Mid-American Conference

Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Patrick Kimball, Akron, 60mH
R-Sophomore – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania/Mount Lebanon
Akron redshirt sophomore Patrick Kimball crossed the line first in the men's 60-meter hurdles at the Akron-Kent State dual on Jan. 25, in 8.01, the third-fastest time in indoor program history. He also recorded a career-best indoor time of 22.59 in the 200 meters to help the Zips capture a dual-meet victory over the Golden Flashes.
 
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Athena Welsh, Toledo, Mile
Junior – Louisville, Ohio/St. Thomas Aquinas
Athena Welsh clinched first in the mile with a time of 4:43.54 at the GVSU Open on Friday, Jan. 25. Her finish helped the Rockets take second overall with a final score of 120.5. Welsh's time lands her at second in the MAC and 35th in the NCAA indoor rankings.
 
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Matt Ludwig, Akron, Pole Vault
Senior – Chardon, Ohio/Lake Catholic
Akron senior Matt Ludwig stole the show for the Akron track and field team garnering a world-leading and career-best mark of 19-1.50 (5.83m) to win the men's pole vault at the annual Akron-Kent State dual on Friday, Jan. 25. A week after posting the No. 2 mark in the world in the men's pole vault, Ludwig elevated his game another level eclipsing 19-1.50 (5.83m) to win the event with the No. 1 bar in the world in 2019. He attempted to establish a new collegiate record height of 19-5 (5.92m) but came up short in each of his three attempts to better a mark set by former Zip Shawn Barber in 2015. Ludwig's mark stands as the No. 3 all-time indoor collegiate jump.
 
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Aliyah Gustafson, Bowling Green, Shot Put/Weight Throw
R-Senior – Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City
Aliyah Gustafson broke her own school record in the shot put, posting the third-best performance in the country at 57-feet-5 (17.50m). Her distance was three inches further than her previous best, which she threw a year ago. Gustafson added a season-best distance of 64-9.75 (19.75m) in the weight throw and ranks second in the MAC in the event. Her shot-put distance is almost six feet further than any other competitor in the MAC this year and her ranking of No. 3 nationally is the highest ranking for any female track and field student-athlete in the MAC in any event.

 
Other Nominees:
Mackenzie Andrews, Akron, Mile
Senior – Toowoomba, Australia/Fairholme College
Senior Mackenzie Andrews continued her strong start to her campaign winning the women's 800 meters at the Akron-Kent State Dual on Friday, Jan. 25. She crossed the line in a conference-best time of 2:10.09 before taking part in the winning 4x400 relay in a time of 3:52.27
 
Olivia Bechtel, Miami, 200m
Junior – Bay Village, Ohio/Bay
Miami junior Olivia Bechtel finished 2nd in the 200m at the Indiana University Relays this weekend, running a personal-best 24.34 in the process. This mark beats the PR she set just last weekend of 24.46 when she took first in the same event at Indiana's Gladstein Invitational. Bechtel was also part of the Miami 4x400 relay team that won the event.
 
Bryeana Byrdsong, Ball State, 60m
Junior – Indianapolis, Indiana/Warren Central
In her season debut, junior Bryeana Byrdsong took home top honors in the 60m dash at the Tom Hathaway Distance Classic with a personal-fast and MAC Automatic Qualifying mark of 7.58. Her time currently ranks fourth in the MAC. Byrdsong also turned in the fastest prelim time of the meet at 7.66.
 
Lucy Bryan, Akron, Pole Vault
Junior – Bristol, England/Clifton
Akron junior Lucy Bryan captured the women's pole vault registering a winning vault of 14-2.50 (4.33m) at the Akron-Kent State Dual on Friday, Jan. 25. Her winning clearance stands as a season-best mark for Bryan as well as the seventh-highest mark in the NCAA this season.
 
Princess Carter, Ball State, Weight Throw
Sophomore – Indianapolis, Indiana/Lawrence North
Sophomore Princess Carter chipped in a spectacular performance in the weight throw at the Tom Hathaway Distance Classic, recording the fourth-best individual performance in program history at 17.46m to take fourth.
 
Katie Dewey, Toledo, Weight Throw/Shot Put
Senior – Jerry City, Ohio/Elmwood
Katie Dewey took second in the weight throw with a throw of 17.52m at the GVSU Open on Friday, Jan. 25. Dewey also competed in the shot put event, where she took sixth with a throw of 13.52m. Her finishes in the weight throw and shot put helped the Rockets take second place with 120.5 points. Dewey ranks 10th in the MAC and 147th in the NCAA for the weight throw. For shot put Dewey ranks 8th in the MAC and 145th in the NCAA.
 
Jess Dhaliwali, Buffalo, Weight Throw
Senior – Grand Island, New York/Grand Island
Senior Jess Dhaliwall continued her strong start to the indoor campaign as she was victorious in the women's weight throw event for the Bulls. Dhaliwall had a season-best toss of 19.97m, edging out the second placed thrower from Bowling Green by .22m. The toss is also currently good for the longest in the MAC this season.
 
Erin Dowd, Western Michigan, 60m/200m
Junior – Brighton, Michigan/Brighton
Dowd continued her winning ways over the weekend at the Jack Johnson Classic. For the second-straight week she claimed the top spot in the 200-meter dash after running a time in the 25.09 seconds. She also finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.95 seconds and then helped the 4x400-meter relay team to a win with a combined time of 3:50.06. This weekend contributed to Dowd's run of not finishing below fourth in any individual event she has competed in this season.
 
Allyson Goff, Eastern Michigan, Long Jump
R-Senior – White Lake, Michigan/Walled Lake Northern
Eastern Michigan redshirt senior Allyson Goff earned first place in the long jump as the Eagles hosted the Can-Am International, Saturday, Jan. 26. She cleared 5.92m in the event, not only the third in the MAC this year, but the tenth-best jump in program history. Goff also added the Eagles' top finish in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.63, good for a fourth-place finish.  
 
Cameron Hart, Eastern Michigan, High Jump/Long Jump
Senior – Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley
Senior Cameron Hart led the Eagles as they excelled as hosts of the Can-Am International, Saturday, Jan. 26, inside Bowen Field House.   The Columbus, Ohio native was the lone Eagle to notch two event titles in the Green and White's impressive performance in the friendly confines of its home turf for the first time in two years. Hart's long and high jump victories cleared 7.29m and 2.04m, respectively. His long jump mark is the sixth-best clearance in the MAC this year, while his high jump efforts are the fourth-best conference mark. Both of his performances automatically qualified the senior for the 2019 Mid-American Conference Championships. 
 
Gavin Jaime, Central Michigan, 400m
Freshman – Shorewood, Illinois/Providence Catholic
Central Michigan's freshman Gavin Jaime turned in a solid performance at the Eastern Michigan's Can-Am Classic on Saturday leading the Chippewa men in the 400m with a 49.90 run to place third overall. The Shorewood, Ill. natives time currently ranks No.8 in the MAC.
 
Sydney March, Buffalo, 600m
Junior – Tomkins Cove, New York/North Rockland
In the women's 600m event, it was junior distance runner Sydney March who would collect the first-place finish for Buffalo, crossing the finish line with a season-best time of 1:38.92.
 
Michaela Nelms, Eastern Michigan, 200m/400m
Sophomore – Rocky Mount, North Carolina/Nash Central
Sophomore Michaela Nelmsearned both the 200 and 400m titles with career-best efforts as the Eagles hosted the Can-Am International, Saturday, Jan. 26, inside Bowen Field House. Nelms' 400m time of 54.52 is the best effort by a conference athlete this year, while her 200m time of just 24.27 is good for the second-fastest time ran in the Mid-American Conference this season. Furthermore, her 400m time marked the fourth-fastest 400m dash ran in program history, while her 200m time matches the ninth-best time by an Eagle runner. The Rocky Mount, N.C. native was the only Eagle to win two event titles at the Can-Am International, while both efforts automatically send the underclassman to the 2019 Indoor Mid-American Conference Championships.  
 
Erica Sheahan, Western Michigan, Long Jump/Triple Jump
Junior – Ithaca, Michigan/Ithaca
Sheahan won her first event of the season, taking first in the long jump at the Jack Johnson Classic. Her jump of 19' 2.75" (5.86m) was a MAC automatic qualifier and ranks fifth in the conference. Sheahan also finished in fifth in the triple jump after reaching a distance of 35' 3.75" (10.76m).
 
Callie Stemple, Central Michigan, High Jump
Senior – Waterford, Michigan/White Lake Lakeland
Calli Stemple took home first place in the women's high jump to lead the Central Michigan indoor track & field team on Saturday at the Can-Am International at Eastern Michigan. Stemple, a senior, cleared 5 feet, 7 inches to win by 2 inches. The mark was also a lifetime best for the Waterford, Mich., native and ranks third in the MAC.
 
Nicole Yeargin, Kent State, 60m/200m
Junior – Bowie, Maryland/Bishop McNamera
Junior Nicole Yeargin grabbed two victories at the Akron-Kent State Dual on Friday. Yeargin achieved a MAC auto mark in the 200-meter with a time of 24.46, which ranks fifth in the MAC. In the 60-meter, Yeargin ran a career-best 7.69, which ranks eighth in the conference. She also ran as part of the 4x400-meter relay team, finishing second with a time of 3:58.19 which ranks tenth in the MAC.
 
Sam Wray, Buffalo, Weight Throw
Junior – Lockport, New York/Starpoint
Junior Sam Wray impressed for the Bulls, throwing a personal-best 18.65m in the men's weight throw, good for third place in the event and just .72m off of the winning distance. The throw is a MAC auto qualifier mark for Wray.
 
Payne Wylie, Eastern Michigan, 60mH
Freshman – Saskatchewan, Canada/Colonsay School
Freshman Payne Wylie used his Bowen Field House debut to secure the 60m hurdles title for the Eagles, clearing the obstacles in just 8.11, the fifth-fastest time for a MAC athlete this season. The freshman is the only first year to rank within the top-5 MAC times this season in the event.