Parker Valby has been selected the 2024 Roy F. Kramer SEC Female Athlete of the Year, following a season that included five individual NCAA titles, four individual SEC titles, three collegiate distance records, and a spot on the United States Track and Field roster for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Valby and LSU’s Jayden Daniels received this year’s top SEC individual honor on Tuesday.
“The SEC is pleased to honor Parker and Jayden as this year’s Roy F. Kramer Athletes of the Year,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated. “It takes an exceptional level of discipline and commitment to compete at the highest level, a level that Parker and Jayden have achieved with the consistency required to be referred to as the best of the best.” “These young people are excellent examples of what it means to be a Southeastern Conference student-athlete.”
“Incredibly proud of Parker and all that she has accomplished this year,” Gators Head Coach Mike Holloway said of Valby. “She must be considered the best female distance runner in NCAA history. I’m very 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 stated. “The SEC has some of the top young athletes in the world. It’s been a pleasure mentoring her through the second part of her college experience, and this honor reflects both how far she’s come and how wonderful this year has been.”
Valby made history as the first female runner in NCAA history to secure five individual distance titles in a single season, each with meet record times. Her 2023-24 title streak began with a sub-19 minute win at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, she broke her own 5,000m collegiate record with a time of 14:52.79, winning by nearly 17 seconds. Less than a day later, she set another meet record with an 8:41.50 victory in the 3,000m.
In the outdoor season, Valby shattered the previous collegiate record by 28 seconds at the Bryan Clay Invitational, finishing the 10,000m in 30:50.43 on April 12. She continued her dominance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, setting a meet record in the 10,000m and defending her 5,000m title with a collegiate-best time of 14:52.18, winning all her NCAA titles by at least five seconds.
At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Valby earned a spot in the Paris Games by finishing second in the 10,000m, the only collegiate athlete in the event.
She was named USTFCCCA 2023 Cross Country, 2024 Indoor, and Outdoor National Athlete of the Year, and became the fifth athlete to win both the cross country and track & field Honda Awards in one academic year. Valby also received the 2023 USTFCCCA Women’s Cross Country National Scholar Athlete of the Year award and was a SEC Academic Honor Roll member, graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management in May.
A six-time SEC Champion and nine-time USTFCCCA All-American, Valby won all 14 races she competed in during the 2023-24 season and holds three collegiate records (indoor 5,000m, outdoor 5,000m, and outdoor 10,000m).
Named the 2023 SEC Cross Country Runner of the Year, 2024 SEC Indoor Runner of the Year, and 2024 SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year, she helped Florida achieve runner-up finishes at both the 2024 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor meets. Valby is one of three finalists for the 2024 Bowerman Award.
This is Florida’s second consecutive year with the best individual distinction for a Southeastern Conference athlete, as Valby earns the title one year after Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas was recognized. This is the 16th time in school history that a Gator has been named SEC Athlete of the Year, the most by any institution in the conference.
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