Mid-American Conference

Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Willy Fink, Eastern Michigan, R-Senior
Redshirt senior Willy Fink competed in just one event at the EMU Triangular, Jan. 28, but the Maumee, Ohio native made it count. Fink posted a converted time of 4:04.25 in the mile, winning the event over a pair of teammates who took second and third. Fink’s time currently sits atop the conference, ahead of three other EMU distance runners.
 
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Agata Forkasiewicz, Toledo, Junior
Agata Forkasiewicz won the 60m dash in the Thundering Herd Invitational in a time of 7.30. Her time is the best in the Mid-American Conference this season and is in the top 10 nationally. Forkasiewicz also set a school-record, meet record and facility record in the 60m. She also went on to win the 200m-dash in a meet record time of 24.08.
 
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Matt Ludwig, Akron, Sophomore
Sophomore Matt Ludwig registered the fifth-best jump (17-9/5.41m) in program history at the Penn State National on Friday, Jan. 27, en route to placing second in the men's pole vault invitational.  The mark is the 10th-best in the country in 2017. He finished second only to Virginia Tech’s Deakin Volz, who claimed the 2016 IAAF U-20 World Championship.
 
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Danniel Thomas, Kent State, Senior
In her first competition of the 2016-17 season, Kent State’s Danniel Thomas captured the women’s shot put title at the EMU Triangular with a mark that is tops in MAC by nearly four feet.  Thomas threw 17.50m (57’ 5”) to win the event and put her in a tie for the third-best mark in the nation so far this season.  Thomas is now one six automatic qualifiers for the Indoor MAC Championships as she cleared the standard by over eight feet.  

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Other Nominees:
 
Men’s Track
Kwadarrius Smith, Akron, Junior
Junior Kwadarrius Smith matched his own career-best indoor time of 6.75 in the finals of the 60 meters at the Penn State National on Friday, Jan. 27, en route to placing second. The time also equaled the fourth-fastest effort in indoor program history.
 
Barrett Kemp, Buffalo, Senior
Barrett ran to a personal best mark in the 3000m of 8:20.42 placing 5th overall in a very talented field at the Penn State National.  Barret currently ranks #2 in the MAC
 
Taylor Sebben, Central Michigan, Sophomore
Sebben’s time of 49.93 seconds in the 400m run was a new personal best and good enough for second place behind Kent State’s Matthew Tobin, who finished in 49.76. Sebben’s finish in the 400 at EMU was a significant improvement from his last competitive attempt of 51.02 at the Jack Skoog Invitational on 1/13.
 
Brian Smith, Kent State, Senior
Brian Smith was an instrumental part of Kent State’s victory at the EMU Triangular Saturday, contributing 14 of the Golden Flashes’ 117.5 points.  Smith was victorious in the men’s 60m dash and 200m dash, setting personal-records in each event with times of 6.76 and 21.38, respectively.  In both events, Smith now ranks second in the MAC this season and eighth in the Kent State record book.  Smith is also the only competitor in the conference to hit the automatic qualifying standards for the Indoor MAC Championships in the 60m dash and 200m dash.
 
Women’s Track
Daziah Green, Akron, Senior
Senior Daziah Green garnered a second-place finish in the women's 200-meter invitational at the Penn State National on Saturday, Jan. 28, posting a time of 24.36. A day earlier, she equaled the fifth-fastest time in indoor program history crossing the line second in 7.53 in the finals of the women's 60 meters. She also led off the Zips’ 4x400 invitational relay which placed fifth. 
 
Kailyn Arcury, Buffalo, Senior
Kailyn ran a season’s best mark of 8.61 in the 60H placing 7th at the Penn State National Meet.  Her time was a MAC Auto qualifying mark, and currently ranks #7th in the MAC. 
 
Nadia Williams, Central Michigan, Freshman
Williams won the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.61 seconds. This was not only a personal best, but it also added her to the list of MAC automatic qualifiers for the event. Her 5.82-meter leap in the long jump came up just .02 meters short of the event winner, and her third-place finish in the 200 meters came behind two of the top five female athletes in the MAC for the event. Her converted time of 24.63 seconds in the 200 was also a personal best. Williams now holds automatic MAC qualification honors for the 60m and the long jump. The three podium finishes at the EMU Triangular give her six firsts, one second and one third place finish in just four collegiate meets. 
 
Natalie Cizmas, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Junior Natalie Cizmas had an incredible 800m race at the EMU Triangular, Jan. 28, finishing atop the podium. Cizmas posted a career-best time of 2:09.92, which converted to 2:07.82, putting her fifth in the EMU record books. The junior currently holds the top time in the MAC, besting the second-place runner by nearly four seconds.
 
Mi’Angel Daniels, Kent State, Freshman
Kent State freshman Mi’Angel Daniels had a breakout day at Saturday’s EMU Triangular.  Daniels recorded a personal-record time of 8.55 seconds to win the women’s 60m hurdles by nearly two tenths of a second.  The freshman’s time ranks fourth in the MAC this season and moves her into fourth all-time in the Kent State record book.
 
Alexus Jimson-Miller, Miami, Senior
The current MAC leader in 60m hurdle time grabbed her second first-place finish in the event in two weeks. After taking first at last week’s Gladstein Invitational with a MAC-leading 8.47, she followed it up at this week’s Indiana Relays with an 8.48 first-place showing. The senior has made Bloomington her temporary home, as her 8.48 at the IU Relays would rank first in the conference – that is, if it weren’t for her 8.47 currently holding the honors.
 
Alison Olson, Northern Illinois, Grad
Senior Alison Olson set the school record in the 1,000-meter race with a 2:53.20 at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside Green and White Invitational where she was the only Huskie to compete.
 
Madison Meredith, Western Michigan, Freshman
Freshman Madison Meredith earned two top-four finishes at Jack Johnson Classic over the weekend. She ran a new personal-best time of 7.59 seconds to take second place in the 60-meter dash. The time is the fifth fastest in the MAC and a MAC Championship automatic qualifying time. Later she competed in the 200-meter dash, taking fourth overall after running a time of 25.65.
 
Men’s Field
Ryan Cribbin, Buffalo, Senior
Ryan threw a season’s best and MAC Auto qualifying mark in the Shot Put with a distance of 59’1.5”/18.02m.  His throw is the #1 throw in the MAC
 
Logan Targgart, Central Michigan, Freshman
A week after setting the CMU record for freshmen in the men’s weight throw with a heave of 18.42 meters, Targgart turned in a new personal best with a 18.51-meter attempt. That earned him third place at the Eastern Michigan Triangular behind Kent State’s Reginald Jagers and teammate Dylan Banagis, the top two male weight throw athletes in the Mid-American Conference. Targgart also posted a new personal best in the shot put with a toss of 16.14 meters, which was also good enough for a third-place finish. Targgart has not finished lower than third place in any event so far in his career.
 
Cameron Hart, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore
Sophomore Cameron Hart had an incredible meet at the EMU Triangular, Saturday, Jan. 28, in Bowen Field House. Hart began the day with the high jump, finishing with an incredible mark of 2.14 meters/ 7 feet 0.25-inches, which was a career-best, along with tying for the sixth-best jump in program history. Hart is one of just three jumpers in the MAC to have hit the seven-foot mark this season. Additionally, the sophomore also won the long jump, posting a personal-best mark of 7.24 meters/ 23 feet 9-inches.
 
Reggie Jagers, Kent State, R-Senior
Reggie Jagers III was victorious in the men’s weight throw at Saturday’s EMU Triangular, boosting Kent State to a first-place team finish over Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. Jagers won the event with a season-best mark of 21.12m (69’ 3.5”) which ranks twelfth nationally and first in the MAC.  His mark is just half an inch shy of his personal-record mark of 69’ 4”.
 
Women’s Field
Nikki Manson, Akron, Senior
Senior Nikki Manson captured the women's high jump at the Penn State National on Saturday, Jan. 28, surpassing 6-0.50 (1.84m) to post the third-best indoor jump in Akron program history and 11th-highest mark in the country in 2017.
 
Selina Von Jackowski, Buffalo, Sophomore
Selina Von Jackowski opened her first Long Jump competition of the year with a personal best mark, MAC Auto qualifying mark, and Winning jump of 19’5.5”/5.93m at the Penn State National Meet.  Her jump currently ranks #4 in the MAC.  In addition, Selina ran to a personal best and MAC Auto qualifying mark in the 60HH with a time of 8.59, currently ranked #6 in the MAC.
 
Ja’La Taylor, Central Michigan, Freshman
The freshman continues to build on an impressive start to her career with a second-place finish in the triple jump and a fourth-place in the long jump in her first ever meet against Mid-American Conference competition. Taylor’s runner-up performance in the triple jump was only bested by Dace Dreimane, the No. 2 female triple jump athlete in the MAC. Taylor’s fourth-place finish in the long jump came on the back of a 5.53-meter leap that established a new personal best.
 
Dace Dreimane, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Junior Dace Dreimane brought home a pair of event victories at the EMU Triangular, Jan. 28, helping the Eagles to victories over CMU and Kent State. Dreimane won both the long jump and the triple jump, finishing with marks of 5.84 meters/ 19 feet 2-inches and 12.42 meters/ 40 feet 9-inches, respectively. Dreimane’s long jump mark currently sits sixth in the MAC, while she is second in the triple jump.
 
Chennel Palmer, Northern Illinois, Junior
Junior Chennel Palmer set a personal record in the triple jump event pushing her previous personal record of 11.27 meters to the way side with her 11.27-meter finish at Fred Wilt on Saturday.
 
Madison Pierce, Toledo, Sophomore
Madison Pierce finished second in the long jump at the Thundering Herd Invitational with a leap of 5.94 meters. This jump was a career-long for Pierce and is the third-best jump in the MAC this season.
 
Gabby Collins, Western Michigan, R-Freshman
Gabby Collins had two top-five finishes at the Jack Johnson Classic and personal-bests in both events she competed in. In the long jump she took fourth overall after jumping a distance of 18’ 7.25”. In the triple jump she took fifth overall with a distance of 36’ 8.25”.