COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Two-time Ohio Valley Conference high jump champion Katherine Lynn has been named as the Most Valuable Performer on the Tennessee Tech track & field team for 2011, and four other members of the squad received honors announced this week by head coach Tony Cox.

Senior Ashley Mayhew won the Most Dedicated Award, freshman Elisa Tanksley was named Most Improved, and freshman Kelli Keck claimed the Impact Award. Junior Traci Jones was named team captain for the running events, while Lynn was tabbed captain for the field events. 

A senior from Cookeville, Lynn added the OVC Indoor high jump title to the outdoor championship she won a year ago. She was among the top point-winners all season for the Golden Eagles, and set both the indoor and outdoor school records in the high jump. She also ran a leg of the 4x400 relay.

"Katherine has been our team leader all year,” Cox said. “She won some big meets and set a couple of school records this year.  She committed herself to being the best jumper possible, and she put in the work to achieve that goal.  Kat is a pleasure to work with and she is well deserving of this award."

Mayhew, a senior from Athens, Tenn., set the school record in the weight throw during the indoor season, and established a new school standard in the hammer throw during the outdoor season. She also piled up meet points all season for the Golden Eagles in the throwing events on her way to being named as the team’s Most Dedicated.

"Ashley is an incredibly hard worker,” Cox said. “She sets goals for herself and then does what it takes to accomplish them. She often works out two or three times a day, with some of that being on her own time.  She has achieved a lot during her time at Tech through her dedication and hard work."

A freshman from Gallatin, Elisa Tanksley was named as the team’s Most Improved in her rookie season. A sprinter, she competed at three distances during the indoor season, and worked primarily in the 400m during the outdoor season.  From the start of the year to the finish, she sliced four seconds off her time.

“Elisa joined the team this year to see if she would like running in college. She has continued to improve in the 400-meter race and dropped her time quite a bit during the year,” Cox said. “She comes to practice prepared every day and does the work necessary to improve. She is a great teammate and I look forward to seeing her improvement in the years to come."

The Impact Award, which goes to a first-year member of the team, went to freshman Kelli Keck of Crossville. A sprinter and jumper, she set the school record in the triple jump at the Boston Moon Invitational at Tennessee State during the outdoor season. 

"Kelli continued to improve throughout the year,” Cox said. “She set the school record in the triple jump during her first year here, and then she branched out into the long jump and some of the relays.  Kelli is a strong athlete and comes to practice every day ready for anything.  She has a bright future in this conference."

Cox announced the team captains as Jones in the running events and Lynn for the field events.

"Traci was the captain of the cross country team in the fall, and is now captain for the track team. She has shown great leadership during the year,” he said. “We had a very young cross country team this year and I was impressed with how Traci dealt with the new team. That leadership carried over to the track team this spring.  She is a good source of ideas for me and I often consult her if I'm making changes that will effect the team.

"Katherine has been one of the greatest track and field athletes to ever come to Tennessee Tech,” Cox said. “She was the first TTU woman to win an OVC track event when she won the high jump last year.  She holds the record in the high jump for both indoor and outdoor seasons. Kat is very mature and has been a great help to me in so many ways over the years. She is a great champion and ambassador for the school and her leadership will be missed next year."

From left: Katherine Lynn, Ashley Mayhew, Elisa Tanksley, Kelli Keck and Traci Jones