falcon and GNAC record of 4:37.83, which she set last Feb. 14 at the Husky Classic, and also was an automatic qualifying time for the NCAA Division II indoor championships. Pixler is the three-time defending NCAA champion in the indoor mile.
It was the second track honor in two meets this season for Pixler. She shared the Jan. 18 award with SPU teammates Jane Larson, Chrystal Sims and Lisa Anderberg after that foursome set a school and conference record in the 4,000-meter distance medley relay. Pixler ran the anchor 1,600-meter leg, and Seattle Pacific’s time of 11:32.23 was an NCAA automatic qualifier.
Pixler, who had been battling an illness the previous two weeks, didn’t know for sure she was even going to run until she got up on Saturday morning.
Pixler now has 27 Athlete of the Week honors for her career, with 15 for track (10 indoor, five outdoor) and 12 for cross country.