On New Years Eve, Morgan Uceny will bid a fond farewell to 2011. It was a breakout year for the 26-year-old middle-distance runner — a year in which she earned the title of best 1500-meter runner in the world.

Uceny (pronounced YOU-sin-ee) won three Diamond League 1,500-meter races, including the final in Brussels, where she out kicked a loaded field (10 of the top ranked runners in the world were in the race) and won in 4:00.06 — a personal best and the fastest 1500 time in the world this year. The win in Brussels gave her the overall Diamond League 1500 title, as well.

And it served as redemption for her greatest disappointment. At the 2011 World Championships, Uceny — a favorite to win the world title — tripped in the 1500 and fell to the track.