Ward, Brown earn Curtis Pugsley Athlete of the Year awards

PROVO, Utah—Jared Ward and Kelsey Brown were named as the winners of the 2013 Curtis Pugsley Athlete of the Year, given by BYU track & field to the most outstanding male and female athlete for the 2013 season.

The award was presented at a reception on Tuesday night honoring Ward, Brown and the other finalists. In addition to Ward and Brown, the male finalists were Curtis Carr and Victor Weirich and female finalists were Natalie Stewart and Andrea Nelson Harrison.

As a junior, Ward set career bests in the mile and 3,000 meters during the 2013 indoor season. He was part of the third-place distance medley relay team at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships and took ninth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships. Ward was named an All-American for the second consecutive year for his eighth place finish in the 10,000 meters. He set career bests in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. He also received Division I USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.

Brown is a transfer student from the University of Oklahoma and was a junior during the 2013 track seasons. She earned second team All-America status in the 800-meter race and earned seventh place on the all-time top 10 leaderboard at BYU in the 800 meters. Brown also placed 15th overall during the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 800 with a time of 2:18.55.