AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron freshman pole vaulter Shawn Barber has been named the winner of the Eric E. Coy Trophy, which is presented annually to the most outstanding junior athlete of the year, by Athletics Canada.
Barber, who owns dual citizenship as a native of Kingwood, Texas, won Canada’s only medal at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships. He brought home bronze with a Canadian junior record of 18-02.50 (5.55-meters) in the men’s pole vault. Barber capped off his season by surpassing his record once again with a jump of 18-03.25 (5.57-meters) at the Amateur Athletic Union National Championship.
As the No. 2-ranked high school track & field athlete in the U.S. in 2012, according to Track & Field News, Barber shattered the national high school pole vault record that had stood for 13 years with a jump of 18-03.50 at the AAU Junior Olympics last August. During the indoor season, he cleared 17-06.50 at the Texas A&M Indoor Classic last January, surpassing his previous personal record by a foot and earning a No. 2 ranking all-time on the national indoor list.
Barber’s father, George, was a pole vaulter for the Canadian National Team and competed collegiately at UTEP.
The 2013 Akron Track & Field season will get started with the program’s first indoor meet at Eastern Michigan on January 11th. Barber will be joining a men’s program that completed a sweep of the Mid-American Conference Indoor and Outdoor team titles for the second straight year in 2012.
from: http://www.gozips.com/sports/track/2012-13/releases/20121220q5cx8n
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