Mid-American Conference

Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Leon Atkins, Buffalo, 800
Junior – Auburn, New York/Auburn
Atkins ran away with a strong win in the unseeded section of the 1500m running a PR by over 7 seconds with a time of 3:53.28.  Sunday, Leon came back to win the 800m in 1:49.97, which ranks #28 in NCAA East and first in MAC. Atkins' 800m time is a MAC Auto qualifying time.
 
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Nicole Yeargin, Kent State, 200
Junior – Bowie, Maryland/Bishop McNamara
Nicole Yeargin ran a MAC-best time of 23.26 to shatter the Kent State record in the 200-meter dash on Friday at the Tennessee Relays. Yeargin clocked the 8th-fastest wind-legal time in the country this past weekend and is ranked 24th nationally for the outdoor season. She bested the previous school record by 0.38 seconds and her time is 0.62 seconds faster than any other conference competitor this season.
 
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
TJ Lawson, Kent State, Decathlon
R-Junior – Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe
TJ Lawson’s school-record 7,876 points is the 4th-best decathlon performance in the world during the 2019 outdoor season. Lawson earned 800 or more points in six events and set three PRs during the competition en route to a #2 NCAA ranking. The redshirt junior captured his second consecutive Tennessee Relays decathlon title by winning the 100m and shot put while finishing in the top-3 in all but one event. In addition to his MAC-leading decathlon score, Lawson ranks fourth in the conference in the high jump (2.07m) and long jump (7.42m), as well as sixth in the 100-meter dash (10.78).
 
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Nadia Williams, Central Michigan, Long Jump
Junior – Mount Horeb, Wisconsin/Mount Horeb
Central Michigan junior jumper Nadia Williams posted her best performance of the outdoor season this past weekend as the Chippewas competed in the Tennessee Relays. The Mount Horeb, Wis., native placed second in the women's long jump with a 6.33m wind-aided leap. Her second-best jump of the meet came in at 6.22m which broke her own school record. Williams holds the No.1 spot in the MAC rankings and is No.27 in the NCAA.

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Other Nominees:
Gabby Bailey, Kent State, Discus
Freshman – Portmore, Jamaica/St. Jago
Gabby Bailey launched a personal-best throw of 170’-8” (52.03m) on her final attempt in the discus competition at the Tennessee Relays on Saturday for a third-place finish. The freshman has improved her mark in each of the first three outdoor meets, with the most recent ranking 10th on Kent State's all-time list.
 
Olivia Bechtel, Miami, 200
Junior – Bay Village, Ohio/Bay
Bechtel, who ranks top-50 nationally in the 400m, spent the weekend at the Ball State Challenge running in some different events. She took a win in the 200m, tying her previous personal best with a mark of 24.02. In addition, Bechtel claimed a second-place finish in the 100m, running an 11.87, good for the best time of her career in the event.
 
Brandon Burke, Buffalo, High Jump
Junior – Churchville, New York/Byron-Bergen
Brandon Burke continued his great campaign, setting a new PR in the high jump, soaring over 6'11.75"/2.13m, winning the event.  He is just one cm shy of breaking the school record of (2.14m). His mark is #15 in the NCAA East, third in the MAC, and second in all-time program history.
 
Karleigh Conner, Ball State, 800/1500
Freshman – Mainville, Ohio/Kings
Freshman distance runner Karleigh Conner had a solid day at the Ball State Challenge, placing second in both in the 1,500m (4:33.18) and in 800m (2:14.53).
 
Aniya Davis, Western Michigan, Hammer/Discus
Sophomore – Grand Rapids, Michigan/Ottawa Hills
For the second-straight week Aniya Davis reached a new personal-best, this time coming in the hammer throw. She was WMU's top finisher in the event at the Ball State Challenge, placing sixth after throwing a distance of 159' 8" (48.67m). She also went on to place eighth in the discus.  
 
Katie Dewey, Toledo, Shot Put/Discus
Senior – Jerry City, Ohio/Elmwood
Senior Katie Dewey led the Rockets in throws at the Ball State Challenge in Muncie, Ind. this weekend. Dewey opened competition Friday with a third-place finish in the discus event, posting a mark of 46.10m. Later in the weekend Dewey recorded a MAC automatic qualifying mark and second-place finish in the shot put event with a throw of 15.07m.  For shot put, Dewey ranks eighth in the MAC and 95th in the NCAA. Dewey is also sixth in the MAC and 97th in the NCAA for discus.
 
Erin Dowd, Western Michigan, 100/400 Hurdles
Junior – Brighton, Michigan/Brighton
Dowd, once again, starred for the Broncos over the weekend. She posted the MAC's fastest 400-meter hurdles time at 59.21 seconds en route to winning the meet. The time also ranks 19th in the NCAA East Preliminary Championship qualification rankings. Dowd also had a personal-best time of 14.25 seconds, while taking fourth in the 100-meter hurdles.
 
Hannah Falcione, Miami, Triple Jump
Junior – Venetia, PA/Peters Township
Falcione shattered her previous personal best in the triple jump on Saturday at the Ball State Challenge, as the junior recorded a mark of 12.03m to take the victory in the event. In addition, Falcione also posted a top-five finish over in the long jump.
 
Jeremiah Hunter, Miami, 100
Junior – Blue Ash, Ohio/Sycamore
Hunter had a big day in the sprints during the Ball State Challenge over the weekend, headlined by a victory in the 100m dash as he ran a 10.52. In addition, the junior set a personal record and finished second in the 200m and was also part of the RedHawk 4x100 lineup that won that event with a 41.71.
 
Micah Johnston, Eastern Michigan, 200/400
Junior – Toledo, Ohio/Toledo Christian
Eastern Michigan junior Micah Johnston recorded career bests in both the 200m and 400m at the Tennessee Relays Friday, April 12. The junior finished second and third in the 200m and 400m races, respectively. Her 400m time of 54.06 bumped her previous top effort by .06 seconds as she continues to hold the ninth-best outdoor effort in school history. Additionally, her performance ties for the 65th-best run by an NCAA athlete this season. The MAC leader in the 400m also recorded a 200m top effort with a time of 23.93 that bested her previous career standard by .15 seconds. Her 200m effort is the second-best performance by a MAC athlete in 2019.
 
Michelle Lehmann, Ball State, Long Jump
R-Freshman – Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Waterson
Redshirt freshman Michelle Lehmann turned in a pair of career-best performances at the Ball State Challenge, winning the long jump with a mark of 5.51m and leading the Cardinals to the finish line and placing third overall in the 100m at 11.97.
 
Roma Lucarelli, Toledo, Steeplechase
Junior – Bedford, Michigan/Bedford
In her debut in the 3000-meter steeplechase, junior Roma Lucarelli clinched first, posting a time of 11:19.63 at the Ball State Challenge on Saturday. Lucarelli's first-place finish in the 3000m steeplechase also marks her first collegiate win. Lucarelli is ranked 11th in the MAC and 254th in the NCAA for the 3000m steeplechase.
 
Shane Moffo, Central Michigan, 110 Hurdles
Senior – Farmington Hills, Michigan/Walled Lake Western
Central Michigan senior hurdler Shane Moffo turned in a season-best performance this past weekend as the Chippewas competed in the Golden Grizzlies Invite at Oakland University. The Farmington Hills, Mich., native clocked a 14.16 to place 1st in the men's 110m hurdles. Moffo's time puts him in a tie for the No.1 spot on the MAC leader board and is good for 37th in the East Region and 66th nationally.  
 
Janelle Perry, Central Michigan, 100 Hurdles
Senior - Akron, Ohio/Firestone
Central Michigan senior hurdler Janelle Perry turned in another season-best performance this past weekend as the Chippewas took part in the Tennessee Relays at the University of Tennessee. The Akron, Ohio, native clocked a 13.34 in the women's 100m hurdles to place 5th overall. Her time is good for the No.1 spot on the MAC leader board, ranks No.16 in the East Region and is No.30 nationally. Perry also competed in the women's long jump posting a 6.00m leap to place 7th among the field.
 
Ryan Smith, Miami, Discus
Freshman – Loveland, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller
Miami's freshman Ryan Smith had a big day at the Ball State Challenge in just his second ever collegiate event. He competed in four throwing events during the meet and grabbed a top-six finish in each of them. In addition, he set personal records in the discus, hammer, and shot put.
 
Logan Targgart, Central Michigan, Hammer Throw
Junior – Coldwater, Michigan/Coldwater
Central Michigan junior thrower Logan Targgart continued a string of strong performances during the outdoor season this past weekend as the Chippewas participated in the Tennessee Relays at the University of Tennessee. For the second-consecutive week the Coldwater, Mich., native posted a season-best mark in the men's hammer throw with a 64.65m toss which placed him third overall in the meet. Targart's mark paces the MAC leader board, ranks No.16 in the East Region and is No.31 in the NCAA.
 
Tyler Underwood, Eastern Michigan, 200/400
Senior – Clinton, Michigan/Clinton
Senior Tyler Underwood carried on his season's impressive efforts Friday in both the 200m and 400m, claiming second and fourth place, respectively. He not only set a career-best 200m time, crossing the finish line in 21.01, but marked the top performance by a Mid-American Conference student-athlete this season, .2 seconds faster than any other effort seen this year. Both of his efforts in Knoxville rank within the top-100 performances by an NCAA athlete in the 2019 outdoor season.
 
Amy Villarini, Buffalo, 400
Senior- Hamburg, New York/Hamburg
Amy Villarini ran a season’s best time of 56.60 in the women’s 400m placing, 4th of 57 competitors. 
 
Christina Wende, Buffalo, Triple Jump
Freshman – Kenmore, New York/Kenmore West
Christina Wende placed 2nd in the Bucknell Invite in the women’s TJ with a personal best mark of 40’2”, reaching the MAC Auto qualifying standard. The freshman’s mark currently ranks her #4 in the MAC conference.  The next day, Christina leaped to another personal best mark in the Long Jump placing 6th overall in 17’9.
 
Crystal Washington, Eastern Michigan, Triple Jump
Sophomore – Los Angeles, California
The Green and White's sophomore Crystal Washington competed in the triple jump, finishing sixth and clearing 12.15m at the Tennessee Relays Saturday, April 13. Washington now holds the sixth-best effort by a conference athlete this season in the event, while ranking within the top-200 athletes nationwide.
 
Derek Ziegenfuss, Eastern Michigan, Javelin
Senior – Allentown, PA/Parkland
Senior Derek Ziegenfuss of the Eastern Michigan men's track and field team set a new school record in the Javelin Throw at the Tennessee Relays hosted by the University of Tennessee Thursday, April 11. The senior's sixth-place heave of 69.78m bests his previous school record by .89m while marking the second-best throw by a Mid-American Conference athlete this outdoor season.  Additionally, his performance ranks as the 22nd-best effort by an NCAA athlete this outdoor season.