Courtney Okolo named Big 12 Athlete of the Week | Horns Illustrated
AUSTIN, Texas – Courtney Okolo defeated the best in the world last weekend to earn her first Big 12 Conference Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor.
Okolo bested Olympic gold medalist and Texas alumna Sanya Richards-Ross head-to-head at the Michael Johnson Classic with a world-leading time of 50.99 seconds. Okolo was making her season debut in the event after only running in relays the first few weeks of outdoor season. Richards-Ross was making her outdoor debut this year as well.
With Richards-Ross in the lead coming into the final straightaway, Okolo used her signature kick to overtake the Olympic champion and pulled away over the final 50 meters. Texas sophomore Kendall Baisden also came from behind to defeat Richards-Ross with her time of 51.22.
This marks the third women's athlete of the week honor for Texas in four weeks as Morolake Akinosun has claimed two awards after winning three events at a meet twice this year. Okolo also earned a weekly award during indoor season when she ran 51.35 at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
Okolo and her teammates head to the 121st Penn Relays this week to take on some of the best sprinters and relays squads in the NCAA. She is currently slated to participate in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 for the Longhorns.
