Bill Collins of Houston, TX, and Germany's Melitta Czerwenka-Nagel have been named the WMA Best Masters Athletes for 2006.

Collins was named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week on March 21, 2006 after sweeping the M55 60m, 200m, and 400m at the 2006 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships in Linz, Austria.

A 2003 USA Track & Field Masters Hall of Fame inductee, Collins posted a world record time of 23.36 seconds in the 200m before claiming another world record in the 60m with a time of 7.34 seconds. Collins finished up his competition with a win in the 400m, clocking in at 54.22.

Earlier this summer Collins won the 100, 200 and 400 meters for the fourth consecutive year at the USA Masters Championships in Charlotte, N.C.. Collins won national championships in the men's 55-59 division by running 11.26w seconds in the 100 meters, 23.44 seconds (meet record) at 200 meters and 53.05 seconds (meet record) in the 400 meters. Collins owns more than 80 masters national titles, 17 world masters crowns and has set nearly 20 world records during his remarkable Masters career.

Collins and Czerwenka-Nagel will be recognized as the "IAAF Best Masters of the Year 2006" next month at the annual IAAF Gala in Monaco.