PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Student-athletes from UCF, East Carolina, USF and Tulane are the winners of the first weekly American Athletic Conference awards for outdoor track and field in the 2015 season.
East Carolina’s Xavier Brown is Men’s Track Athlete of the Week for his hurdles performance at the 49er Classic in Charlotte. The freshman from Hope Mills, North Carolina, won both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles, as he took the 110 in 14.42 and the 400 in 52.42. Brown’s performance in the 400-meter hurdles ranks seventh on the NCAA East qualifying list, while his time in the 110-meter hurdles puts him 14
th.
USF’s David Shepherd is Men’s Field Athlete of the Week for his outing in the pole vault at the USF Invitational. The senior from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, reached 16-8.75/5.10m last weekend to win the event, while posting the No. 6 mark on the East qualifying list. The jump was a personal record and fourth-best in school history.
UCF’s Kirsten Nieuwendam is Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after a highly successful weekend in Orlando. The senior from Paramaribo, Suriname, won the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, finishing in 11.71 in the 100 and 23.77 in the 200. Nieuwendam’s time in the 200 is good for second on the East qualifying list, while the 100 time ranks eighth. She was also a part of a 4x100 relay team that posted the top time in the East this season (44.46) and a 4x400 team ranks second (3:40.62).
Tulane’s Daliadiz Ortiz is Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for her javelin performance at McNeese State. Ortiz threw 159-9/48.69m to win the event, while in the process recording a mark that ranks fifth on the East qualifying list. The mark also broke the meet record.
Weekend Recap
- UCF posted numerous top-10 national performances to win the Black and Gold Challenge in Orlando. Rosie Chamberlain posted the top time in the 800 (2:09.42), while the 4x400 relay time of 3:40.62 was best in the East.
- Cincinnati had 10 top-three finishes at the Disney Track & Field Open. Kenya Woodall ran the 100 in 11.65, good for third in the East this season. Michael Nwankwo’s high jump mark (6-9.5/2.07m) is seventh in East qualifying.
- The UConn women also competed at UCF with Natasha McLaren winning the high jump at 5-8/1.73m, good for sixth in the East. Taylor Anderson took the women's 100 in 11.68, good for fifth in the East.
- East Carolina’s Cheyenne Hutchinson ranked second in school history with a 13.96 in preliminaries of the 100-meter hurdles. Henry Johnson won the pole vault at 16-2.75/4.95m.
- Memphis’ Luke Vaughn took first in the discus at the Rhodes Invitational at 185-11/56.66m and the shot put at 56-1/17.09m. The discus mark was 11
th in the nation, while the shot put mark was 15
th. In the women’s pole vault, Clara Amat-Fernandez and Sabrina Hochreuther each cleared 12-11.5/3.95m, good for fourth in the East.
- USF’s Dwight Davis won the 100-meter dash at the USF Invitational in 10.69, while Paul Barret took the 400-meter hurdles in 52.49. Both men’s relay teams were victorious, with the 4x100 team finishing in 40.94 and the 4x400 in 3:20.24.
- SMU’s Holly Archer, Stephanie Kalu and Isabella Marten took first-place finishes in events at TCU. Archer won the 800 (2:13.28), Kalu was first in the 100 (11.67) and Marten placed first in the triple jump (39-8/12.09m).
- Temple’s Jimmia McCluskey earned a first-place finish in the 100-meter dash in a personal-best 12.34 at the Philadelphia College Classic. Kenya Gaston took first in the 400 (58.51) while the 4x400 team placed first (3:55.86). Kiersten LaRoche won the javelin (107-1/32.65m) and Bionca St. Fleur was first in the long jump (17-9.75/5.43m).
- Tulane’s Moses Aloiloi ran the 5,000 in 14:43.70 at the Alabama Relays, good for 14
th in the East. Katerina Vodova’s vault of 12-11.5/3.95m ranked fourth in program history.
- Tulsa’s Alex Lybarger set a program record in the hammer throw at 197-3/60.13m. The Golden Hurricane women took the top three spots in the 1,500, led by Emma Galbraith (4:41.24).
American Athletic Conference Performance List
NCAA East Qualifying List
NCAA West Qualifying List
American Athletic Conference Top Performance List
|
EVENT |
MEN |
WOMEN |
|
100m |
Kevin Bell, USF (10.60) |
Kenya Woodall, CIN (11.65) |
|
200m |
Dwight Davis, USF (21.40) |
Kirsten Nieuwendam, UCF (23.77) |
|
400m |
Matthew O’Neal, USF (48.80) |
Lilla McMillan, TLN (54.61) |
|
800m |
Simon Greiner, TLS (1:49.91) |
Rosie Chamberlain, UCF (2:09.92) |
|
1,500m |
Chris Lowery, TLN (3:55.16) |
Kelli Williams, USF (4:33.48) |
|
5,000m |
Moses Aloiloi, TLN (14:43.70) |
Catherine Blaney, USF (17:09.09) |
|
10,000m |
|
|
|
100H |
|
Johna’ Whitaker, UCF (13.88) |
|
110H |
Xavier Brown, ECU (14.42) |
|
|
400H |
Xavier Brown, ECU (52.42) |
Janieyah Collins, ECU (1:00.64) |
|
3,000 Steeple |
Michael Babinec, USF (9:29.31) |
Bethany Evans, USF (11:47.31) |
|
4x100m Relay |
USF (40.94) |
UCF (44.46) |
|
4x400m Relay |
USF (3:15.81) |
UCF (3:40.62) |
|
High Jump |
Michael Nwankwo, CIN (2.07m) |
Natasha McLaren, UConn (1.73m) |
|
Pole Vault |
David Shepherd, USF (5.10m) |
Katerina Vodova, TLN (3.95m) |
|
Long Jump |
Kevin Bell, USF (7.26m) |
Natasha Stewart, USF (5.91m) |
|
Triple Jump |
Walter Whitaker, USF (14.75m) |
Isabella Marten, SMU (12.09m) |
|
Shot Put |
Luke Vaughn, MEM (17.09m) |
Frida Akerstrom, CIN (15.11m) |
|
Discus |
Macklin Tudor, CIN (56.94m) |
Justine Price, HOU (49.50m) |
|
Hammer |
Alex Lybarger, TLS (60.13m) |
Kalen Hambrick, UCF (54.75m) |
|
Javelin |
Michael Criticos, MEM (65.61m) |
Daliadiz Ortiz, TLN (48.69m) |
|
Heptathlon |
|
Lindsay Arnold, USF (4,797) |
|
Decathlon |
|
|