Courtesy of USATF

INDIANAPOLIS - Gail Devers has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after becoming the first American athlete in history to win both the 60m and 60m hurdles at a USA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

A two-time Olympic 100m gold medalist and three-time world champion outdoors in the 100m hurdles, Devers won the 60m hurdles Saturday at the 2004 USA Indoor Championships in Boston in 7.81 seconds. Later that afternoon, Devers won the 60 meters in a photo finish over 2003 world indoor bronze medalist Torri Edwards, where both competitors were timed in 7.12 seconds. The next stop for Devers is the 2004 World Indoor Championships this week in Budapest, Hungary, where she'll attempt to win her second consecutive 60m hurdles world title.

Other outstanding performers of the week include Jen Toomey, who became the first athlete in history to win the middle-distance double in the same year at the USA Indoor Championships. A resident of Salem, Mass., Toomey won the women's 1,500m title (4:09.82) and the 800m crown (2:00.02).

Also at the 2004 USA Indoor Championships, University of North Carolina junior Laura Gerraughty (Nashua, N.H.) set a new indoor collegiate record in the women's shot put with her winning throw of 19.14 meters/62 feet, 9.50 inches, beating the second-place finisher by more than four feet. She broke the collegiate record previously held by SMU's Teri Tunks, who threw 18.83m/61-9.50 in 1998.

Elsewhere, University of Georgia senior All-American Hyleas Fountain set an American collegiate record of 4,417 points to win the pentathlon crown at the SEC Track and Field Indoor Championships in Lexington, Ky. Fountain (Enola, Pa) bettered the previous American collegiate record of 4,235 points set in 1997 by Janet Blomstedt of Nebraska, and just missed the NCAA record by eight points. The current record of 4,425 points is held by Austra Skujyte of Kansas State, set in 2002.

Now in its fourth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

BEST MARKS WEEK ENDING FEB. 29

MEN
60 - 6.47 Shawn Crawford (Nike) - Boston 2/28
200 - 20.58 Leo Bookman (Kansas) - Lincoln, NE 2/28
400 - 45.78 Jeremy Wariner (Baylor) - Lincoln, NE 2/28
800 - 1:48.08 Michael Stember (Nike) - Boston 2/28
1500 - 3:40.80 Rob Myers (Unattached) - Boston 2/28
Mile - 4:00.53 (oversize track) Eric Garner (Washington) - Seattle 2/28
3000 - 7:54.65 (oversize track) Ian Dobson (Stanford) - Seattle 2/27
5000 - 13:55.50 Dathan Ritzenhein (Colorado) - Lincoln, NE 2/27
5000 Walk - 19:30.59 Tim Seaman (NYAC) - Boston 2/28
60H - 7.44 Allen Johnson (Nike) - Boston 2/28
HJ - 2.30/7-6.5 Jamie Nieto (Nike) - Boston 2/29
PV - 5.80/19-0.25 Toby Stevenson (Nike) - Boston 2/28
LJ - 8.26/27-1.25 Savante Stringfellow (Nike) - Boston 2/29
TJ - 16.88/55-4.75 Allen Simms (Unattached) - Boston 2/28
SP - 21.26/69-9 Christian Cantwell (Nike) - Boston 2/29
WT - 23.18/76-0.75 James Parker (USAF) - Boston 2/27
Hept. - 5581 Fred Townsend (South Carolina) - Lexington, KY 2/28

WOMEN
60 - 7.11 Gail Devers (Nike) - Boston 2/28
200 - 22.86 Sanya Richards (Texas) - Lincoln, NE 2/28
400 - 51.59 (oversize track) Lashinda Demus (South Carolina) - Lexington, KY 2/29
52.23 Raasin McIntosh (Texas) - Lincoln, NE 2/28
800 - 2:00.02 Jen Toomey (Nike) - Boston 2/28
1500 - 4:09.82 Jen Toomey (Nike) - Boston 2/29
3000 - 9:00.59 Shayne Culpepper (adidas) - Boston 2/28
3000 Walk - 12:36.76 Joanne Dow (adidas) - Boston 2/29
60H - 7.81 Gail Devers (Nike) - Boston 2/28
HJ - 1.93/6-4 Amy Acuff (Asics) - Boston 2/29
PV - 4.70/15-5 Stacy Dragila (Nike) - Boston 2/29
LJ - 6.45/21-2 Tameisha King (Unattached) - Boston 2/29
TJ - 13.84/45-5 Tiombe Hurd (Nike) - Boston 2/28
SP - 19.14/62-9.5 Laura Gerraughty (North Carolina) - Boston 2/29 (Collegiate Record)
WT - 23.48/77-0.5 Erin Gilreath (NYAC) - Boston 2/27
Pent. - 4417 Hyleas Fountain (Georgia) - Lexington 2/27 (American Collegiate Record)