BroncoCountry has selected Eleni Kafourou as the 2009 Bronco Female Athlete of the Year in voting concluded last night.  The popular national champion track and field star received 77 percent of the vote to win the annual award.  Fellow track star Kayleen McDowell garnered 13 percent while Picchitra Thongdach of the Bronco tennis team had 6 % and super gymnast Hannah Redmon attracted 3 percent of the vote. 

Kafourou joins Bronco football coach Chris Petersen and the 2009 Boise State wrestling team as the other winners.  The Bronco Male Athlete of the Year vote is set to begin momentarily.

Kafourou began the year with two victories at the Jackson's Open, taking the long jump with a leap of 20' 0.50" and flying through the triple jump to a destination of 40' 0.75".  Kafourou improved upon both of those marks in winning the long jump (20' 3.75") and the triple ( 42' 2.25") at the Blue and Orange Classic.  Eleni recorded two more victories at the Bronco Invite (20' 3") and ( 43' 5"), breaking her own school record of 43' in the triple and then captured the triple at the Boise State Team Invite (42' 5.50"). 

Kafourou was named WAC Female Field Athlete of the Year at the Indoor Championships as she won the long jump (19' 10.75") just missed breaking the WAC record in winning the triple  (43' 7") and finished second in the 60-meter dash (7.63) in the only 60-meters she had run competitively this season. 

Kafourou recorded the first women's national championship in school history by soaring  (21' 5.25" in the long jump and finished seventh  in the triple (43' 0.25") at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Although her outdoor performances this spring could not be considered in balloting for the Female Athlete of the Year, Kafourou competed extensively unattached.  She won the women’s long jump (21-02.00), triple jump (43-01.50) and 100m dash (12.22) at the Bronco Twilight, the triple jump with a mark of 42-6.25 at the BYU Invitational and the long jump with a leap of 20-8.75.

Earlier this month, Eleni won the long jump at the Venizelia meet in her native Greece with a jump of 21-6.  That beat her personal record of 21-5.50 which is also the Boise State record set last year.  Kafourou qualified for the European Cup in Portugal this weekend as well as The World Games July 7-12 in Belgrade, Serbia with her win at Venizelia.  She hopes to earn a spot at the World Track and Field Championships in August.

Kafourou has now won the Bronco Female Athlete of the Year four consecutive years and could add a fifth next year as she will be competing in the outdoor season. 

Congratulations Eleni--quite possibly the top female student-athlete in Boise State history!