Amber Melville high jumps her way to B1G award

At about this time last week I had the pleasure of introducing Testudo Times readers to Maryland women's track and field athlete Thea LaFond when the Big Ten announced that LaFond had won the Field Athlete of the Week Award. By virtue of becoming the second consecutive Terrapin to claim that honor, this week I have the chance to introduce you to high jumper Amber Melville.

Hailing from Westminster and a graduate of North Carroll High School, Melville is another Maryland product who came to her state school. She was a three-time outdoor state champion who also won an indoor state title. The senior has had real success in her time at Maryland.

Beginning with the 2012 indoor season, Melville saved her best for last, recording a personal best of 5' 8.75" at the ACC Championships. In the 2012 outdoor season, she finished fourth in the ACC and then in the NCAA East preliminaries jumped 5' 9.75" - a mark that is sixth best in Terrapins' history.

Melville kept getting better and won the 2013 ACC Indoor Championship and three other meets and became only the third Terrapin woman to clear six feet. Her success continued in the 2013 outdoor season where she again claimed the ACC Championship. As she had done in prior seasons, her ACC jump of 6' 0.75" was her best of the season.

Last week, at the Terrapin Invitational, which Melville won for the second time in her career, she cleared the bar at 6' 1.25". This is the second best women's high jump in Maryland history and ties her for the best jump in the country in the indoor season to date.

So, for the second consecutive week, we can say to a Maryland women's track and field athlete, Amber Melville, the staff and readers of Testudo Times salute you.