BATON ROUGE -- Just one day after being named to the men's watch list for The Bowerman award honoring the nation's top male collegiate track and field athlete, LSU junior Walter Henning was honored Thursday as the SEC Men's Indoor Field Event Athlete of the Year in a vote of the SEC's head coaches.
This marks the first time in his two-year career that Henning has been honored by the SEC with one of its most prestigious postseason awards honoring the top field event athlete in the conference.
Henning has proven to be one of the most dominant field event athletes in the country with his performance this season as he is coming off a record-setting performance at the SEC Indoor Championships this past weekend.
Henning captured his second career SEC Indoor crown in the 35-pound weight throw as he unleashed a new PR of 78 feet, 1 inch on his third attempt of Saturday's competition at the University of Arkansas. Not only did Henning shatter his own LSU school record in the event, but he also shattered the previous SEC meet record of 76-5 set by former Auburn All-American Cory Martin during the 2007 campaign.
Henning, who entered the season with a personal best of 74-5 ½, has improved his personal best performance in three competitions this season with marks of 75-8 at the New Mexico Invitational on Jan. 30, 76-6 ½ at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Feb. 6 and 78-1 at the SEC Indoor Championships on Saturday. Henning has now won all five weight throw competition in which he has competed during the 2010 indoor season.
A native of Kings Park, N.Y., Henning is the clear NCAA title favorite in the 35-pound weight throw as he now ranks No. 1 in the country by more than three feet heading into next week's NCAA Indoor Championships. The throw of 74-10 recorded by Steffen Nerdel of Memphis follows in a distant second on the national list.
That resume also helped land Henning on the men's watch list for The Bowerman award on Wednesday, which will be presented this summer to the top male and female collegiate track and field athlete.
The Bowerman is collegiate track and field's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy and is presented annually by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in conjunction with its convention.
The Bowerman Advisory Board appointed four members to comprise The Bowerman Men's Watch Committee and another four members to make up The Bowerman Women's Watch Committee. The committee will release its next update following the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships on Wednesday, March 17.
2010 Southeastern Conference Indoor Athlete of the Year Awards
Men's Indoor Runner of the Year
Dorian Ulrey, Arkansas
Men's Indoor Field Event Athlete of the Year
Walter Henning, LSU
Men's Indoor Freshman Runner of the Year
Kirani James, Alabama
Men's Indoor Freshman Field Event Athlete of the Year
Ricky Robertson, Ole Miss
Men's Indoor Coach of the Year
Chris Bucknam, Arkansas
Women's Indoor Runner of the Year
Phoebe Wright, Tennessee
Women's Indoor Field Event Athlete of the Year
Shara Proctor, Florida
Women's Indoor Co-Freshmen Runners of the Year
Regina George, Arkansas
Lanie Whittaker, Florida
Women's Indoor Freshman Field Event Athlete of the Year
Krystle Schade, Alabama
Women's Indoor Coach of the Year
Mike Holloway, Florida
