MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Redshirt junior Madelin Gardner of the West Virginia University track and field team has been named the Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), as announced on Monday.

USTFCCCA Award Winners
 
Gardner topped the region in the women's pole vault with a school-record mark of 4.37 meters (14 feet, 4 inches), which was set on Feb. 3, at the Akron Invitational in Akron, Ohio. She also is one of two Mountaineers to qualify for the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, in College Station, Texas, from March 9-10.
 
"This is a very prestigious honor for Maddie," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "She has certainly had some tremendous high points this winter, including numerous school records and qualification into the NCAA meet. Maddie has come so far as an athlete in this program since her arrival as a freshman, and we still feel like she has so much more in her. I couldn't be prouder of this accomplishment."
 
The Williamstown, West Virginia, native ranked second in the Big 12 Conference and eighth nationally with her season-best jump. In all, she broke the school's indoor pole vault record four times during the 2017-18 indoor campaign, including three times at the Akron Invitational. After recording a then-school-record mark of 4.15 meters at the Marty Pushkin Track Classic on Dec. 2, Gardner registered marks of 4.23 meters, 4.30 meters and 4.37 meters at the Akron Invitational.
 
Gardner will be joined by redshirt senior Amy Cashin (women's mile) at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The pair are the Mountaineers' first national indoor qualifiers since Kelly Williams in 2013.
 
Each of the nine Division I track and field regions honored its men's and women's top student-athletes, as well as head coaches and assistant coaches from the 2017-18 indoor season. Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches.

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