Parker Valby
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Pennsylvania[1] |
Home town | Connecticut Tampa, Florida |
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | 5000m |
College team | University of Florida |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | 3000m: 8:41.50 (The Track at New Balance, 2024) 5000m: 14:52.79 (The Track at New Balance, 2024) 10000m: 30:50.43 (Azusa, 2024) |
Medal record |
Parker Valby is an American track and field and cross-country athlete.[2] She is a four-time NCAA champion and the current NCAA record holder for the indoor 5000m and outdoor 10000m.
Early life[edit]
From Tampa, Florida, she attended East Lake High School.[3] She was a competitive swimmer before first running cross-country in 2016. When asked to try track and field as well, she was initially reluctant and it meant having to give up lacrosse.[4] She became the Florida state champion and the Florida state all-time record holder whilst still a junior.[5][6] However, she was unable to compete during her senior year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
Collegiate career[edit]
Valby competes for the University of Florida. Her sophomore year she finished runner-up to Katelyn Tuohy in the 5000m at the NCAA Track and Field Championships by running a personal best of 15:20:10. This second-place performance helped Florida win the team title.[8][9]
The following fall, Valby once again finished runner-up to Tuohy but this time at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Oklahoma.[10] That spring, she won the 5000m at the 2023 NCAA Track and Field Championships helping Florida finish as team runner-up.[11]
Valby started out her redshirt junior season strong by winning the Wisconsin Nuttycombe invite over rival Katelyn Tuohy in a course time of 19:17.2.[12]
In November 2023, she won the NCAA Cross Country Championship in Charlottesville, Virginia. She ran a new NCAA record time of 18:55.2 for the 6 km course to win by 10 seconds ahead of Doris Lemngole of the University of Alabama.[13]
On December 2, 2023, Valby set a new NCAA record for the indoor 5000m while competing at Boston University. Her time of 14:56.11 eclipsed the mark of 15:12.22 set by Emily Sisson in 2015.[14]
At the 2024 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, Valby broke her own collegiate record in the 5000m and picked up another NCAA title, running 14:52.79 in Boston.[15] She negative split the race, running 7:33 for first half and 7:19 for her second. She had a comfortable margin of victory ahead of 2nd placer Taylor Roe who finished in 15:15.[16] The next day she also won the 3000m indoor national championship in a personal record of 8:41.50.[17]
In April 2024, she ran a time of 30:50.43 for the 10,000 metres at the Brian Clay Invitational in Azusa, California. It was a new American collegiate record, previously held by Lisa Uhl.[18] Valby set a new championship record winning the 5000 metres at the SEC Chmpionship in Gainesville, Florida on 11 May 2024.[19]
Year | SEC Cross Country | NCAA South Regional Cross Country | NCAA Cross Country | SEC Indoor Track | NCAA Indoor Track | SEC Outdoor Track | NCAA Outdoor Track |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021–22 | 4th | 2nd | 27th | - | - | 2nd - 5000m | 2nd - 5000m |
2022–23 | 1st | 1st | 2nd | - | - | 1st - 5000m | 1st - 5000m |
2023–24 | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st - 3000m; 1st DMR | 1st - 5000m; 1st - 3000m | 1st - 5000m |
Sponsorship[edit]
In June 2023, Valby signed an endorsement agreement with sportswear brand Nike.[20] In doing so, she became the first female college track and field athlete to have a name, image, and likeness agreement with the company.[21]
Honors and awards[edit]
- Honda Sports Award: Cross Country, 2024[22]
- USTFCCCA Lance Harter Collegiate National Athlete of the Year: Cross Country 2023[23]
Achievements[edit]
NCAA titles[edit]
- NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships
- NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship
- 6 km XC: 2023
References[edit]
- ^ Parker Valby After SMASHING the NCAA 5k Record in 14:56!!! The Stride Report
- ^ "Parker Valby". World Athletics. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ "Parker Valby". Florida Gators. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Putnam, Bob (31 October 2018). "Once a reluctant runner, East Lake's Parker Valby now leads the pack". Tampabay.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Parker Valby Went from Inexperienced Runner to State Champ". baynews9.com. October 16, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Grasley, Todd. "Parker Valby Runs State Record Girls 3,200m - Florida State Meet Recap 2019". Runnerspace.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Lyden, Adair (April 26, 2020). "Open Letter From HS Coach To FL 3200m State Record Holder". fl.milesplit.com. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Zatlin, Garrett (March 2, 2023). "Parker Valby to Medically Scratch Out of NCAA Championships, per FloTrack". The Stride Report.
- ^ "Parker Valby Claims 5000m Victory At The NCAA Championship". Citiusmag.com. June 11, 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Mack, Gordon (November 19, 2022). "Florida's Parker Valby Breaks Down Her Race Against Katelyn Tuohy". flottack.org. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Robert; Gault, Jonathan (June 11, 2023). "NCAA Women's Recap: Parker Valby (5000), Michaela Rose (800) & Olivia Markezich (Steeple) Earn First NCAA Titles". Lets Run. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ "Parker Valby Takes Down Katelyn Tuohy At Nuttycombe as NAU Women Dominate". LetsRun. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Florida's Parker Valby Takes First NCAA Cross Country Title". 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
- ^ Colyear-Danville Women — Valby Takes CR Sub-15:00, Track & Field News, Roy Conrad, December 4, 2023.
- ^ Dutch, Taylor (March 8, 2024). "Parker Valby Breaks Her Own Collegiate Record and Wins the NCAA 5,000 Meters". Runners World. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "Parker Valby Breaks NCAA Record (14:52.79) To Destroy the Field and Win NCAA Title #3". Lets Run. 9 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Robert; Gault, Jonathan (March 10, 2024). "2024 NCAA Indoors Women: Maia Ramsden & Parker Valby Dominate as Juliette Whittaker Stuns Michaela Rose". Lets Run. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ Morton, Arik (April 12, 2024). "Parker Valby Shatters 10,000 Meter Collegiate Record". Florida Gators. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Hutchison, Katelyn (13 May 2024). "SEC Track And Field Championships Produce World Leading Times And Olympic Performances". Forbes.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Robert (June 27, 2023). "Q & A With Parker Valby On Her Historic NIL Deal With Nike". Lets Run. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Singh, Vaibhav (28 June 2023). "NCAA 5000m Champion Parker Valby Becomes the First Female Track and Field Athlete to Sign an NIL Deal With Nike". Essentially Sports. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ Florida’s Parker Valby Named Class of 2024 Honda Sport Award Winner for Cross Country, Honda Sports Award, December 8, 2023.
- ^ Coaches Tab Parker Valby as 2023 Lance Harter Women’s National Athlete of the Year, Florida Gators, Arik Morton, November 27, 2023.
External links[edit]
- Living people
- American female middle-distance runners
- Sportspeople from Tampa, Florida
- Track and field athletes from Florida
- Florida Gators women's cross country runners
- Florida Gators women's track and field athletes
- 21st-century American women
- American female long-distance runners
- United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field)
- NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners