The USATF Masters T&F Awards Committee today named Nolan Shaheed, 58, and Phil Raschker, 61, its 2007 Masters Track & Field Athletes of the Year. Under a new awards process that recognizes athletes for the previous calendar year, the 23-member committee led by Dave Clingan of Oregon voted this month on several dozen nominees. There’s a little overlap with the 2007 awards system (which also picked Nolan as top master), but that ends now. This award differs from the end-of-the-year USATF convention award, which last December named a top masters athlete (male or female). Also congrats to meet announcer Peter Taylor. He won the David Pain Distinguished Service Award. Dave’s press release follows:

** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3/9/08 **
From: Dave Clingan
USATF Masters Track & Field Awards Chair
Email: xroads@xro.com
2007 USATF MASTERS TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
The athletes listed below have been selected by the USATF Masters Track and Field Awards Committee as ATHLETES OF THE YEAR for 2007, based on their accomplishments during the 2007 indoor and outdoor track seasons.
At the top of the list are two athletes who have earned the highest honors of USATF Masters Track and Field. Nolan Shaheed, of Pasadena, CA has been named Masters Male Athlete of the Year, and Phil Raschker, has been named Masters Female Athlete of the Year. The remaining athletes have earned awards within their respective age brackets.
MASTERS MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
SHAHEED, NOLAN – Pasadena, CA
American and World age group record holder Nolan Shaheed had another superlative year of competition in 2007 at age 58. There is no dispute among masters track and field athletes that Shaheed is the best distance runner his age in the world. In the 55-59 age classification he won 6 USATF National Masters Championship titles and two WMA World Masters Championship titles. During a rigorous year of competition in events ranging from 800m to 5000m, Shaheed was beaten only once by a runner his age while competing against the very best masters athletes in the United States and the world. He broke three American Records last year (Indoor 1500m, Indoor 3000m and outdoor Mile) and one World Record (Indoor 1500m).
MASTERS FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
PHIL RASCHKER – Marietta, GA
In 2007, Phil Raschker turned 60, and had what must be considered the finest year of competition in the history of masters track and field. During her accomplished masters career of 25 years, Raschker has won many championship titles and awards. But 2007 equaled or surpassed all prior achievements. At the USATF National Masters Indoor Championships, she won nine gold medals. At the outdoor nationals, she won 11 gold medals. At the National Senior Games Championships, she won seven gold medals. But her crowning achievement occurred at the 2007 World Masters Championships in Riccione, Italy, where she won 10 gold medals. No athlete has dominated the sport of masters track and field as absolutely as Phil Raschker did in 2007. During the year, she set new American age group records in seven indoor events and nine outdoor events, as well as new World records in three indoor events and five outdoor events. As a result of her spectacular accomplishments, she received IAAF’s most prestigious honor: Female Masters Athlete of the Year.
Masters Track and Field Athlete of the Year Awards will be presented on August 9, 2008 at the Athletes Dinner during the USATF National Masters Track and Field Championships in Spokane, WA.
2007 USATF MASTERS T&F AWARD WINNERS
Male Masters Athlete of the Year
Nolan Shaheed – Pasadena, CA
Female Masters Athlete of the Year
Phil Rashker – Marietta, GA
Men 30 – 59 Athletes of the Year
Bill Collins, – Houston, TX
Tom Fahey – Chico, CA
Greg Foster – Lumberton, NJ
John Hinton – Chapel Hill, NC
Gary Hunter – Fort Wayne, IN
Jim Sorensen – San Leandro, CA
M60+ Athletes of the Year
John Altentdorf – Corvalis, OR
Mel Larsen – Ames, IA
Robert Lida – Wichita, KS
Bob Matteson – Bennington, VT
Emil Pawlik – Jackson, MS
James Stookey – Dickerson, MD
Women 30-59 Athletes of the Year
Carol Finsrud – Lockhart, TX
Rita Hanscom – San Diego, CA
Alisa Harvey – Manassas, VA
Oneithea Lewis – Bayside, NY
Kathryn Martin – Northport, NY
Joy Upshaw-Margerum – Los Altos, CA
Women 60+ Athletes of the Year
Jeanne Daprano – Fayetteville, GA
Christel Donley – Colorado Springs, CO
Betty Jarvis – Aberdeen, NC
Barbara Jordan – S. Burlington,VT
Marie-Louise Michelsohn – New York, NY
Nadine O’Connor – Del Mar, CA
David Pain Distinguished Service Award
Pete Taylor – Fairfax, VA
Honorable Mentions: Mark Cleary, Ken Stone, John Seto