Sindri Gudmundsson Named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week

Utah State javelin thrower Sindri Gudmundsson has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week, it was announced March 20 by the organization.

"It means a whole lot," Gudmundsson said. "I'm very happy to see that my hard work and dedication this year is paying off, and I can say that this is only the beginning. I'm excited where this year is going to take me, and I can't wait for more improvements."

In Gudmundsson's last two events, the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Finals and the UC Irvine-hosted Spring Break Classic last weekend, he's earned All-American honors and the National Athlete of the Week award.

"This award actually means a lot, especially since, when Sindri came in as a freshman, he had hurt himself before he got here, and he ended up getting Tommy John surgery," said interim head track & field coach Matt Ingebritsen. "To have him do well last year and get sixth in the nation as a redshirt freshman coming back from an injury, this is kind of the culmination of what we thought would happen with Sindri when we first picked him up. Now, it's really neat to see him do that so early, especially as a sophomore."

Gudmundsson, a sophomore from Kopavogur, Iceland, broke his own school and Mountain West record on his first throw of the season, launching the javelin 80.49 meters (264-1). He is the only athlete in USU and MW history to clear the 80-meter mark. He currently leads the NCAA in the event by seven meters, and at the meet, he cleared the second-place finisher by nearly 20 meters.

"For Sindri, I know he's super proud, and it's definitely a relief for him because I think he's known he can be an 80-meter javelin thrower for a long time," Ingebritsen said. "It's nice for hime to finally feel that relief and get the monkey off his back to know that all of his hard work he's done and sacrificing a year recovering from surgery has really paid off. Going forward, there is a lot more there, not just this year, but the next two years." 

Not only did he break the school and conference record, he shattered the Anteater Stadium record by over 12 feet. Gudmundsson is the first Aggie to earn USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors for outdoor track and field. Earlier this year, senior distance runner Dillon Maggard earned the honor in cross country.

"As far as what it means, to the program and for him, this is the first time we've ever had a national athlete of the week for outdoor track & field, and that's a really cool honor," Ingebritsen said. "I'm loving this year, where we continue to bring national recognition to the track & field team and to Utah State. I'm proud of him and everything he's done. He's also just a great kid and a great leader on this team. He's very much a great teammate to those kids, too. I'm excited to see how he does going forward."

The Aggies are back in action on the weekend of March 30, when they compete at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, and the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

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