The 5000m collegiate record holder and the 2024 3000m and Women’s DMR SEC Champion is being honored for her successful 2024 indoor campaign.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – During a 2024 campaign in which Parker Valby has tallied a collegiate record in the 5000m and, two weeks ago, was crowned the SEC Champion in both the 3000m and the DMR, she is being named the Southeastern Conference Women’s Co-Runner of the Year as released on Wednesday afternoon.
The Tampa, Florida native began her 2024 season at the end of 2023 as she started the indoor season competing in the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Coming off her NCAA Individual Championship in Cross Country, Valby started her track season competing in the 5000m. As Valby circled the track at Boston University, the collegiate record was in sight. Eventually crossing the finish line in 14:56.11, Valby not only snapped the indoor 5000m record by an outstanding 16 seconds and undercut the outdoor 5000m record of 15:03.12 by seven seconds. She became the first woman to ever run a sub-15-minute 5000m race during collegiate competition.
A little over two months later, Valby returned to the track to compete in the SEC Indoor Championships. On the first of two days of competition, Valby ran the anchor leg of the women’s DMR in 4:31.45. The team of Elise Thorner, Laila Owens, Flomena Asekol and Valby earned a time of 10:53.29 which earned the Gators a first-place finish and stands as the SEC Indoor Championship record. This mark surpassed the previous meet record by 3.1 seconds and stands as No. 2 on UF’s All-Time Top 10 List, only behind the school record DMR set earlier this year at the Razorback Invitational. This was the first time in ten years that a Women’s DMR team has been crowned SEC Champions.
A day later, looking for her second gold medal of the meet, Valby broke three records on her way to claiming the SEC Individual Championship in the women’s 3000m. The redshirt junior’s time of 8:42.29 now stands as the Florida school record, the SEC Indoor Championships meet record and the Randal Tyson Track Center facility record. Valby becomes the first Gator to claim a women’s 3000m individual championships since 2014.
Valby and the Gators conclude the indoor season at the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend (Friday, March 8 & Saturday, March 9) in Boston, Ma.
2024 SEC Indoor Track & Field Awards
Men’s Runner of the Year
Christopher Morales-Williams, Georgia
Men’s Field Athlete of the Year
Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Ole Miss
Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year
Kanyinsola Ajayi, Auburn
Men’s Freshman Field Athlete of the Year
John Kendricks, Arkansas
Men’s Coach of the Year
Chris Bucknam, Arkansas
Women’s Co-Runners of the Year
Michaela Rose, LSU
Parker Valby, Florida
Women’s Field Athlete of the Year
Lamara Distin, Texas A&M
Women’s Freshman Runner of the Year
JaMeesia Ford, South Carolina
Women’s Co-Freshman Field Athletes of the Year
Taylor Fingers, LSU
Giavonna Meeks, Vanderbilt
Women’s Coach of the Year
Chris Johnson, Arkansas
