HOUSTON -- USA Track & Field will recognize high school phenom Candace Hill as Youth Athlete of the Year and Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat as Masters Athlete of the Year at the Jesse Owens Awards, held Saturday, Dec. 5 in conjunction with the USATF Annual Meeting.
 
Hill (Conyers, Georgia) set two World Youth Records (WYRs) in 2015. She ran an astounding 10.98 in the 100 meters on June 20 at the Brooks Invitational in Shoreline, Washington, and she ran 22.43 in the 200m as a member of Team USA at IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia.
 
Hill claimed the sprint double at World Youth Championships, setting meet records in both events in Cali. She was named Gatorade National Track & Field Athlete of the Year and went on to become the only high school sophomore and only female non-senior to win Gatorade National Athlete of the Year.
 
Lagat (Tucson, Arizona), an M40-44 athlete, set six masters world records indoors in 2015, starting with his 3:54.91 Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games. He finished the 3,000m in 7:48.33 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Feb. 7, lowering that to 7:37.71 at the 7th Annual Metz Moselle Athlélor Indoor in Metz, France, on Feb. 25. His indoor record repertoire also includes a 8:17.05 two-mile at the Sainsbury’s Indoor GP at Birmingham, England, on Feb. 21.
 
On the roads, he set a new masters world record in the 10 km on May 10, finishing the Great Manchester Run in England in 27:48 to tie the American open record.
 
Outdoors, Lagat set World Masters records on the track, finishing the 1,500m at Birmingham British Athletics Grand Prix in 3:41.87 and the 5,000m at Prefontaine in 13:14.97.
 
The red carpet for USATF’s Jesse Owens Awards begins at 6:30 p.m. CST at the Hyatt Regency Houston.