USTFCCCA Release

NEW ORLEANS -- Cal State LA's Khallifah Rosser has been named the West Region Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the organization announced on Monday.

Rosser has the fastest time in the nation in the 400 hurdles heading into the NCAA Division II Championships, which will be contested beginning on Thursday in Florida. Rosser, the California Collegiate Athletic Association champion in the 400 hurdles, also posted the second-fastest time in the 400 meters in the nation, but he will be concentrating his efforts in the 400 hurdles this week at the championships.

Each of the eight regions – which are the same as those used during the cross country season – honored both genders' top track athletes and field athletes, and the top men's and women's head coaches and assistant coaches.

Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches.

Rosser's best time of 49.27 leads all of NCAA Division II and is No. 3 among all collegiate divisions. Rosser won the CCAA Championship in the 400 hurdles with a meet record of 50.19 on May 7 in Los Angeles. That mark is also a new standard for Cal State LA's Jesse Owens Track. He had his best time of the season while winning an elite race at the Mt. SAC Relays in April.

He will attempt to become the first Cal State LA men's track and field national champion since Josh Como and Giorgio Bryant won national titles in the triple jump and long jump in 2011. The last 400 hurdles champion for Cal State LA was Gordon Bugg in 1985.

Rosser is No. 2 on Cal State LA's all-time list in the 400 hurdles, trailing only Sam Turner, who ran a 49.04 in 1978.

Rosser will run the 400 hurdles prelims on Thursday at 5:25 p.m. PST. The finals will be Saturday at 4:20 p.m. PST.