MAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week
Baldvin Magnusson, Eastern Michigan, Track
Junior, Akureyri, Iceland/Hull University
Baldvin Magnusson highlighted the second day of the Meyo Invitational for EMU, capturing the Meyo Mile crown with a personal-best time of 3:58.08, Feb. 5. The harrier now owns the third-best mile time in school history and is the sixth Eagle to run a sub-four-minute mile. Late EMU legend Paul McMullen owns the program record, as he crossed the finish line in 3:57.34 at the Meyo Invitational, Feb. 4, 1995.
Magnusson’s 3:58.08 time ranks first in the Mid-American Conference and rounds-out the top-30 in the nation. Additionally, the Iceland native owns the league’s best 5000 time, clocking in at 13:41.39 at the GVSU Holiday Open, Dec. 3.
MAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week
Newlyn Stephenson, Eastern Michigan, Field
Junior, Gary, Ind./Thea Bowman Leadership Academy
Newlyn Stephenson won the weight throw competition with a toss of 22.50m at the GVSU Snowdown Showdown, Feb. 4. The junior currently owns the best heave in the Mid-American Conference at 23.22m, good for third in the nation. He produced the 23.22m mark at the Michigan Invitational, Jan. 22.
MAC Women's Track Athlete of the Week
Amya Clarke, Akron, Track
Jr., Christ Church, St. Kitts and Nevis
Akron junior Amya Clarke recorded career-best times of 7.44 and 24.37, respectively, at the Akron Invitational on Feb. 5 to take the titles in the women's 60 and 200 meters. Her effort in the women's 60 meters stands as the second-fastest time in indoor program history and top effort in the MAC this season.
MAC Women's Field Athlete of the Week
Charity Griffith, Ball State, Field
Jr., Arlington, Ind./Rushville
Charity Griffith opened at 5-8 in the high jump and built up to clearing 6-feet (1.83m) for the second time in her career. She cleared 3.5 inches higher than the next-highest competitor. That mark currently stands at sixth nationally and leads the MAC, nearly four inches higher than the next-highest competitor. She is currently the only MAC high jumper to clear 6-feet and has done so twice already this season. She is one of just 11 high jumpers nationally to clear 6-feet this year.
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Other Nominees
Thomas Flannery, Buffalo, Track
Graduate Student, Orchard Park, N.Y. / Orchard Park
Thomas Flannery ran to a new personal best time in the men’s 3,000-meter run. Flannery finished fourth in a competitive field at the Akron Invite. His time of 8:16.43 ranks seventh in the MAC and ranks second in UB history.
Charles Sanders, Akron, Track
So.(R), Cincinnati, Ohio
University of Akron redshirt sophomore Charles Sanders registered the fifth-fastest time in indoor men's 400 meters winning the race in a career-best time of 47.08 at the Akron Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 5. His effort stands as the No. 2 time in the MAC this season and is the 45th-fastest in the NCAA in 2022.
Alex Shields, Kent State, Track
Sophomore, Orlando, Fla./The First Academy
Alex Shields started Saturday’s heptathlon competition with a season-best time of 8.03 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles at the Akron Invitational. Shields’ time puts him second on the MAC’s performance list this season. He added PRs in the 60-meter dash (7.12) and 1000m run (2:50.50).
Jonathan Surdej, Buffalo, Field
Junior, Lancaster, N.Y. / Lancaster
Jonathan Surdej set a new indoor personal best distance in the shot put with a toss of 56’-02.50”/17.13-meters. He finished second overall and was the best collegiate finisher in the event. Surdej ranks second in the MAC.
Milton Wilsom, Akron, Field
Jr. (R), Streetsboro, Ohio
University of Akron track and field redshirt junior Milton Wilson set a school-record mark en route to winning the men's weight throw with a career-best mark of 69-0 (21.04m) to highlight the Zips' performances on the final day of the 18th Annual Akron Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 5. Wilson not only set a school-record mark winning the men's weight throw with a career-best mark (69-0/21.04m), but his effort stands as the No. 25 throw in the NCAA this season.
Jacob Mally, Kent State, Field
Redshirt Senior, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Woodridge
Jacob Mally posted the best heptathlon score by a MAC competitor since 2020 and totaled 5358 points at the Akron Invitational. Mally’s highest scoring event of the competition was the 60-meter hurdles (913) and his time of 8.28 seconds ranks eighth in the conference this season. The redshirt senior took first in both the high jump (1.97m/6’-5.50”) and pole vault (4.30m/14’-1.25”) while placing third in the five remaining events. Mally closed the meet with a PR of 2:42.80 in the 1000m run.
Payton Barlow, Ball State, Track
Gr., Cottontown, Tenn./White House
Payton Barlow won her heat in the 400-meter dash and crossed the line with a time of 55.60, marking a new personal indoor best. That time currently leads the MAC. She also ran the second leg of the 4x400-meter relay that finished with a time of 3:47.22, which placed sixth at the meet and is third-best in the MAC currently. Barlow also competed in the 200-meter dash and ran her fastest time in a Cardinal uniform during competition at 25.58.
Maggie Raab, Western Michigan, Track
Sophomore, Adrian, Mich. / Adrian
Raab picked up her first collegiate win after taking first place in the 800-meter run at the GVSU Snowdown Showdown. She shaved almost six seconds off of her previous personal-best time and ran a 2:17.77. The time moves her up to 20th on the MAC Performance List.
Riley Jones, Buffalo, Track
Senior, Holland, N.Y. / Holland
Riley Jones won the Akron Invite 3,000-meter run in a personal best time of 9:50.35 which now ranks 12th in the MAC. Her time is the 10th in program history.
Taniah Stephens, Ohio University, Track
Senior Erie, Pa. / Villa Maria Academy
In the blue division, senior Taniah Stephens took second in the 200m with a time of 24.97. Then, in the gold division, Stephens picked up another top-five finish in the 60m. Stephens clocked a 7.74, .05 second faster than her preliminary time. Stephens recorded season-bests in both events and was a part of the third place 4x400 team.
Semra Karaslan, University of Toledo, Track
Senior, Kirikkle, Turkey/ Mus Sports High School
Semra Karaslan took fourth and set a personal-best time of 2:13.68 in the 800m Run at the 18th Annual Akron Invitation over the weekend, Feb. 4-5. Karaslan currently has the third-highest time in the Mid-American Conference women's teams in the 800m run.
Lotti Roemer, Miami University, Track
Sophomore, Ludwigsburg, Germany
Lotti Roemer captured second place in the 3000-meter race with a time of 9:42.28 at the Ashland Alumni Open in Ashland, Ohio this past Saturday afternoon. Roemer finished second against 50 competitors in a close race.
Kadeja Campbell, NIU, Track
Senior, St. Ann, Jamaica
Kadeja Campbell recorded a pair of impressive performances at the Meyo Invitational, taking second in the 200 meters and fourth in the 400. In the 200, Campbell ran a time of 24.38 seconds, just 0.04 seconds behind first place. Campbell already owns the fastest time in the MAC this season. The St. Ann, Jamaica native then set the second-fastest time in the MAC this year in the 400 meters, running a time of 55.73 seconds, to finish fourth at the Meyo Invitational.
Mair Edwards, Eastern Michigan University, Track
Junior, Basingstoke, England/The Costello School
On the track, junior Mair Edwards dominated the 200m with a personal-best time of 24.49. Additionally, the sprinter crossed the finish line in 55.85 in the 400 for first. Edwards' times currently rank fourth in the Mid-American Conference in both events.
Kaylah Britt, Buffalo, Field
Junior, Mastic Beach, N.Y. / William Floyd
Kaylah Britt placed second in the triple jump in a season’s best jump of 39’-07.25”/12.07-meters. She now ranks ninth in the MAC.
Autumn Mohan, Ohio University, Field
Senior, Chillicothe, Ohio/Unioto
Senior Autumn Mohan led the Bobcats in the weight throw and shot put, while bring home two more top-three finishes for Ohio. In the weight throw, Mohan captured first with a throw of 16.33m (a season best). Mohan also placed third in the shot put with a throw of 12.82m.
Hayley Manners, Central Michigan, Field
RS Sophomore, Etobicoke, Ont., Can./Richview Collegiate HS
Central Michigan redshirt sophomore Hayley Manners won the long jump in a strong field at the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational. Manners, who hails from Etobicoke, Ont., Can., leaped 5.91 meters (19 feet, 4 3/4 inches) to win the event, finishing ahead of competitors from the likes of Minnesota, Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame and Rutgers as well as jumpers from two other MAC schools. Manners leap is the fourth-longest by a MAC competitor in 2022. Her season-best 5.99-meter leap is second among MAC jumpers this season.
Zaresha Neal, Bowling Green, Field
Senior, Findlay, Ohio (Findlay)
Zaresha won the shot put gold division at the Akron Invitational with a PR of 16.81m. It was the top throw this year in the MAC and 17th-best in the nation
Leah Pasqualetti, Kent State, Field
Sophomore, Buffalo, N.Y./Orchard Park
Leah Pasqualetti remained unbeaten in the pole vault with a season-best height of 4.20m (13’-9.25”) at the Akron Invitational on Saturday afternoon. Pasqualetti’s MAC-leading mark puts her at No. 29 on the nation performance list this season.
Jazmyn Smith, NIU, Field
Senior, Pinecrest, Fla./Gulliver Prep
Jazmyn Smith turned in a second-place performance in the long jump at the Meyo Invitational with a top mark of 5.90 meters (19-04.25). Smith's best leap came on her fifth jump and was just a half-inch (0.01 meters) away from capturing first. The Pinecrest, Fla., native holds the fourth-best mark in the MAC this season.
Kadian Clarke, Eastern Michigan University, Field
Senior, Kingston, Jamaica/Immaculate Conception
At the GVSU Snowdown Showdown, Feb. 4, Kadian Clarke recorded a school-record weight throw of 21.13m for the win, improving upon her 20.62m mark set earlier this year at the Michigan Invitational, Jan. 22. The veteran thrower also captured the shot put title with a personal-best toss of 15.39m, the second-best throw in program history behind former Eagle Brittany Crew's 15.67m effort set in 2013.
For Clarke, her weight throw mark ranks first in the Mid-American Conference by nearly two meters as senior teammate Ariel Floyd is second at 19.23m. Additionally, the throw is good for 22nd in the nation. Moreover, her 15.39m effort in the shotput currently sits fourth in the MAC.
