Carlene Robinson

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois (CMC):

Jamaican U.S. College standout Carlene Robinson has been named Big Ten Women's Track Athlete of the Week.

The Big Ten Conference office announced this past week that Robinson, a senior at Illinois, shares the award with Penn State's Bridget Franek for two victories and overall outstanding performances at last weekend's California Collegiate Challenge meet.

This is the first career outdoor weekly award for Robinson.

Apart from her wins at the California meet, Robinson recorded three season's bests as well as threeNCAA regional qualifying times.

The four-time CARIFTA Games champion won the 400-metre hurdles title in a time of 57.88, which also ranks as the No. 2 time in the Big Ten and No.11 time in the nation this season.

She won a second title at the meet, running the third leg of Illinois' 4x100-metre relay that placed first with a time 44.63, the fastest time in the Big Ten.

Season's best

Robinson also ran a season's best in a third event, the 400 metres, to finish fourth in a time of 54.16.

"Carlene really did well at Cal, competing in a difficult combination of events over a short time frame," head coach Gary Winckler said.

"She had season's bests in the 400 and 400 hurdles and was also part of the 400 relay that ran our fastest time since 2003. Her performance was certainly the highlight for our team last weekend, Winckler said.

Robinson, who won the CARIFTA Games Under-20 800-metre title in 2001, 2002, and 2003 after an Under-17 triumph in 2000, is expected to compete next at the May 11-13 Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Penn State.