Senior All-American grabs every applicable award
Senior runner wins her second consecutive Athlete of the Year
Ryan Forbes
Issue date: 6/2/09 Section: Sports
Brenda Martinez has proven herself on the track. She was recently named by ISAAF as the 17th fastest woman in the world in the 1500m. On May 2, she ran the 1500m in the fastest time of the year for a college athlete, a time of 4:13.58. She is a member of the UC Riverside Cross- Country team, which won the Big West Championships in 2008.
In March, she became Riverside's first Division I All-American after her seventh place finish in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She was also named the 2009 Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. She holds the UCR record in the 800m, 1500m, and 5000m events. Additionally in 2008, Martinez made the NCAA National Championships in the 1500m.
"It's not me. It's my teammates right with me," Martinez said of her accomplishments. "We've all worked really hard for it. We train so hard, and I'm so pleased with what we have."
The track team's head coach, Irv Ray, had only good things to say.
"Brenda Martinez has worked extremely hard and has been very diligent in her training preparation and was really prepared for a breakthrough season," Ray said about Martinez's training.
Martinez came into the 2009 Big West Championships with her goal of protecting her 800m and 1500m title. She also hoped to break two minutes in the preliminaries 800m, but conceded that it would be difficult without her teammates.
In the 1500m, she broke the all-time record set in 1987 by UNLV runner Trena Hull, a time of 4:16.40. On May 2, she did so with a time of 4:13.58 at an invitational in Stanford, Calif. Martinez currently holds or helps hold the UCR record in seven different events.
Instead, Martinez opted to plan to run around a 4:18 to assist her teammate Danielle Evans. Her plan worked. Martinez and Evans finished first and second in the 1500m. Martinez won the 1500m for her third straight year in a time of 4:17.88, and Evans finished close behind with a time of 4:23.06.
In March, she became Riverside's first Division I All-American after her seventh place finish in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She was also named the 2009 Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. She holds the UCR record in the 800m, 1500m, and 5000m events. Additionally in 2008, Martinez made the NCAA National Championships in the 1500m.
"It's not me. It's my teammates right with me," Martinez said of her accomplishments. "We've all worked really hard for it. We train so hard, and I'm so pleased with what we have."
The track team's head coach, Irv Ray, had only good things to say.
"Brenda Martinez has worked extremely hard and has been very diligent in her training preparation and was really prepared for a breakthrough season," Ray said about Martinez's training.
Martinez came into the 2009 Big West Championships with her goal of protecting her 800m and 1500m title. She also hoped to break two minutes in the preliminaries 800m, but conceded that it would be difficult without her teammates.
In the 1500m, she broke the all-time record set in 1987 by UNLV runner Trena Hull, a time of 4:16.40. On May 2, she did so with a time of 4:13.58 at an invitational in Stanford, Calif. Martinez currently holds or helps hold the UCR record in seven different events.
Instead, Martinez opted to plan to run around a 4:18 to assist her teammate Danielle Evans. Her plan worked. Martinez and Evans finished first and second in the 1500m. Martinez won the 1500m for her third straight year in a time of 4:17.88, and Evans finished close behind with a time of 4:23.06.
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