Mid-American Conference

MAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Demetrius Jackson, Akron, 200m
R-Freshman – Beachwood, Ohio
Akron redshirt freshman Demetrius Jackson earned a pair of victories in a dual-meet victory over Kent State posting winning times of 6.81 and 21.19 in the 60 and 200 meters, respectively. His career-best performance in the 200 meters stands as the third-fastest time in indoor program history and No. 27 time in the NCAA this season. His effort in the 60 meters ranks No. 53 in the NCAA this season.
 
MAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Petronela Simiuc, Toledo, Mile
Senior – Bacau, Romania/Sports
Senior Petronela Simiuc broke Toledo's all-time record in the mile with a personal-best time of 4:38.40 to place sixth at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston, Mass. on Friday. Simiuc's time is a MAC automatic qualifying mark as well as a 1.41 second improvement on Toledo's previous record of 4:39.81, set in 2014. In the mile event, Simiuc is ranked first in the MAC and sixth in the NCAA.
 
MAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
TJ Lawson, Kent State, Long Jump
R-Senior – Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls
TJ Lawson won the long jump at the Kent State-Akron Dual with a personal-best leap of 24'-11" on his final attempt of the competition. Lawson’s mark, which is 5.5” further than any other MAC athlete this year, ranks 19th nationally and seventh in Golden Flashes history.
 
MAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Lucy Bryan, Akron, Pole Vault
Senior – Bristol, England/Clifton
Akron senior Lucy Bryan recorded the No. 3 mark in the NCAA this season en route to winning the women's pole vault eclipsing 14-7.25 (4.45m) to direct the Zips to a pair of dual-meet victories over Kent State on Friday, Jan. 24, at the Kent State Field House. The league record holder in the event, she attempted to surpass the 15-foot mark (4.57m) for the first time but proved unsuccessful on each of her three attempts.

 
Other Nominees
Remy Amarteifio, NIU, 60m Hurdles
Senior – Evanston, Illinois/Evanston Township
NIU senior Remy Amarteifio recorded the second-fastest time in the MAC this season in the 60-meter hurdles at Indiana State’s John Gartland Invitational (Jan. 25), clocking in at 8.60 seconds to finish second behind unattached competitor Ayanna Morgan who ran a time of 8.49 seconds.
 
Gabby Bailey, Kent State, Shot Put
Sophomore - Portmore, Jamaica/St. Jago
Gabby Bailey won the shot put at the Kent State-Akron Dual with a top throw of 52’-11”, which is the No. 18 mark in the country this season. Three of Bailey’s four legal attempts went further than any other MAC athlete has thrown in the event this year.
 
Olivia Bechtel, Miami, 200m
Senior -Bay Village, Ohio/Bay
Junior Olivia Bechtel continued her strong start to the season with a second-place finish in the 200m on Saturday at Indiana's Gladstein Invitational with a run of 24.43, the second-best time in the MAC in the event this season. She also had a top-five finish in the 60m dash at the Gladstein with a run of 7.67.
 
Erin Dowd, Western Michigan, 600m
Senior -Brighton, Michigan/Brighton
Dowd continued her strong start to the indoor season. At the Can Am International she took first in the 600-meter run, setting a new school record with a time of 1:32.66, breaking the previous mark by .30 seconds set back in 2016 by Ayiana Gaines. Dowd also helped the Bronco 4x400-meter relay squad pick up its second win of the season after running a (converted) time of 3:48.40, the third-fastest so far this season in the MAC.
 
Hesham Eldesouky, Akron, Long Jump/Triple Jump
R-Junior – Nasr City, Egypt
Akron redshirt junior Hesham Eldesouky registered a mark of 48-2.75 (14.70m) to triumph in the men's triple jump in the Zips' dual-meet victory over Kent State, while placing second in the long jump with a mark of 24-5.50 (7.45m). His effort in the long jump is the No. 42 mark in the NCAA this season.
 
Megan Graves, Ball State, Weight Throw
Senior – Fishers, Indiana/Fishers
Senior Megan Graves set the tone early for the Cardinals at the Gladstein Invitational, placing sixth overall in the weight throw with a career-best toss of 17.86m (58-7.25). The mark moved her into fourth on Ball State's career chart, just ahead of junior Princess Carter's throw of 17.83m (58-6) set at the season-opening Mastodon Opener (Dec. 7).
 
Elijah Kerner, Buffalo, 200m
Freshman- Depew, New York/Lancaster
Freshman Elijah Kerner ran to a personal-best mark in the 200-meter dash while placing fourth at the Upstate Challenge hosted by Cornell University. Kerner’s time of 22.88 ranks 12th in the MAC.
 
Ashleigh Kitrell, Ohio,400m
Senior – Oakland, Nebraska/Oakland Craig Senior
Senior Ashleigh Kitrell (Oakland, Neb.) of the Ohio track & field team won the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.38 last Saturday (Jan. 25) at the VMI Team Challenge today at the Corps Physical Training Facility on the campus of Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va.
 
Baldvin Magnusson, Eastern Michigan, Mile
Sophomore – Akureyri, Iceland/Hull University
Eastern Michigan sophomore harrier Baldvin Magnusson made his season debut at the Can-Am International, Saturday, Jan. 25 at Bob Parks Track inside Bowen Field House. The Akureyri, Iceland, native set a meet record with a personal-best time of 4:07.95, shattering the previous mark of 4:12.71 held by former EMU runner Melika Ghali. Magnusson’s time also showed a substantial improvement over his performance at the inaugural Can-Am International, Jan. 26, 2019, where he finished fourth overall with a time of 4:19.02.
 
Brittni Mason, Eastern Michigan, 60m
Senior – Richmond Heights, Ohio/West Geauga
Eastern Michigan senior co-captain Brittni Mason claimed first prize in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.55 seconds at the Can-Am International Saturday, Jan. 25 at Bob Parks Track inside Bowen Field House. She finished just 0.04 seconds shy of matching her own meet record that she set at the inaugural Can-Am International, Jan. 26, 2019. This also marks the second consecutive week that Mason has won the 60-meter sprint, after crossing the finish line in 7.56 seconds at the Doug Hansen Open hosted by Saginaw Valley State University, Jan. 17.
 
Antoinette Miller, Buffalo, High Jump
Sophomore – Shirley, New York/William Floyd
Sophomore Antoinette Miller had a personal-best in the high jump to clear 1.67m/5-05.75, placing second in the Cornell Upstate Challenge. Her mark ranks third in the MAC. She also ran a personal-best in the 60-meter dash in a time 7.83, while sprinting to a second-place finish.
 
Taylor Ramsey, NIU, High Jump
Sophomore – St. louis, Missouri/Hazelwood Central
NIU sophomore Taylor Ramsey (St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood Central) finished third in the high jump at the John Gartland Invitational (Jan. 25), clearing 1.70m (5-07.00), tied for the best mark in the MAC this season. Ramsey cleared 1.70m on her third attempt at the height.
 
Maritza Rodriguez, Ball State, 5000m
Senior – Indianapolis, Indiana/Ben Davis
Senior Maritza Rodriguez saved the Cardinals' best performance for last, capping the opening day of the Gladstein Invitational with a time of 17:16.61 to easily win the 5,000m. The next closest competitor finished 46.41 behind Rodriguez who had the league's best time in the event for the weekend.
 
Iyanna Ross, Bowling Green, 400m
Sophomore – Columbus, Ohio/Pickerington Central
Iyanna Ross broke into BGSU's record book Saturday at Eastern Michigan's Can-Am Invitational, winning the 400 with a time of 55.94 seconds. With a conversion down to 55.29, Ross ranks second in the MAC in the event. The time makes her the fourth-fastest female in program history in the 400 and it was the fastest time by a sophomore in BGSU women's track and field history.
 
Baboucar Sallah-Mohammed, Eastern Michigan, Long Jump
R-Junior – Arlington, Virginia/Fishburne Military
Redshirt junior Baboucar Sallah-Mohammed (Arlington, Va.-Fishburne Military) was the only member of EMU's roster to net a pair of individual titles at the Can-Am International Saturday, Jan. 25 at Bob Parks Track inside Bowen Field House. He set his season-best when he broke the meet's long-jump record held by Cameron Hart with a leap of 7.41 meters, before capturing the triple jump title with a 15.08-meter performance.
 
Katie Seyfang, Bowling Green, Shot Put/Weight Throw
R-Freshman – Washington Court House, Ohio/Miami Trace
Katie Seyfang earned a Mid-American Conference automatic qualifying mark in the shot put, placing second at the Can-Am Invitational with a personal best distance of 49-feet-9.25 (15.17m). She also set a new PR in the weight throw at the meet. Just a redshirt freshman, Seyfang ranks fourth in the conference in the shot put.
 
Kelsey Shapiro, Buffalo, Pentathlon
Sophomore – Coram, New York/LLongwood
Sophomore Kelsey Shapiro scored 3,293 in the pentathlon earning over a 300-point personal-best while placing second at the Cornell Upstate Challenge. She earned life-time personal-best marks in the 60-meter hurdles (9.76), long jump (5.45m/17-10.75), and 800-meter run (2:34.77). Shapiro also tied her personal-best in the high jump with a height of 1.61m/5-03.25. She ranks third in the MAC in the pentathlon.
 
Erica Sheahan, Western Michigan, Long Jump
Senior – Ithaca, Michigan/Ithaca
Sheahan picked up her first win of the season after taking first place in the long jump at the Can Am International. She reached a distance of 5.62 meters to claim the top spot. Sheahan also had a new personal-best time in the 60-meter dash at 7.76 seconds, taking eighth.  
 
Jonathan Surdej, Buffalo, Shot Put
Freshman – Lancaster, New York/Lancaster
Freshman Jonathan Surdej threw a personal-best mark in the shot put with a distance of 16.70m/54-09.50, while placing third at the Cornell Upstate Challenge. He moved up to fourth in the MAC with his performance.
 
Nina Ward, Eastern Michigan, Long Jump
Sophomore – Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield
In the field events, EMU sophomore Nina Ward ended the day with a pair of podium finishes at the Can-Am International Saturday, Jan. 25 at Bob Parks Track inside Bowen Field House. She placed second in the long jump with a leap of 5.60 meters and ranked third in the high jump at 1.60 meters.
 
Quiara Wheeler, Central Michigan, Weight Throw
Junior – Flint, Michigan/Grand Blanc
Central Michigan junior Quiara Wheeler finished second and broke her own program record in the women's weight throw at the Eastern Michigan Can Am Classic at EMU's Bowen Field House. Her record-setting toss measured 64 feet, 9 ¼ inches, surpassing the 64-4 ½ she posted at the indoor-season-opening meet at Grand Valley State in December.