Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Amir Willis, Akron
Junior, Cincinnati, Ohio
Akron junior Amir Willis had a dominating start to his indoor campaign registering a trio of victories to lead the Zips to a triumph at the Akron Quad on Friday. Willis captured a pair of sprints for the Zips recording the fifth-fastest time in Akron indoor history to win the men's 60 meters crossing the line in 6.73, before taking the men's 200 meters in a time of 21.38. His efforts are ranked 11th and 14th, respectively, in the NCAA this season, while also representing league-best times. His performance in the 60 meters is the fastest by a MAC runner in three seasons. Willis culminated his efforts on the evening as part of the victorious men's 4x400 relay squad of Jameel Williamson, Andrew Wahl, Willis and Zarik Brown, which crossed the line first in league-best time of 3:16.96. The performance also stands as the 35th-fastest in the NCAA this season.
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Newlyn Stephenson, Eastern Michigan
Senior, Gary, Indiana/Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
At the Akron Quad Meet, senior Newlyn Stephenson set a new school record in the weight throw with an incredible heave of 22.28m. The Gary, Ind. native's feat dethroned former Eagle Anthony Jones, who previously set the record in 2016 with a 21.84m toss. Prior to his performance last weekend, Stephenson's highest mark in the weight throw was 19.16m at the Wolverine Invitational, Jan. 12, 2019, which set a new meet record.
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Ryen Draper, Bowling Green
Sr, Canton, Mich. / Plymouth
Ryen Draper won the 200 meter dash in the BG Opener Saturday, posting a time of 24.97 seconds, the fastest in the MAC this year and 33rd fastest in the country. Her time converts to 24.59 seconds in the event.
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Quiara Wheeler, Central Michigan
Senior, Flint, Mich./Grand Blanc HS
Central Michigan senior Quiara Wheeler started the season with a bang, breaking her own program record in the weight throw during a dual meet with Western Michigan at the Chippewas' Jack Skoog Indoor Track. Wheeler's toss of 20.74 meters (68 feet, 1/2 inch) was nearly one meter better than the previous Chippewa mark of 19.75 meters (64 feet, 9 3/4 inches), which she set last year at the MAC Indoor Championships. Wheeler's toss ties for the fifth best in the nation this season.
Other Men's Nominees
Jake Wickey, Kent State
Senior, Medina, Ohio/Medina
Jake Wickey opened the indoor season with a weight throw PR of 21.09m (69’-2.50”) on Friday at the Akron Quad. Wickey, who remains at #5 in Kent State’s record book, was the only competitor to top 20.60m on each of his first four attempts and is #6 on the national performance list.
Brandon Burke, Buffalo
Senior, Churchville, N.Y. / Byron-Bergen
Brandon Burke opened his 2021 season with a high jump of 2.12-meters (6’-11.50”), placing second in the Akron Quad Meet on misses, and tying for eighth in the NCAA. This was Burke’s first competition since the outdoor 2019 season after labrum surgery during the 2020 season.
Benjamin Cardamone, Buffalo
5th Year Senior/GraduateElmira, N.Y. / Elmira
Benjamin Cardamone won the Akron Quad Meet 3,000-meter run in a personal-best time and MAC leading time of 8:22.08. His time ranks 31st the NCAA after the busy weekend of Indoor meets across the country and ranks the fifth fastest in the history at the University at Buffalo.
Nuh Andu, Akron
Junior, Doha, Qatar
Akron junior Nuh Andu opened the indoor campaign with a bang registering the victory in the men's high jump at the Akron Quad on Friday with a conference-leading clearance of 6-11.50 (2.12m). His effort also represents the No. 8 mark in the NCAA this season. Andu bested the bar on his opening attempts at 6-6.75 (2.00m), 6-8.75 (2.05m), 6-9.75 (2.08m) and 6-11.50 (2.12m) before coming up short at 7-0.50 (2.15m).
Other Women's Nominees
Grace Tennant, Kent State
Senior, Caistor Centre, Ontario/South Lincoln
Grace Tennant won her third consecutive shot put competition inside of Stile Field House with a top throw of 16.04m (52’-3.75”) during Kent State’s indoor season opener on Friday at the Akron Quad. Tennant won the competition by 1.17m with all four of her legal attempts going further than any other competitor’s and holds the #12 spot on the national performance list.
Kenyae Majors, NIU
SeniorBurlington, N.C./Hugh Cummings
Kenyae Majors won the triple jump at the Bowling Green opener with a mark of 5.58m (18-03.75), taking top honors over teammate Jazmyn Smith who took second with a leap of 5.50m (18-00.50). Majors recorded her best jump of the meet on her second attempt and passed on her final two attempts.
Kimone Hines, ?NIU
Junior, Hanover, Jamaica/Southern-New Orleans
Making her NIU debut, Kimone Hines took the top spot in the prelims of the 60-meter dash at the Bowling Green Opener, running a time of 7.59 seconds, one hundredth of a second ahead of Bowling Green’s Savannah Nevels. Hines did not run in the final.
Rebecca McNamee, Western Michigan
Senior, Marquette, Mich./Marquette
McNamee started off the indoor season strong with a pair of wins in the 800-meter run and the mile run at WMU's dual meet with Central Michigan. In the 800 she ran a time of 2:17.47 (converted to 2:15.91 for track size), besting her competition by over four seconds. She also claimed the top spot in the mile run with a time of 5:04.15 (5:01.17 converted), this time besting the competition by over 10 seconds. Both marks were indoor personal bests for McNamee.
Alysse Wade, Eastern Michigan
Junior Mansfield, Ohio/St. Peter's
Junior Alysse Wade, the reigning indoor Mid-American champ in the 60m hurdles, picked up right where left off last February. The Mansfield, Ohio native took home first prize in the 60m hurdles at the Akron Quad Meet with a blazing 8.76 clip, .2 seconds faster than the closest competitor. EMU took the top four spots in the event. In the 60m dash, Wade posted a 7.75, good for second place at the meet behind teammate sophomore Alyson Davis.
Samantha Hjelmar, Buffalo
Grad-Senior, Glenville, N.Y. / Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake
Samantha Hjelmar placed second in the women’s high jump with a strong season opener of 1.64-meters (5’-04.50”). Her performance was exactly 366 days after a complete Achilles rupture and 364 days post-surgery. Her mark ranks eighth in the MAC.
Travasia Singletary, Buffalo
Junior. West Henrietta, N.Y. / Aquinas Institute
Travasia Singletary opened her season with a personal-best in the 60-meter dash of 7.88 seconds. Her time was good for fifth place at the Akron Quad Meet.
Jacqueline Pokuaah, Akron
Junior, Akron, Ohio
Akron junior Jacqueline Pokuaah headlined the field in the women's long jump in her Zips' debut at the Akron Quad on Friday registering a career-best mark of 19-10.75 (6.06m), the fifth-longest jump in indoor program history. Her performance is tops in the MAC this season and ranks 14th in the NCAA. Additionally, she later won the women's 200 meters in a career-best time 25.05 after placing second in the women's 60 meters with a time of 7.60. She is ranked third in both events in the MAC, while rating 52nd and 66th, respectively, in the NCAA in the 60M and 200M.
Kyra Keurentjes, Akron
Junior, Wehl, Netherlands
Akron junior Kyra Keurentjes garnered a strong start to her Zips' career registering a career-best time of 2:14.03 to earn the victory in the women's 800 meters at the Akron Quad on Friday. Her effort stands as the top mark in the NCAA this season and ranks 33rd in the NCAA. Additionally, she ran the third leg on the 4x400 relay that placed second in a time of 3:57.92.
Zaresha Neal, Bowling Green
RS Jr., Findlay, Ohio / Findlay
Zaresha Neal returned from an injury that cost her the entire 2020 season, posting the 18th best mark in the country in the shot put Saturday, winning the event as BGSU swept the top three places at the BG Opener. Neal's distance of 51-6.25 ranks second in the MAC this year and puts her fourth in program history in the event.
