MAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Noah Williams, Akron, 400m
R-Sophomore – Hilton, New York/McQuaid Jesuit
Akron redshirt sophomore Noah Williams turned in a breakout performance to open the indoor campaign posting a time of 46.98 to win the men's 400 meters in the Zips' dual meet with Central Michigan on Friday, Jan. 17. His effort represents the fifth-fastest time in the NCAA this season and the second-best effort in Akron indoor program history. He capped his evening running the second leg of the victorious 4x400 relay squad.
MAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Erin Dowd, Western Michigan, 400m
Senior -Brighton, Michigan/Brighton
Erin Dowd got off to an explosive start to the indoor season. At the YSU Invitational she ran the fastest time in the MAC in the 400-meter dash at 54.74 seconds. Her time also puts her at 17th in the nation and was an indoor personal-best for the senior. Dowd also helped the 4x400m relay team pick up its first win of the season, helping the squad run a time of 3:53.06.
MAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Shevaughn Allen, Buffalo, Triple Jump
Sophomore – Cheektowaga, New York/John F Kennedy Senior High
Shevaughn (Jay) Allen won the Youngstown State College Invite with a new UB school record and new Youngstown State facility record distance of 15.96m/52’4.50” in the triple jump. His jump was over six feet further than the nearest competitor. His mark is a MAC automatic qualifier, while ranking first in the MAC and sixth in the NCAA.
MAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Lucy Bryan, Akron, Pole Vault
Senior – Bristol, England/Clifton
Akron senior Lucy Bryan captured the women's pole vault victory in the Zips' dual meet triumph over Central Michigan on Friday, Jan. 17, eclipsing 14-6 (4.42m). Her efforts stands as the No. 3 mark in the NCAA this season and tops in the conference.
Other Nominees
Jasmyn Allen, Akron, 60m Hurdles
Sophomore – Twinsburg, Ohio/Brush
Akron sophomore Jasmyn Allen won the women's 60-meter hurdles in a career-best time of 8.69 in the Zips' dual-meet victory over Central Michigan on Friday, Jan. 17. She also added a career-low time of 7.97 to place second in the 60 meters.
Kaila Butler, Bowling Green, Weight Throw
R-Junior – Port Coquitlam, British Columbia/Terry Fox Secondary
Kaila Butler dominated the weight throw in the BGSU-Toledo Dual meet, helping the Falcons to a 79-57 victory over their rival in the annual head-to-head competition. Butler recorded a mark of 66-feet-7 (20.29m) to win easily as Bowling Green earned first place finishes in nine of the 13 events at the meet. She ranks 19th in the country this year in the weight throw (at 66-9.75) and this toss would have been the 20th best in the nation on the season. It was the second-best performance of her career.
Christian Champen, Kent State, Pole Vault
Senior – Clayton, Ohio/Northmont
Christian Champen won the pole vault competition at the YSU Collegiate Invitational with a WATTS facility record height of 17'-0.75". Champen's MAC-best height ranks 27th nationally.
Reghan Draper, Central Michigan, 60/200m
Freshman – Canton, Michigan/Plymouth
Draper was a double winner in her first collegiate dual meet. The freshman crossed in 7.89 in the 60-meter and 26.33 in the 200-meter dash.
Mair Edwards, Eastern Michigan, 200/400m
Sophomore – Basingstoke, England/The Costello School
Eastern Michigan sophomore sprinter Mair Edwards won both events in which she competed at the Doug Hansen Open in University Center, Mich., Friday, Jan. 17. She paced the field in the 200-meter dash with a season-best time of 24.79 seconds. The Basingstoke, England, native then went on to set a personal record in the 400-meter race, as she crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 55.84 seconds. It marks the first time in her collegiate career that she triumphed in the 200-meter and 400-meter sprints, though she has won the 4x400-meter relay five times as an Eagle.
Chukwusom Enekwechi, Eastern Michigan, Shot Put
Junior – Valley Stream, New York/Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences
Eastern Michigan junior thrower Chukwusom Enekwechi claimed first prize in the shot put with a heave of 16.84 meters at the Doug Hansen Open, Friday, Jan. 17. This marks his first individual title with the Eagles. He set a MAC Automatic Qualifying mark earlier this month at the Wolverine Invitational, where he finished in third place with a personal-best throw of 17.18 meters, Jan. 11.
Asa Hodrick, Kent State, 60m
Sophomore – Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore
Asa Hodrick sprinted to victory Friday at the YSU Collegiate Invitational, winning the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.86 seconds. His season-opening time was just .02 off his personal-best.
Quintella Johnson, Eastern Michigan, High Jump
Junior – Las Vegas, Nevada/Saint Mary’s
Eastern Michigan junior Quintella Johnson claimed first prize in the high jump with a 1.59-meter leap at the Doug Hansen Open in University Center, Mich., Friday, Jan. 17. She previously won the high jump event in her EMU debut with a MAC Automatic Qualifying mark of 1.70 meters at the GVSU Holiday Open, Dec. 6, 2019. Johnson joined the Eagles this season after transferring from Texas Southern University, where she won the 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) indoor and outdoor high jump titles.
Matt Keim, Akron, Pole Vault
Senior – Bollivar, Ohio/Tuscarawas Valley
Akron senior Matt Keim won the men's pole vault at a dual meet between the Zips and Central Michigan on Friday, Jan. 17, eclipsing 16-7.50 (5.07m).
Ashleigh Kitrell, Ohio, 800m
Senior – Oakland, Nebraska/Oakland Craig Senior
Senior Ashleigh Kitrell (Oakland, Neb.) of the Ohio track & field team placed third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:14.05 on Friday (Jan. 17) at the YSU Collegiate Invitational at the Watson and Tressel Training Site on the campus of Youngstown State University.
Raynesha Lewis, Toledo, Triple/Long Jump
Senior – Cahokia, Illinois/Cahokia
Toledo senior Raynesha Lewis posted second-place finishes in the triple jump and long jump at the BGSU Dual Meet in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Friday. Lewis recorded a personal-best of 11.32m in the triple jump and recorded a mark of 5.46m in the long jump. The Cahokia, Ill. native is ranked sixth in the MAC and 138th in the NCAA in the long jump event. In the triple jump event, Lewis is ranked 12th in the MAC and 246th in the NCAA.
Gyasi Morris, Buffalo, 400m
Senior – South Ozone Park, New York/St. Francis Prep
Gyasi Morris ran a personal best mark of 48.89 to place third at the YSU College Invite. His mark is #4 in the MAC.
Owen Richardson, Eastern Michigan, 200/400m
Junior – Basingstoke, England/The Costello School
Eastern Michigan junior sprinter Owen Richardson won a pair of individual titles at the Doug Hansen Open in University Center, Mich., Friday, Jan 17. The Basingstoke, England, native claimed first prize in the 200-meter dash with a season-best time of 21.29 seconds. Richardson also made his season debut in the 400-meter race and won in convincing fashion with a mark of 47.62 seconds. This marks the second consecutive meet in which Richardson has won two events, having won the 200-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay at the Wolverine Invitational, Jan. 11.
Nisa Raqib, Buffalo, Triple Jump
Sophomore – Buffalo, New York/Hutch Tech
Nisa Raqib won the women’s triple jump with a MAC automatic qualifying mark of 12.50m/41’0.25”. Her jump was over eight feet better than second place. Raqib’s season-best of 12.77m ranks second in the MAC and 14th in the NCAA.
Victoria Robinson, Northern Illinois, 800m
Junior – Lansing, Kansas/Lansing
Victoria Robinson posted the second-fastest time in the MAC in the 800 meters this season at the GVSU Bill Clinger Classic (Jan. 17). Robinson ran a time of 2:13.03 to take second at the meet, less than a second behind first-place Erin Sullivan of Notre Dame (2:12.61).
Logan Targgart, Central Michigan, Weight Throw
Senior – Coldwater, Michigan/Coldwater
Targgart won the weight throw during a dual meet at Akron. His throw measured nearly 7 feet longer than that of the runner-up. Targgart owns two of the top three throws in the event among MAC throwers this season, including a league-best 69-5 1/4.
Grace Tennant, Kent State, Shot Put
Junior – Caistor Centre, Ontario/South Lincoln
Grace Tennant won the shot put with a top throw of 15.27m in her first competition of the indoor season Friday at the YSU Collegiate Invitational. Her mark is the best in the MAC this season and ranks 49th nationally.
Selina Von Jackowski, Buffalo, 60m Hurdles
Senior – Pfeffingen, Switzerland/International School of Basel
Selina Von Jackowski ran to a season’s best mark in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.56 to win the YSU College Invite. Her time of 8.56 is a MAC automatic qualifier, while ranking first in the MAC and 70th in the NCAA. Von Jackowski also placed 4th in the 60m in 7.73.
Jehvania Whyte, Northern Illinois, Long Jump
Senior – Kingston, Jamaica/Ver Technical
Jehvania Whyte took top honors in the long jump at the GVSU Bill Clinger Classic (Jan. 17). Whyte posted the third-best mark in the MAC this season with a leap of 5.89m (19-04.00) on her first jump of the competition, beating teammate Jazmyn Smith who finished second with a top mark of 5.83m (19-01.50).
Meltem Yasar, Toledo, 800m
Junior – Istanbul, Turkey/Sankt Georg Austrian
Junior Meltem Yasar tallied first-place finishes in the 800 meters and mile at the BGSU Dual Meet in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Friday. Yasar stopped the clock at 2:17.89 for a personal-best in the 800 meters and posted another personal-best in the mile with a time of 4:56.41. The Istanbul, Turkey, native is ranked second in the MAC and 55th in the NCAA in the mile event. In the 800-meter event, Yasar is ranked seventh in the MAC and 125th in the NCAA.
