SETTING A RECORD in your category is frequently a must if you’re going to win AOY recognition, but this year’s women’s indoor honors found all four winners putting multiple entries into the books.
Our 2024 awards:
World Women: Femke Bol (Netherlands)
Femke Bol and Devynne Charlton each set a pair of World Records and won World Indoor gold, but the Dutch star narrowly repeated as AOY by going undefeated while the Bahamian had a loss. Bol’s pair of records came in the 400, where she ran 49.24 and then 49.17. For good measure she also produced the Nos. 6 and =9 performances ever.
Charlton’s pair of WRs came in the 60H, where she ran 7.67, then 7.65. She also produced the =No. 4 performance ever. Joining Charlton in the HM category is world 3000 champ Elle St. Pierre, who moved to No. 3 on the all-time list. The yearly mile leader, she also moved to No. 3 there.
The 5 most recent previous winners: ’23 — Bol; ’22 — Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela); ’21 — Gudaf Tsegay (Ethiopia); ’20 — Rojas; ’19 — Mariya Lasitskene (Russia).
U.S. Women: Elle St. Pierre (New Balance)
After missing essentially all of the ’23 season following childbirth, St. Pierre bounced back in fine style this year, being the only setter of a pair of ARs
She opened with a 3000 that missed the national standard by a mere 0.20, an 8:25.25 that moved her to No. 8 on the all-time world list. Next up was an AR-setting mile of 4:16.41 and the capper was a gold-winning 8:20.87 AR in Scotland.
HM honors to Tia Jones, who equaled the 60H WR (but was unable to compete at the WIC) and long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall, who joined St. Pierre as the only U.S. gold medalists in Glasgow.
The 5 most recent previous winners: ’23 — Jasmine Moore (Florida); ’22 — Ajee’ Wilson (adidas); ’21 — Athing Mu (Texas A&M); ’20 — Wilson; ’19 — Wilson.
Collegiate Women: Parker Valby (Florida)
For the second year in a row the top collegian was a Gator junior. Already the school year’s XC champion, Valby added a 3000/5000 double on the track and can consider going for another pair outdoors. She moved to No. 3 on the all-time 3000 list and twice lowered the 5000’s CR, at 14:56.11 and 14:52.79.
It’s rare that two athletes from the same event can both be honored, but HM status is accorded to a pair of high jumpers: Texas A&M senior Lamara Distin and Arkansas junior Rachel Glenn both cleared the highest collegiate height ever, 6-6¾ (2.00).
The 5 most recent previous winners: ’23 — Moore; ’22 — Moore; ’21 — Tyra Gittens (Texas A&M); ’20 — Olivia Gruver (Washington); ’19 — Lexi Jacobus (Arkansas).
HS Girls: Elizabeth Leachman (Champion, Boerne, Texas)
After spending most of the early part of the year cranking off brilliant 8-lappers, Leachman finished off at Nike Indoor Nationals. And boy did she finish off in style, winning both the 2M and 5000. In the shorter race her 9:44.16 moved her to No. 2 on the all-time list and in the longer her 15:28.90 claimed the national record.
A trio of HMs: junior Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura, California) led the yearly list in the 1000 (2:41.00), 1500 (4:15.01) and mile (4:34.45), becoming all-time performers 4, 2 & 3; junior JaiCieonna Gero-Holt (Emerald Ridge, Puyallup, Washington) topped the HJ (6-2¼) and pentathlon (4104) lists, becoming Nos. 4 and 2 ever; busy senior Adaejah Hodge (Academy, Montverde, Florida) was all over the dash lists, second on the 200 compilation (22.96), leading at 300 (36.97) and equaling the World Junior Record at 6.24 in the little-run 50.
The 5 most recent previous winners: ’23 — Shawnti Jackson (South Granville, Creedmoor, North Carolina); ’22 — Roisin Willis (Stevens Point, Wisconsin); ’21 — Sophia Gorriaran (Brown, Providence, Rhode Island); ’20 — Athing Mu (Central, Trenton, New Jersey); ’19 — Katelyn Tuohy (North Rockland, Thiells, New York).