ECU Athletic Media Relations

IRVING, Texas – After earning her sixth All-America selection, Tynita Butts was named Conference USA Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete-of-the-Year for the first time in her career, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. She collected C-USA Indoor Field Athlete-of-the-Year honors in 2013.

“I have said time and time again how proud we are of Tynita Butts and all of her accomplishments here at East Carolina,” head coach Curt Kraft said. “This is just one of the many congratulations to a long list of many things that she has already accomplished in her athletic career during her stay here. We, as a coaching staff, feel honored to have her in this program.”

Butts, a redshirt senior jumper, concluded her collegiate career as the school record holder in the high jump (1.91 meters) and long jump (6.22 meters). Her distance in the high jump ranks second in the nation.

Most recently the Alexandria, Va., native earned her sixth All-America selection after finishing second in the high jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a clearance of 1.86 meters (6’ 1.25”). Her mark was just one inch shy of winning the national title. Butts’ second-place finish in the event was the highest-ever finish for a Pirate in the NCAA Championships.

“I know Tynita has future goals in this sport that she wants to go after over the next few years,” Kraft said. “The one thing that we feel so good and excited about is that East Carolina University and the purple and gold will always be represented in a first class manner in whatever Tynita accomplishes from this point forward.”

Joining Butts with C-USA Athlete-of-the-Year honors are national champion, Anthony Rotich of UTEP, who was named Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete-of-the-Year, UTSA’s Richard Garrett, Jr., who claimed Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete-of-the-Year, and Elinor Kirk of UAB who garnered the Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete-of-the-Year award.