Mid-American Conference

Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Willy Fink, Eastern Michigan, R-Senior
Redshirt senior Willy Fink had a very strong showing in the 3000m steeplechase elite invite at the Mt. SAC Relays last week, April 14. Fink was able to finish sixth in a tough field, clocking in at 8:44.84. Currently, Fink’s time stands at No. 5 in the NCAA and No. 1 within the MAC by more than 20 seconds.
 
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Rachel Walny, Bowling Green, R-Sophomore
Redshirt sophomore Rachel Walny broke a school record that had stood for 31 years with a time of 34:02.57 in the 10,000 at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays Thursday evening. Walny’s time was 15 seconds faster than the previous school record, set by Sara Collas in 1986. Her time currently ranks second in the MAC and is a virtual lock to become the first BGSU student-athlete to compete in the 10,000 in NCAA postseason competition since 1993.
 
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Phil Jagers, Akron, Senior
Senior Phil Jagers remained unbeaten on the spring campaign in the men's discus registering a mark of 202-4.25 (61.68m) to win the event at the Northeast Ohio Quad on Saturday, April 15. Jagers owns the top-mark in the nation in the event and has surpassed the 200 feet in three different competitions. 
 
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Jackie Siefring, Akron, Junior
Akron junior Jackie Siefring established a new career-best heptathlon score with a seven-event cumulative score of 5,750 at the Mt. Sac Relays/California Invitational Combined Events on Thursday, April 13, en route to earning a third-place finish. Her effort represents the second-best score in program history bettering her score of 5,627 set at the Texas Relays on March 31, 2016. The mark is the fifth-best nationally in 2017 and the second-highest score in the NCAA East Region. Siefring opened her day recording a jump of 19-5.50 (5.93m) in the long jump before turning in a fourth-place finish in the javelin with a career-best throw of 130-10 (39.87m). She closed her efforts in the heptathlon registering a winning time of 2:14.62 in the 800 meters, narrowly missing bettering her career-best mark of 2:14.57 set at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Siefring opened her competition on Wednesday, April 12, posting the top time in her heat, 14.01, and fifth-best overall in the 100-meter hurdles. She followed registering a season-best mark of 5-4.25 (1.63m) in the high jump before launching a career-long throw of 40-10.50 (12.46m) in the shot put. In the finale of day-one competition, Seifring crossed the line in 24.65 to finish fifth in the 200 meters. Her time was the best in her heat and fifth overall.
 

Other Nominees:
 
Men’s Track
Hakeem Lawrence, Akron, Senior
Turning in the fourth-best time (10.34) in program history to earn the triumph in the men's 100 meters at the Northeast Ohio Quad on Saturday, April 15, was senior Hakeem Lawrence.
 
Brian Crimmins, Buffalo, Senior
Brian Crimmins set a new school record at the highly competitive Bryan Clay Invite. His time of 3:46.33 in the 1500m broke the previous school record. The time also currently ranks second in the Mid-American Conference and 37th in the NCAA East.
 
Vincent Minsoky, Miami, Senior
For the first time this spring, Vincent Minosky was victorious in the 400m hurdles. The senior’s time of 52.71 was just over two-tenths of a second from his personal-best 52.50. His first-place finish earned 10 points for Miami, helping them go on to finish first among Division I schools at the All-Ohio Championships.
 
Women’s Track
Daziah Green, Akron, Senior
Akron senior Daziah Green posted individual triumphs in the 100 and 200 meters as well as running the third leg on the winning 4x400 relay squad to spark the Zips’ efforts at the Northeast Ohio Quad on Saturday, April 15. Green recorded the second-best time in program history in the 100 meters, 11.54, before turning in the fourth-fastest time in the school record book in the 200 meters, 23.67. The 4x400 relay crossed the line in 3:44.07, while she also ran the second leg of the 4x100 relay which finished second in a time of 45.98.
 
Peyton Stewart, Ball State, Sophomore
Ball State’s best performance at the Ball State Challenge came from sophomore sprinter Peyton Stewart who became the second Cardinals student-athlete to earn a Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championship automatic qualifying mark by winning the 100m dash in 11.74. Stewart's time currently ranks second in the MAC and is .06 better than her previous career-best effort of 11.80 set at last season's Ball State Challenge.
 
Sylvia Russell, Buffalo, Freshman
Sylvia Russell ran a freshman record and personal best mark in the 3000m steeplechase at the Bison Open at Bucknell University. Her time of 10:49.07 currently ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference and 50th in the NCAA East.
 
Samantha Cuneo, Central Michigan, Sophomore
Star sprinter Samantha Cuneo took first place in the 400, roasting the rest of the competition, and finishing more than a full second ahead of the second place finisher. Her mark of 54.32 seconds was her best of this outdoor season and was .03 off her career best of 54.29. This marks Cuneo’s first win the event since claiming conference champion honors in the 400 at the MAC Indoor Championships. She also competed on the 4x100m relay team that took second place at the Golden Grizzly.
 
Jordann McDermitt, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Junior Jordann McDermitt had a strong showing at the Mt. SAC Relays last week, April 14. McDermitt finished 14th in the 5000m run elite invite, clocking in with a career-best time of 15:58.05, further improving her hold on the No. 2 spot in the EMU record books. Her time currently ranks No. 17 in the NCAA and No. 2 in the MAC.
 
Kedisha Dallas, Northern Illinois, Senior
NIU senior Kedisha Dallas took seventh at the Texas Christian University Horned Frog Invitational. She ran the race in 11.75 to finish before runners from Arizona, Texas Tech, TCU and Oklahoma State.
 
Lindsey Hufnagel, Western Michigan, Senior
Hufnagel earned one of six event titles for Western Michigan at the Ball State Challenge. The senior took first place in the 400-meter dash, battling strong winds to run a time of 57.04 seconds. She then went on to run a new outdoor personal-best 200-meter dash time of 24.51, taking fourth in the event. Her 200 time now ranks her seventh on the MAC Performance List.
 
Men’s Field
Daniel Normoyle, Buffalo, Senior
Daniel Normoyle set a new personal record in the pole vault at the Bison Open at Bucknell University. He cleared a height of 15’ 9” at the competition. This height currently ranks him sixth in the Mid-American Conference.
 
Cameron Hart, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore
Sophomore Cameron Hart secured a pair of first-place finishes this past week at the Grizzly Invitational, April 15. Hart finished atop the podium in the long jump with an outdoor career-best of 7.26 meters/ 23 feet 9.75-inches, in addition to also winning the high jump with a mark of 2.00 meters/ 6 feet 6.75-inches.
 
Christian Champen, Kent State, Freshman
Kent State freshman Christian Champen set an outdoor personal-record of 5.25m (17’ 2.75”) in the pole vault to finish tied for first-place at the Northeast Ohio Quad this past weekend.  Amongst freshman competitors, Champen ranks second in the nation, first in the NCAA East Region and first in the MAC.  Overall, he ranks 25th nationally, 11th in the NCAA East Region and third in the MAC.  Champen also holds the third-best mark in Kent State history. 
 
Women’s Field
Regan Lewis, Ball State, Sophomore
Sophomore high jumper Regan Lewis climbed up the MAC performance list in the high jump, clearing a career-best height of 1.76m to move into second in the conference. The mark is also the fourth-best individual effort in program history. Lewis also launched the javelin a career-best distance of 35.07m (115'-1") to place fifth in her debut in the event this season.
 
Miranda Daucher, Buffalo, Senior
Miranda Daucher set a new facility record at the Bison Open at Bucknell University. Daucher placed first in the women’s discus with a record-breaking distance of 169’ 8” (51.72m). Her distance currently ranks second in the Mid-American Conference and 19th in the NCAA East.
 
Kylee Dobbelaere, Central Michigan, Senior
Dobbelaere won her third straight hammer throw at the Golden Grizzly Invite, with a mark of 190’ 04”. The throw was a new season best for Dobbelaere and was only eight inches short of her career best. Her first place finish scored 10 points for the Chippewa women’s team, allowing helping them to take home the overall team victory in Oakland. Dobbelaere has been on fire so far this outdoor season, placing no lower than third in any of the four meets she has competed in so far.
 
Dace Dreimane, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Junior Dace Dreimane turned in a pair of top-three finishes at the Ball State Challenge this past week, April 15. Dreimane finished third in the high jump, posting a mark of 1.61 meters/ 5 feet 3.25-inches. Additionally, she also claimed the gold in the triple jump after finishing with a mark of 12.50 meters/ 41 feet 0.25-inches, putting her at No. 3 in the MAC.
 
Gabrielle Figueroa, Kent State, Senior
Kent State’s Gabrielle Figueroa captured the women’s hammer throw title at the Northeast Ohio Quad this past weekend.  The Austintown, Ohio native recorded a top mark of 59.39m (194’ 10”), finishing ahead of the field by over nine feet.  Figueroa’s mark was five inches from reaching her season-best mark of 195’ 3” which currently leads the MAC by over four feet. 
 
Danielle Collier, Miami, Sophomore
The season’s first three outdoor meets have yielded three wins in the javelin for Miami sophomore Danielle Collier. Collier smashed her personal-best of 153-6 set at last week’s Crimson Tide Invitational by tossing a 159-0. Her efforts helped the RedHawk women place second among Division I teams at the All-Ohio Championships.
 
Jehvania Whyte, Northern Illinois, Sophomore
NIU sophomore Jehvania Whyte finished seventh in the triple jump at the Texas Christian University Horned Frog Invitational on Saturday. Whyte jumped 12.46 meters to shatter the career high (11.97 meters) that she set the previous weekend at Illinois State’s Redbird Invitational.
 
Katie Dewey, Toledo, Sophomore
Sophomore Katie Dewey won the discus and recorded a second-place finish in the shot put in the Ball State Challenge over the weekend. Dewey threw a personal record of 48.63 in the disc to win the event and marked 14.72 in the shot to finish runner-up.
 
Diajah Ruffin, Western Michigan, Senior
Senior Diajah Ruffin moved up to second all-time in the WMU performance list in the outdoor triple jump after her performance at the Ball State Challenge. Ruffin jumped a distance of 40’ 11.50 to claim second place, falling just inches shy of the program record. The jump puts her fourth on the MAC Performance List so far this season. Ruffin also competed as a part of the 4x400-meter relay team on the weekend, helping the squad take third.