June 18, 2007

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Santa Barbara track and field standout Amy Haapanen was named the Golden 1 Credit Union UCSBGauchos.com Female Athlete of the Year it was announced Monday. Haapanen received 55.2% of the votes cast on the official website of UCSB Athletics.

Haapanen, a senior from Manteca, Calif., was a three-event qualifier for the 2007 NCAA Track and Field Championships, competing in the discus, hammer, and shot put events. She posted an eighth-place finish in the hammer finals to earn All-America accolades and pick up a point for the Gauchos in the team competition. Haapanen did not advance to the finals in the discus or shot put, finishing 15th in the shot prelims and 19th in the discus prelims.

At the NCAA West Regional, Haapanen placed third in the shot put, fifth in the hammer, and eighth in the discus, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the shot and hammer.

Haapanen shined at the Big West Conference Championships as well, winning the league crown in the hammer and shot put and placing second in the discus. In the process, she broke three records. Her mark of 206'3" in the hammer was a new Big West meet record, while her toss of 52' 3.25" in the shot established a new UCSB record. In addition, Haapanen's discus mark of 170' 11" was a school record.

Also nominated for the 2007 Golden 1 Credit Union UCSBGauchos.com Female Athlete of the Year were Lauren Christman (cross country), Jennifer Davis (softball), Jenna Green (basketball), Genelle Ives (soccer), Megan Lewis (cross country, track and field), Anne Marie May (swimming), Bethany Nickless (cross country, track and field), Stephanie Rothstein (cross country, track and field), and Olivia Waldowski (volleyball).

-- www.UCSBGauchos.com --