NCAA & NJCAA Outdoor National Athletes of the Week (May 9)
NEW ORLEANS – With the collegiate track & field postseason rapidly approaching, athletes around the nation are picking up the pace. These 10 athletes this week starred on the national level and were named National Athletes of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday.
Find out more about these athletes by clicking their names or scrolling below. National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to 10 collegiate outdoor track & field athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions and the two in NJCAA). Nominations are open to the public. Coaches and sports information directors are encouraged to nominate their student-athletes; as are student-athletes, their families and friends, and fans of their programs. The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.
NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Justyn Knight, Syracuse
Junior | Distance Vaughan, Ontario, Canada The elite section of the 5000 at the Payton Jordan Invitational was supposed to be about Edward Cheserek’s run at collegiate history. Instead, Justyn Knight stole the spotlight. Knight won the heat in a world-leading 13:17.51 and used a 57.6-second last lap to kick past professionals Sam McEntee and Gabriel Geay. Cheserek ended up finishing some seven seconds behind Knight. That time by Knight (13:17.51) was the 4th fastest mark ever record during a collegiate season in collegiate history. Knight now sits behind Henry Rono, Diego Estrada and Alistair Cragg on the all-time chart. Estrada and Cragg both ran their times at the Payton Jordan Invitational as well.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Keturah Orji, Georgia
Junior | Horizontal Jumps Mount Olive, New Jersey The debut was worth the wait. Keturah Orji finally opened up her outdoor season this past weekend at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial on her home track in Athens, Georgia. And Orji recorded a triple jump of 14.31m (46-11½) which stands as the 2nd best mark in collegiate history. Who owns the top mark? That would be none other than Orji, who hopped, skipped and jumped her way to a record of 14.53m (47-8) in a winning effort at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. We’ll next see Orji compete at the NCAA East Preliminary in Lexington, Kentucky.
NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Coy Blair, Tiffin
Senior | Throws Logan, Ohio Coy Blair was rock solid in the shot put this past weekend at the GLIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, claiming a league title and extending his distance from the nearest competitor on the descending order list with a personal-best mark of 19.90m (65-3½). The throw was the 4th-best on the week by any collegiate competitor, and it moves the senior up in the NCAA Division II collegiate outdoor record books to the 5th-best performer in the event. His previous best on the season was 19.60m (64-3¾). The native of Logan, Ohio, is coming off an indoor season in which he won individual titles in the shot put and weight throw. After finishing 2nd a year ago at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the shot put, Blair is looking to leave no stone unturned before wrapping up his collegiate career.
NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Alicja Konieczek, Western State
Junior | Distance Zsrit Powodowo, Poland Alicja Konieczek is already in the collegiate record book for an outstanding performance in the steeplechase earlier this year. But this past weekend, the native of Poland rewrote history once again. The product out of Western State ran the fastest steeplechase time in the NCAA Division II collegiate outdoor history with a mark of 9:49.74. So impressive is her mark that it sits a shade over 20 seconds faster than her nearest competitor on the NCAA Division II descending order list. Another fact to prove how outstanding her mark was: it was the best time on the week by any collegiate athlete in the event, including The Bowerman Award Watch List vote receiver Elinor Purrier, who ran a 9:56.15 this weekend. The 2-time indoor national champ is shooting for her first outdoor title, and with times like this, it’s very possible this year will be the year.
NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Parker Witt, UW-Whitewater
Junior | Sprints Appleton, Wisconsin What do you do if you’re running into a headwind? If you’re Parker Witt, you set a PR and become the first man during the NCAA DIII season to go sub 21 seconds in the 200 meters. Witt blasted a time of 20.99 at the WIAC Outdoor Championships this past weekend to win one of his two individual titles at the meet. He also captured 1st place in the 100. One look at the NCAA DIII Descending Order List shows exactly why Witt is our choice for NCAA DIII Men’s National Athlete of the Week. Witt is currently atop the chart in both the 100 and 200 and is the man to beat in both with two weekends to go until NCAAs.
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Wadeline Jonathas, UMass Boston
Freshman | Sprints Gonaives, Haiti The NCAA DIII record book fears Wadeline Jonathas. There is no other way around it. This past weekend at the NCAA Division III New England Outdoor Championships, Jonathas broke an 18-year-old NCAA DIII record over 200 meters. Jonathas crossed the finish line in 23.67, which shattered the previous mark of 23.72 set by Rhondale Jones in 1999. The native of Gonaives, Haiti, wasn’t done there, though. Jonathas proceeded to clock the 3rd fastest mark in NCAA DIII history over 100 meters. Her time of 11.59w sits behind Ashlynn Chavis (11.55w) and Meg Heafy (11.58w) on the chart. Strong consideration was also given to Ithaca’s Katherine Pitman (pole vault) and UT Tyler’s Whitney Simmons (hammer throw), who both broke NCAA DIII records in their respective events.
NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Adrian Williams, South Plains (Texas)
Sophomore | Throws With the 6th-best javelin throw on the week by any collegiate athlete, Adrian Williams won the Texas Tech Masked Rider Open with an NJCAA Division I leading mark. The sophomore posted a heave of 69.34m (227-6), winning the event title at the meet in Lubbock, Texas, for the 2nd-straight year. The event title marked Williams’ 3rd of the year and sets him up quite nicely for a chance to defend his javelin championship at the NJCAA Division I National Championships in just a few weeks.
NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Natassha McDonald, South Plains (Texas)
Freshman | Sprints Toronto, Canada This isn’t Natassha McDonald’s 1st rodeo. The native of Toronto was named a National Athlete of the Week earlier this year, but has kept going strong this season. This past weekend, the freshman ran an altitude-converted time of 52.59 in the 400 meters at the Texas Tech Masked Rider Open. That mark is good for the top spot on the NJCAA Division I Descending Order List. McDonald won the event title at the meet, beating out 4 NCAA Division I athletes in the process, while also running the fastest time in the event in all of collegiate track & field this past week. As impressive as her season has been thus far, it will be interesting to see what she can do during the championship portion of her rookie campaign.
NJCAA DIVISION III MEN – Luke Shively, Finger Lakes CC
Sophomore | Jumps Berlin, New Jersey Luke Shively was all-everything this past weekend for Finger Lakes CC at the NJCAA Region III Track & Field Championships. The sophomore scored 5138 points in the decathlon for the 2nd-best point total in all of NJCAA Division III on the year. However, Shively was even better in the pole vault, notching a 4.35m (14-3¼) for the top spot on the descending order list. Shively won the event title in the pole vault with that mark.
NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Lauren Wangenstein, Suffolk CC
Sophomore | Jumps/Sprints Bohemia, New York Lauren Wangenstein took home the high jump event title this past weekend at the Tom Farrell Classic, defeating NCAA Division I athletes from Fordham and St. John’s in the process. More importantly, the sophomore’s clearance of 1.60m (5-3) moved her to the top of the descending order list in the event. Wangenstein also ran on the 4×100 relay squad at the meet that posted a time of 50.75, good for 3rd on the descending order list.
COLUMBIA, South Carolina– Postseason competition for the Aggies starts this week as they travel to the SEC Championships, held at Cregger Track on the South Carolina campus. Texas A&M enters the conference meet with the men and women ranked No. 1 in the latest national team computer rankings.
Events start on Thursday and conclude on Saturday. A live webcast will be available on SEC Network + for Friday (5:25 p.m. CT) and Saturday (2:10 p.m. CT). A two-hour recap will air via ESPNU on Wednesday, May 18 from 7 to 9 p.m.
"I think we're prepared to go and the group is excited," said Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "This is the time of the year where all these rehearsals come together."
While the Aggie men and women have been ranked No. 1 three consecutive weeks in the USTFCCCA rankings, 12 SEC men's teams and 11 SEC women's teams are ranked among the top 25 going into the conference championship weekend.
Following the Texas A&M men among the top 10 are Florida (2), Georgia (4), Alabama (5), LSU (6) and Arkansas (7). Ranked behind the Aggie women among the top 10 are LSU (4), Arkansas (5), Kentucky (6), Georgia (7), Florida (8) and Alabama (10).
Heading into its fifth SEC Outdoor Championships, Texas A&M men and women have each won a team title, placed second twice and third once. Both Aggie squads have finished second the past two years.
"The SEC Championships is a fantastic meet and it's a different championship than the NCAA Championships," noted Henry. "Within the top 10 of the national rankings we have six or seven SEC school among the men and women. It doesn't get much tougher than that and makes this a tough meet. That's what makes it rewarding and a lot of fun to try to win it."
Ioannis Kyriazis has claimed the SEC javelin title twice while Lindon Victor returns as the SEC decathlon champion after setting a conference meet record of 8,446 points last season.
Victor and Kyriazis both established world leading marks this season during the Texas Relays. Victor broke the collegiate decathlon record with a score of 8,472 points while Kyriazis won the javelin with one throw of 288-9 (88.01), which ranks second all-time on the collegiate list.
Victor remains the world leader in the decathlon while the mark by Kyriazis was bettered by two professional throwers in the first Diamond League meeting held this past weekend.
"Right now I feel good physically and mentally," said Victor. "I like to get better each time I compete in the decathlon. If getting better means I'm going to break the collegiate record, then I'm really hoping to get better during the SEC decathlon.
"The SEC Championships are like nationals since there are so many good athletes at our conference meet. You have to bring your 'A' game if you want to come out on top. With the level of competition, plus the fact that everyone wants to beat the collegiate record holder, it's not going to be easy. I'm up for the challenge, and I know my team needs the 10 points from the decathlon."
Kyriazis could join rare company in securing a third consecutive SEC javelin victory. The last person to achieve it was Florida's Derek Trafus from 1993 to 1995, and it was also accomplished by Tennessee's Bill Skinner from 1968 to 1970.
Three other javelin throwers – Tennessee's Danny Martin (1972 to 1975), Tennessee's Leigh Smith (2001 to 2004), and Alabama's Siggy Einarsson (1984 to 1987) claimed three SEC titles over a four-year span.
"I've been throwing much better this season, and my technique has been better," said Kyriazis. "I'm confident I can throw further than last year in the SEC meet. If I hit everything well, even with a short approach, I think I can still improve by a couple of meters in the conference meet."
The men's javelin will be one of five finals held on the opening day of the SEC Championships. The other finals include the men's and women's hammer along with the 10,000m.
Joining Kyriazis in the javelin are teammates Sam Hardin (238-6) and William Petersson (225-4). Hardin placed fifth last season and ranks fifth this season while Petersson, a freshman, enters his first conference meet ranked seventh. The main competition comes from Curtis Thompson of Mississippi State, the 2016 NCAA Champion who also placed second at the Olympics Trials last summer.
"I don't focus that much on competitors, I tend to focus on myself," noted Kyriazis. "If I do better, then I think I can win."
Texas A&M's men's 4x400 relay enters the SEC Championships as the world leader with a time of 3:00.74 set during the SEC Relays. The Aggies won the SEC 4x400 title in 2013 and 2014, when they set a meet record of 3:01.19, while placing fourth in 2015 and third last season. The meet record was lowered to 3:00.48 by LSU in 2016.
Fred Kerley, who ranks second in the world at 400m with a 44.60, will seek to add an outdoor conference title to the SEC Indoor 400m title he won earlier this season. Kerley is undefeated in the 400m this season and has been part of two collegiate relay records in the indoor 4x400 and the sprint medley relay. Joining Kerley in the 400m is younger brother Mylik as well as Richard Rose.
"My plan is just to make my race perfect and win the race," stated Kerley. "Every time I step on the track it's a learning process and I try to perfect my race."
SEC runner-up finishers returning for the Aggies from last season include Robert Grant (400H), Audie Wyatt (pole vault) and Will Williams (long jump). Wyatt, who has won two SEC Indoor titles, was also a runner-up two years ago outdoors.
Jazmine Fray is the top individual returner for the Aggie women, having placed second in the 800m as a freshman last season. Aaliyah Brown won the 2015 100m title while a pair of Texas A&M throwers finished third at the 2015 SEC meet in the hammer (Alison Ondrusek) and javelin (Kristen Clark).
Wyatt leads the SEC vaulters with an 18-8 ¼ (5.70) clearance this outdoor season and has company with teammates Carl Johansson (17-5 ½) and Jacob Wooten (17-3), who rank third and fourth in the conference. Last year Johansson and Wooten tied for fifth place with a 17-1 clearance.
Fray, who broke the collegiate indoor record at 800m, leads the SEC 800m field outdoors with a 2:01.43. Another conference leader for Texas A&M is freshman Serena Brown, who set a career best and Bahamas national record with a 186-6 (56.84) victory in the SEC Relays.
Williams finished third in the long jump at SEC Indoors and claimed second place in the NCAA Indoor Championships. Recently he was the top collegiate in the long jump at the SEC Relays with a wind-aided 26-2 ¾ (7.99) and enters the conference meet ranked third with that mark.
Grant led the collegiate ranks in the 400m hurdles with a 49.40 until that mark was bettered by a 49.09 from Kemar Mowatt of Arkansas during the SEC Relays.
Audrey Malone leads the Texas A&M women's javelin crew with a season best of 181-9 (55.37) as she ranks second in the SEC to LSU's Rebekah Wales, the current collegiate leader at 188-0 (57.31). The Aggies have four throwers ranked among the top eight in the SEC. Following Malone are Shelby Poncik (171-9), Clark (171-7) and Madalaine Stulce (170-6).
Aggies also ranked among the top three in the SEC prior to the conference meet include Brenessa Thompson in the 200m (22.59), Jaevin Reed in the 400m (52.18), Jeffrey Prothro in the triple jump (53-5), and Garrett Cragin in the high jump (7-1 ¾).
In addition, the Aggie women's relays both rank second among conference schools in the 4x100 (42.82) and 4x400 (3:27.72).
The seventh episode of the current season of IAAF Inside Athletics is available to watch online now and features an exclusive interview with world and Olympic 50km race walk champion Matej Toth. Following his European silver medal in 2014, the Slovakian went on to win the world title in Beijing in 2015 and then took Olympic gold in a memorable race in Rio last year. His personal best of 3:34:38 puts him third on the world all-time list.
IAAF Inside Athletics is hosted by Trinidad and Tobago’s 1997 world 200m champion Ato Boldon. To watch episodes of IAAF Inside Athletics as soon as they are released, follow the IAAF World Athletics Club Facebook page. IAAF
Sophomore Arturo Sotomayor and the UCLA men's distance squad is one of many divisions on the track and field team that have improved their standing in a number of events from past years, from hundreds away from the top to within spitting distance. (Keila Mayberry/Daily Bruin staff)
2016 (XC) - Competed in two meets … Raced in the 8k at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational and finished with a time of 24:44.2 in 38th place ... Opened the season at the Mustang Challenge in the 4.8mi and finished fourth with a time of 25:23.8.
2016 (Track)– Competed in eight outdoor meets during his freshmen campaign … Placed 15th at the Pac-12 Championships in the 800m with a time of 1:52.53 … Clocked a personal best 14:27.72 to finish 22nd in the 5,000m at the Pac-12 Championships … Posted a personal best 1:51.25 in the 800m to place third in the dual meet against rival USC … Finished sixth in the 800m in the dual meet against Texas A&M with a time of 1:51.70 … Posted a personal best 3:51.03 in the 1,500m to place fourth at the Rafer/JJK Invitational … Opened his outdoor season with a 1:55.16 in the 800m … Competed in six indoor meets … Ran an indoor best of 1:52.07 in the 800m to place 11th at the MPSF Championships … Ran a leg on the fifth place DMR at the MPSF Championships … Clocked an indoor best mile time of 4:08.34 to place 11th at the Alex Wilson Invitational … Ran a leg on the winning DMR at the Husky Classic that clocked a 9:48.92.
2015 (XC) - Ran unattached in the Titan Invitational (8k) and finished with a time of 26:00. HIGH SCHOOL - Prepped at Roseville High School in Roseville, Calif. … A two-time state qualifier in the 800m … Placed fifth at the CIF State Track & Field Championships with a time of 1:53.70 … Clocked a personal best 1:51.54 to finish second at the Mt. SAC Relays … Ran a 1:53.05 at the USATF Junior Nationals to place 10th … Finished 18th as a junior at the state meet with a time of 1:54.78 … Ran a personal best 4:13.02 in the 1,600m to win the Sacramento Meet of Champions … Helped the Roseville 4x400m relay team place sixth at the CIF State Championships … Ran at Brooks PR two years in a row … Holds the Roseville school record in the 800m, mile and 4x400m relay … Placed 61st at the CIF California State Cross Country Championships with a time of 16:05. PERSONAL –Son of Arturo and Alma Rosa Sotomayor … Has one brother named Eduardo and a sister named Sara Elena … Admires Leo Manzano … Enjoys soccer, hiking and working on cars.
Southlake Carroll's Reed Brown, center, races with collegiate and Olympic athletes for the start of the Jerry Thompson Invitational Men's Mile during the 2017 Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas on April 1, 2017. Brown placed fourth with a time of 4:03.23. (Julia Robinson/Special Contributor)
SOUTHLAKE -- Southlake Carroll's Reed Brown got tips on how to become one of the fastest teenage milers in American history from his chaperon.
2017 NCAA DII Men’s Outdoor Team Rankings – Week 8
NOTE: Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for rankings. Please check your membership status HERE. NEW ORLEANS— Welcome to the top-5, Lincoln (Mo.) and welcome back to the top-10, Texas A&M-Commerce. Both men’s outdoor track & field teams made pushes in the top-10 in the newest U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Outdoor Team Rankings, released on Tuesday. Lincoln (Mo.) has been a mainstay in the top-10 the last 3 weeks, but had not cracked the top-5 on the season. In that same timeframe, Texas A&M-Commerce had fallen out of the top-10 after spending the 1st 4 weeks of the season settled there.
NCAA Division II National Team Rankings Top 5 – Men
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Lincoln (Mo.) tied for the MIAA Outdoor Championship this past week thanks to some stellar performances from Sedeekie Edie and Faedian Royes. Edie posted the top long jump mark in all of NCAA Division II with a leap of 7.89m (25-10¾), while Royes’ time of 46.27 in the 400 meters sits 2nd on the descending order list. Both marks are automatic qualifying marks. Additionally, Miguel Barton ran the 6th-best 400 meter race (46.75) and 8th-fastest 200 meter race (20.91WA) on the descending order list at the meet last weekend. Texas A&M-Commerce won the Lone Start Outdoor Track & Field Championship behind the likes of Gage Bowles, DeVontae Steele and Florian Obst, as well as the team’s relay squads. Bowles (15.68m/51-5½) and Steele (15.53m/50-11½) notched the 4th and 8th-best triple jump marks in the nation this year, respectively, while Obst’s 7395 point total in the decathlon was an automatic qualifying mark that ranks 3rd in the nation. With the rise of those two teams, there were those who had to fall. Adams State (4th), Shorter (5th), Saint Augustine’s (6th) and Tiffin (7th) all dropped a spot from a week ago, as did Grand Valley State (10th). Angelo State (12th) fell out of the top-10 for just the 2nd time this season. Ashland and Chico State held on to the top-2 spots, respectively, and Missouri Southern did not relinquish its 8th-place position despite all of the other movement.
Two teams at the bottom of the rankings made significant leaps in Eastern New Mexico (22nd to 15th) and Fort Hays State (32nd to 23rd). A week after opening the season in 5th, Eastern New Mexico fell out of the top-10 and has risen and fallen in the rankings ever since. However, after running the 15th-best time in NCAA Division II outdoor history in the 4×100 relay (39.72), and with Marcus Parker notching the 2nd-best 200 meter mark on the season at 20.77, the Greyhounds found themselves in the best position in the rankings since coming in at 13th during week 3. Conversely, this is the 1st top-25 ranking in the history of Fort Hays State’s men’s program. Strong outings from Dillando Allotey in the 200 meters (20.91 WA) and Decano Cronin in the 800 meters (1:49.98) to move into the top-10 of the descending order list has allowed the Tigers to make history this week. The 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, from May 25-27. Check back at www.USTFCCCA.org each week throughout the season for updated rankings.
USTFCCCA NCAA Division II
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings (Top 25)
Armand"Mondo"Duplantis (born November 10, 1999) is a Swedish-American pole vaulter. Duplantis won gold as a 15 year old in the boys' pole vault at the 2015 World Youth Championships and holds a number of age group world bests.
Duplantis was born into an athletic family; his American father, Greg Duplantis, was a former pole vaulter with a personal best of 19 ft 1⁄4 in (5.80 m), while his Swedish mother Helena (née Hedlund) was a former heptathlete and volleyball player.[1] His two older brothers, Andreas and Antoine, also took up sports; Andreas represented Sweden as a pole vaulter at the 2009 World Youth Championships and 2012 World Junior Championships, while Antoine dropped pole vault for baseball in high school.[2][3] Armand Duplantis first tried pole vaulting as a four-year-old at the family's home in Lafayette, Louisiana, and took to the event rapidly; he set his first age group world best at age 7, and his jump of 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m) as a ten-year-old surpassed the previous world bests for ages 11 and 12 as well.[4][5] As of July 2015[update], he holds the world best in all age groups from age 7 to age 12; he held the age 13 record until it was broken in May 2015.[4][6] In 2015, his freshman year at Lafayette High School, Duplantis set national freshman records both indoors and outdoors and was named Gatorade Louisiana Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.[7] As a citizen of both the United States and Sweden, Duplantis could have chosen to vault for either country internationally; in June 2015 it was announced that he had selected Sweden.[8][9] Duplantis represented Sweden for the first time at the 2015 World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia; he won gold on countback with a first-attempt clearance of 5.30 m (17 ft 41⁄2 in), improving his personal best by two centimeters and setting a new championship record.[10][11] Duplantis cleared 18 ft 1⁄2 in (5.49 m) at a high school meet in Baton Rouge on February 6, 2016, setting a new age 16 world best, world indoor youth best and national high school indoor record; he was the first high school athlete to vault 18 feet indoors.[12][13] Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, the same age as Duplantis, broke his world marks with a 5.53 m jump only one week later.[14] On February 4, 2017 he set a new world junior indoor record of 5.72 m in a competition in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, improved the next week to 5.75 m in New York City. On March 11, 2017 He improved his personal best to 5.82m at New Balance Nationals 2017 at the Armory in New York City. On April 1, 2017 Armand jumped 5.90m at the Nike Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, improving his personal record and setting a new U20 WR. The jump also became a Swedish senior record with 3 cm.
Jan 19, 2017 - ... until February, but China Spring's Riley Richards already appears to be ... Richards, the grandson of former Olympic champion Bob Richards, ...
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