Kilmartin named NCAA Division I Men's Co-Indoor Field Athlete of the Year
METAIRIE, La. -- Senior three-time national champion and six-time All-American heptathlete Donovan Kilmartin (Eagle, Idaho) was selected as the NCAA Division I Men's Co-Indoor Field Athlete of the Year on Tuesday, March 13, by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA). "Donovan is certainly deserving of this honor," boasted Texas men's track and field head coach Bubba Thornton. "He is a three-time national champion and also a silver medalist in the heptathlon. He is a solid performer in all of the events. (Assistant coach) Mario (Sategna) has done a nice job of working with him and getting him prepared to compete." Kilmartin ended his final indoor season with his third NCAA indoor national title, scoring 5,998 points, winning the high jump and placing in the top five in four events. He contributed 10 points towards the Longhorns' team score and helped UT to its' highest placing (third) at an NCAA Indoor National Championship. "When Coach (Bubba Thornton) called me and told me I was a co-champion, my first reaction was, 'Who am I sharing the honor with?' Then I heard it was (Auburn's Donald) Thomas and I thought I was in great company. (Thomas) proved himself with a great performance in the high jump at nationals. "After that, I was pretty excited," Kilmartin continued. "It means a lot to be recognized for all the hard work that you put in to compete at this level. It's one of the nice awards to get. I was pretty proud of it. I remember (Texas teammate) Trey (Hardee) got it last year so it means I've done well this year." Kilmartin cruised through the entire season winning the Big 12 Championships on Saturday, Feb. 24 in Ames, Iowa and automatically qualifying at the Roger Cox Heptathlon Championships on January 27 in Albuquerque, N.M. He has led the country in the heptathlon since his win in New Mexico and extended that national lead with his performance at the Big 12 Championships. As the defending league champion and record holder, Kilmartin came within six points of tying the Big 12 Championship record he set in 2006 (5,876 points). He won a season-high five events in tallying 5,870 points and capturing the league title. While he missed the Big 12 record, he did accumulate the highest point total in the nation in 2007 and moved into the top 20 on the 2007 world indoor heptathlon list at the Lied Recreation Center. Kilmartin automatically qualified in his only regular season combined events competition of 2007 at the Roger Cox Heptathlon Championship. He posted a seven-event total of 5,700 points behind four event wins. In the group of competitors, he out-scored eventual 2007 NCAA runner-up Jake Arnold (Arizona), and fellow All-Americans Joshua Kinnaman (Arizona State) and Kevin Johnson (Colorado State). The three-time national champion and six-time All-American ends his indoor career with two consecutive heptathlon titles, and having won three of the last four indoor heptathlon national championships. The lone season (2005) he did not win the event, he placed second by less than 80 points. Kilmartin earned his fourth straight indoor All-American honor in helping the Longhorns to their highest national team finish (fourth place) and second highest point total (34 points; second only to the 2006 team that scored 35). Texas' third-place performance marked the third time in the last four seasons, and fourth overall year UT has finished as one of the top five teams in the country. All four top five performances have come under Thornton. In 2006, fellow combined events competitor Trey Hardee (Birmingham, Ala.) was selected as the NCAA Division I Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, after breaking the NCAA heptathlon record Kilmartin set as a freshman in 2004.
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