INDIANAPOLIS -- On the heels of his third consecutive Texas Relays title, Michael Stigler wins USATF Athlete of the Week honors after his world-leading performance at the Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on Friday, March 27 in Austin, Texas.
 
Stigler (Canyon, Texas), a senior at the University of Kansas, took home the three-peat in the 400-meter hurdles in 48.44, recording a new world lead by more than a second. He also broke his own school record of 49.19, which he set his sophomore season.
 
“I crossed the line and knew that I won, and I was happy with just that,” he said. “It was a three-peat and the time was a major personal record for me, so it was already a major accomplishment. When I found out it was a world best, it was just icing on the cake for the weekend. It made all the hard work and preparations worth it.”
 
Stigler was also named the National Athlete of the Week by the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Tuesday morning. The honor was the first of his career.
 
“Just to be able to perform at that track was amazing. It was a great meet because the track fans there are so great.”
 
In the month of April, Stigler will compete in the 400m hurdles at both Kansas Relays and Drake Relays.
 
Other notable performances this week include:
 

• Sara Hall (Flagstaff, Arizona) was the top American finisher at IAAF World Cross Country Championships when she finished the 8 km in 28:19 for 20th place, leading Team USA’s senior women’s squad to a fifth place finish at the Quigzhen Training Base in Guiyang, China.
• Leo Manzano (Marble Falls, Texas) won the invitational 800m at Texas Relays in 1:46.63, which broke his own 1:47.34 meet and stadium records set last year.
• Kara (Patterson) Winger (Colorado, Springs) reset her own 2014 meet and stadium javelin records at Texas Relays with a winning toss of 60.82m/199-6, which  improved the 60.45m/198-4  she threw last season.
• Vashti Cunningham (Las Vegas, Nevada), a sophomore at Bishop Gorman High School, won the high jump at the Las Vegas Classic with a 1.88m/6-2 leap, which ties her for sixth on the 2015 outdoor world list.

 
Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler.
 
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About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
 
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.

Amber Brooks
Internet Publishing Coordinator
Amber.Brooks@usatf.org