Anselm LeBourne has been named USATF Male Masters T&F Athlete of 2015, and Kathy Bergen and Irene Obera will share female honors after a year in which each set a half-dozen world records and won gold at Lyon. The USATF Masters Awards Committee informed them over the weekend, and reactions are coming in. For M55 middle-distancer Anselm, it’s his first time. “Other than being selected to the USATF [Masters] Hall of Fame, this is the pinnacle of accomplishments in USA masters track and field,” he told me Monday. “There is no higher honor than this. I have won the age group Athlete of the Year about 4 times but never the overall athlete of the year. What this mean to me is that the Masters Awards committee appreciated my accomplishments and have rewarded me. I appreciate that.”

Kathy, Irene and Anselm had sensational seasons — among the best of all time.

Alan Kolling, W80 sprinter/hurdler Irene’s friend and coach, wrote me: “I called Irene [Sunday] night and she was very pleased and genuinely humbled to hear of the award. She was also very happy to share the award with Kathy, who she recognizes has had such a tremendous record-breaking season. … Irene is always very grateful when she gets any recognition or award, but she still just runs and competes for the sheer joy of it. And that’s what makes working with her so much fun.”

For Hall of Famer Irene, it is her fourth Female Masters Athlete of the Year award — including when she was a W45 in 1979 and again in 1984 as a W50. And last year.

Hall of Famer Kathy — my teammate in the Southern California Striders — had rare world record doubles — in the high jump and sprints. And sharing AoY honors has happened eight other times since 1978.

She shared her reaction Tuesday:

I am stunned, thrilled and honored to be sharing this award with Irene Obera, a track legend. I did work hard this year, but I never expected to receive our highest award in Track & Field. Aging up is a wonderful thing. Congratulations to Irene and Anselm. A little known fact: I graduated from St. Anselm’s Grammar School. … I feel so elated. This is truly the icing on the cake.

Masters Awards Committee Chairwoman Mary Trotto helped prepared this list of AoY winners:

Year                        Men                                         Women

2014 BOB HEWITT                                                      IRENE OBERA
2013 CHARLIE ALLIE/ORVILLE ROGERS          MYRLE MENSEY
2012 BOB LIDA                                                           JEANNE DAPRANO
2011 NOLAN SHAHEED                                           FLO MEILER/JOHNNYE VALIEN
2010 RALPH MAXWELL/NOLAN SHAHEED   ONEITHEA (NENI) LEWIS
2009 WILLIAM MURRAY                                       RITA HANSCOM
2008 BILL COLLINS                                                KATHY MARTIN/KAY GLYNN
2007 NOLAN SHAHEED                                        PHIL RASCHKER
2006/7 NOLAN SHAHEED                                   ALISA HARVEY
2006 BILL COLLINS                                              NADINE O’CONNOR
2005 EMIL PAWLIK                                               NADINE O’CONNOR
2004 RODERICK PARKER                                   KATHRYN MARTIN
2003 BILL COLLINS                                              LEONORE MCDANIELS
2002 LARRY COLBERT                                        PHIL RASCHKER
2001 NOLAN SHAHEED                                     JOHNNYE VALIEN
2000 JAMES STOOKEY                                      PHIL RASCHKER
1999 MEL LARSEN                                               PHIL RASCHKER
1998 JAMES STOOKEY                                       LEONORE MCDANIELS
1997 BILL COLLINS                                            PHIL RASCHKER
1996 JAMES STOOKEY                                     MARY LIBAL
1995 STEVE ROBBINS                                      PHIL RASCHKER
1994 ROSS CARTER                                          PHIL RASCHKER
1993 PHIL MULKEY                                          PHIL RASCHKER
1992 STAN WHITLEY                                      SHIRLEY MATSON/PHIL RASCHKER
1991 JACK GREENWOOD                              BETTY VOSBURGH
1990 LARRY ALMBERT                                  CHRISTEL MILLER/PHIL RASCHKER
1989 JACK GREENWOOD                             PHIL RASCHKER
1988 GARY MILLER/STAN WHITLEY      PHIL RASCHKER
1987 TOM PATSALIS                                      PHIL RASCHKER
1986 JACK GREENWOOD                            CHRISTEL MILLER
1985 JIM BURNETT                                       POLLY CLARKE
1984 ED BURKE/PARRY O’BRIEN            IRENE OBERA
1983 JACK GREENWOOD                            POLLY CLARKE
1982 AL OERTER                                            PHIL RASCHKER
1981 JIM BURNETT                                       JUDY FOX
1980 AL OERTER                                           JOANN GRISSOM
1979 ERNIE BILLUPS                                    IRENE OBERA
1978 GEORGE KER