Baton Rouge, La. – Aleia Hobbs has been named a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award, an honor given each year to the nation’s best amateur athlete. Fans can vote once per day from Monday, March 18, until Friday, March 22.
“It is truly an honor to become a finalist with all of the great athletes I went against,” said Hobbs. “I’m grateful that my accomplishments are being noticed by the entire AAU Sullivan award committee and also everyone that voted for me. I cannot wait to get to NYC for the ceremony.”
The first female collegiate track and field athlete to win the 100 meter dash at the USATF Championships, Hobbs also won three NCAA titles in 2018 in the 60 meter dash (indoors), 100 meter dash (outdoors) and 4×100 meter relay (outdoors). She held the five fastest U.S. marks in the 100 meter dash in 2018 and did not lose a race during outdoors in her primary events (100m dash/4x100m relay) en route to a perfect 16-0 record. Hobbs ran four of the eight fastest 100 meter dash times in collegiate history in 2018 with a season best of 10.90 and set the collegiate record in the 60 meter dash (7.07) at the NCAA Indoor Championships to claim her first-career national title. The 2018 Corbett Award Winner (awarded to the most outstanding amateur athlete in Louisiana each year), Hobbs anchored the collegiate record setting 4×100 meter relay to a SEC title with a time of 42.05 and anchored three of the top six collegiate 4×100 meter relay times in 2018 (42.05, 42.09, 42.25). The Bowerman semifinalist, she won a cominbed 19 raced between the indoor and outdoor collegiate season. The 2018 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, she finished the 2019 season ranked seventh in the world with a season best of 7.13 in the 60 meter dash indoors.
Hobbs is one of eight finalists that will attend the 89th annual AAU Sullivan Award ceremony in New York City. She will be joined in New York by Luke Maye (UNC Basketball), Townley Haas (Texas Swimming), McKenzie Milton (UCF Football), Rachel Garcia (UCLA Softball), Morgan Hurd (USA Gymnastics), Kathryn Plummer (Stanford Volleyball), and Mikaela Foecke (Nebraska Volleyball).