Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Yvan Lopes Ribiero, Eastern Michigan, Junior
UCF Black and Gold Invite, 110m Hurdles-4th, 14.07, no ranking
Junior Yvan Lopes Ribeiro turned in a pair of event championships at the UCF Black & Gold Invite, March 17-18, winning the triple jump with a mark of 15.66m as well as a leap of 7.77m in the long jump. Both performances were personal-best for the Nice, France, native surpassing previous highs of 14.60m and 7.63m, respectively, and rank as the No. 3 and No. 2 marks in Eastern Michigan history as well. Lopes Ribeiro also added a fourth-place finish in the 110m hurdles with a personal best time of 14.07. His triple jump marked just the third time he's done the event outdoors, and the first since since 2021 campaign when he was at American International. Lopes Ribeiro soared more than a meter further than his previous outdoor leap of 14.60m, April 24, 2021. Additionally, his long jump lead marked just his fourth attempt all-time outdoors. The mark of 7.77m surpassed his previous long by .70 meters at the Northeast-10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, May 6- 8, 2021. Lastly, his time in the 110 Hurdles was 0.23 seconds faster than his previous outdoor best of 14.30 seconds at the Northeast-10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, May 6-8, 2021.
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Oscar Prieto, Akron, Sophomore
Stan Romanoski Open, Pv-1st, 5.20m, 1st MAC/7th NCAA
Akron sophomore Oscar Prieto battled the elements to capture the men's pole vault with a career-best outdoor mark of 17-075 (5.20m) at the Stan Romanoski Open on Saturday, March 18. His effort is a league-leading mark and stands as the No. 7 overall performance in the NCAA this spring and third-best in NCAA East Region.
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Angel Gazaway, Eastern Michigan, Senior
UCF Black and Gold Invite , 3rd - 100m Hurdles; 5th - 400m Hurdles, 8 13.82 - 100m Hurdles; 1:01.25 - 400m Hurdles, no rankings given
Senior Angel Gazaway placed third in the 100m hurdles at 13.82 at the UCF Black & Gold Invite, March 17-18, while taking fifth in the 400m Hurdles with a personal-best time of 1:01.25, the No. 9 time in program history. Her previous best in the 400m Hurdles was a time of 1:09.77 at the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational, March 26, 2022, while she was just .04 seconds off her 2022 MAC Outdoor Championship time of 13.78.
Women’ Field Athlete of the Week
Zaresha Neal, BG, Senior,
Blizzard Buster, Shot Put & Discus: 1st, Shot Put: 51-3.25 (15.63m) / Discus: 164-11 (50.26m)), Shot Put: 1st/19th / Discus: 1st/39th
Zaresha Neal opened the 2023 outdoor season with two event wins at Miami's Blizzard Buster, taking first place in the shot put and discus. Her shot put mark of 15.63m ranks first in the MAC, 19th in the NCAA, and 23rd in BGSU history. She holds 11 of the top 25 outdoor shot put marks in program history. Her discus mark of 50.26m is also first in the MAC, as well as 39th in the nation and 21st in school history. The senior holds 14 of the top 25 discus marks in BGSU history.
