UB Women's Indoor Track and Field Announces Awards

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women’s indoor track and field squad announced its team awards for the 2007-08 season. Head coach Vicki Mitchell made the following presentations: Lataya Dixon (Edison, NJ/J.P. Stevens) was selected as the Top Newcomer; Fatimah Hill (Waterport, NY/Lyndonville) earned the Most Improved Player Award for the second consecutive season; Carrie Hinners (Maple Grove, MN/Maple Grove) received the Coaches’ Award; and Tina Villa (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) was named Most Outstanding.

Lataya Dixon

The Top Newcomer Award is presented to the individual student-athlete who distinguishes herself as the most talented new player on the team or the individual who accomplishes the greatest achievements as a first-year player. Dixon saw action in the multi events for UB in her freshman season and finished fifth in the women's pentathlon at the Mid-American Conference Championships on February 29 and March 1. She finished with a personal-best 3,541 points and set season-best marks in the 60-meter hurdles (8.91 seconds), finishing third and the high jump (5-7.75, 1.72m), tying for first, in the five-event competition. Dixon was also part of UB's 4x400-meter relay squad which finished sixth at the MAC meet in a season-best 3:54.98.

Fatimah Hill

The Most Improved Player Award is presented to the student-athlete who has made the greatest stride or improvement in her performance from the previous season or from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Hill broke her own UB long jump record with a leap of 20-3.50 (6.18m) at the New Balance Invitational in New York City on February 9, bettering her existing record by nearly a foot and winning the college division of the competition. The jump was an NCAA provisional qualifying mark and also earned Hill the MAC's Female Field Athlete of the Week award.

Carrie Hinners

The Coaches’ Award is selected by the head coach and is given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the team virtues as defined by the head coach. The recipient is one who stands out in dedication, commitment, unselfishness and enthusiasm towards helping the team improve. Hinners posted her season-best indoor pole vault height of 11-6.25 (3.51m) at the Penn State National Meet on January 26. She finished 10th in the pole vault at the MAC Championships with the identical height. Hinners also won UB's Chrisy Dickerson Unsung Hero Award, as selected by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). The award is named in honor of Christine Dickerson, a member of UB’s crew team who died tragically in a car accident in Ellicottville on December 11, 2002.

Tina Villa

The Most Outstanding Award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most significant contribution to the accomplishments of the team through her skills and leadership. Villa, last season's Coaches' Award winner, won the Mid-American Conference title in the indoor shot put at the MAC Championships and earned her a spot on the All-MAC First Team. Villa’s winning toss of 51-1.75 (15.59m) was a personal best and was an NCAA provisional qualifying distance. Her throw was more than a foot better than the second-place throw of Akron All-American Stevi Large. Villa was also selected to the Academic All-MAC team and earned UB's Clifford C. Furnas Award, given to recognize outstanding undergraduate performance in scholarship and athletic prowess. The recipient must have a minimum 3.5 GPA and be committed to graduate study, have strong personal character and outstanding athletic accomplishments.

The Bulls finished sixth of 12 schools at the MAC Championships in Ypsilanti, MI.