The 2024 Roy F. Kramer SEC Female Athlete of the Year was announced on Tuesday with Florida Gators track and field star Parker Valby getting the nod after a season that featured five individual NCAA titles, four individual SEC titles and three collegiate records in distance events.
“The SEC is pleased to honor Parker and Jayden as this year’s Roy F. Kramer Athletes of the Year,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.
“It takes an exceptional level of discipline and commitment to achieve at highest level of competition, a level that has been reached by Parker and Jayden with the consistency necessary to be called the best of the best. These young people are great examples of what it means to be a student-athlete in the Southeastern Conference.”
“Incredibly proud of Parker and all that she has accomplished this year,” Gators Head Coach Mike Holloway said of Valby. “She has got to be considered the best female distance runner in NCAA history. I’m super proud of her, and of Coaches Will and Sam Palmer”
“This is a tremendous honor for Parker, our program, and the University of Florida,” Florida Associate Head Coach for Cross Country Will Palmer said. “The SEC is home to some of the very best young athletes in the world. It’s been a pleasure guiding her through the back half of her collegiate career and this award is a testament to both how far she’s come and how fantastic this year has been.”
The Gators standout is also on the U.S. Track and Field roster for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
SEC Female Athlete of the Year history
This is the second consecutive year in which a UF athlete has taken home the top individual honor in the Southeastern Conference — Valby takes the title one year after Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas earned the accolade. This is the 16th time in school history that a Gator has been awarded an SEC Athlete of the Year honor, which is the most of any school in the Southeastern Conference.
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