USTFCCCA Awards
Courtesy: Curtis Akey & Tyler Mayforth, USTFCCCA March 27, 2018   

NCAA & NJCAA OTF National Athletes of the Week (March 27)

NEW ORLEANS – April is quickly approaching and the outdoor season is picking up steam.

Here are those 10 athletes who stood out the most over this past weekend and were named the National Athletes of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Find out more about these athletes by clicking their names or scrolling below.

CLICK HERE for a historical listing of National Athletes of the Week in outdoor track & field.

National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to eight collegiate indoor track & field athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions and NJCAA Division I).

Nominations are open to the public. Coaches and sports information directors are encouraged to nominate their student-athletes; as are student-athletes, their families and friends, and fans of their programs. Nominated athletes are noticed before those athletes found through searching TFRRS.

The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.

NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Anderson Peters, Mississippi State

Freshman | Throws
St. Andrews, Grenada

The race for the top spot in the javelin throw on the Descending Order List is heating up and it’s not even April yet!

This past weekend at the Bulldog Relays hosted by Mississippi State, Anderson Peters launched a rocket. Peters, a freshman from St. Andrews, Grenada, heaved the javelin 81.95m (268-10) to top the Descending Order List by nearly five feet and to become the eighth best performer in collegiate outdoor history.

Peters is the first athlete from Mississippi State to be named National Athlete of the Week since Brandon McBride two years ago.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Maggie Ewen, Arizona State

Senior | Throws
St. Francis, Minnesota

Maggie Ewen made herself at home in the collegiate outdoor record book last year.

On her second throw of the 2018 season, Ewen returned to roost.

Ewen hurled the hammer 72.28m (237-2) at the Pac-12+ vs Big Ten Invitational and notched the ninth best mark in collegiate outdoor history. She now has the collegiate record, the No. 3, the No. 4 and No. 9 marks all-time.

This is the second time Ewen has been honored with National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season (March 21, 2017).

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Khallifah Rosser, Cal St. Los Angeles

Senior | Hurdles
Fontana, California

Khallifah Rosser posted a blistering time of 49.61 in the 400 hurdles over the weekend at the 40th Annual Aztec Invitational, shooting him to the top of the NCAA Division II Descending Order List.

The senior from Fontana, California, now owns the fastest time in the nation this season on the All-College Descending Order List, running the lone sub-50 time in the event. Rosser’s time is also good for an NCAA Division II Automatic Qualifying Mark.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Michaela Dendinger, Wayne State (Neb.)

Senior | Throws
Coleridge, Nebraska

Michaela Dendinger did it all this past weekend at the Wildcat Classic, hitting two NCAA Division II Automatic Qualifying Marks.

The product out of Coleridge, Nebraska, posted a mark of 61.25m (200-11) in the hammer, as well as a 15.82m (51-11) in the shot put, both of which are tops on the NCAA Division II Descending Order List. Both marks also sit in the top-20 of the All-College Descending Order List this year.

Additionally, Dendinger notched a 49.25m (161-7) in the discus, a NCAA Division II Provisional Qualifying Mark that sits sixth on the Descending Order List.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Vernon Lott, George Fox

Senior | Sprints
San Antonio, Texas

Vernon Lott had himself a weekend at the Westmont Classic.

Lott recorded the sixth fastest time in the NCAA DIII Descending Order List in the 100 (10.75, which is the second fastest wind legal mark) and helped the Bruins to the top spot in both the 4×100 and 4×400 relays on which he ran the second and third legs, respectively.

Prior to this weekend, Lott notched the second fastest time this season in the 200 (21.25) at the Pacific Preview on March 10.

Lott is the first male athlete from George Fox to be named National Athlete of the Week.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Sarah King, George Fox

Junior | Sprints
Carleton, Oregon

Sarah King put her name all over the NCAA DIII Descending Order List this past weekend.

King clocked the nation’s fastest time of the season in the 400 (55.78), the sixth fastest time in the 400 hurdles (1:03.82) and led off George Fox’s 4×100 relay that is now No. 1 (46.89).

This is the second time that a female athlete from George Fox has been named National Athlete of the Week. The last time occurred in 2015 when Asia Greene earned the honor on March 24.

NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Fabian Edoki, South Plains (Texas)

Sophomore | Jumps
Nigeria

Fabian Edoki wowed at the ACU Wes Kittley Invitational over the weekend, recording an astounding 8.10m (26-7) in the long jump. The Nigerian’s leap puts him atop the NJCAA Division I Descending Order List.

More impressive is the fact that Edoki’s mark is the top long jump mark on the All-College Descending Order List this year. Edoki has won his last four long jump competitions, dating back to last year’s outdoor season.

NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Abigail Kwarteng, Western Texas College

Sophomore | Jumps
Ghana

Like Edoki, Abigail Kwarteng dominated the ACU Wes Kittley Invitational. The sophomore from Ghana won the high jump competition with a leap of 1.80m (5-10¾), defeating athletes from Texas Tech, Incarnate Word and West Texas A&M.

Kwarteng’s mark is good for tops on the NJCAA Division I Descending Order List, and sits tied for second on the All-College Descending Order List this year.

NJCAA DIVISION III MEN – Joshua Legg, Rowan-Gloucester

Sophomore | Hurdles

Joshua Legg was a hurdling machine at the Delaware Classic, winning both the 110 and 400 hurdle races. The sophomore posted a 15.44 in the shorter of the two competitions while running a 57.51 in the 400. Both marks are NJCAA Division III Automatic Qualifying Marks.

NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Elisia Lancaster, Rowan-Gloucester

Freshman | Throws

Elisia Lancaster hit three NJCAA Division III Automatic Qualifying Marks over the weekend at the Delaware Classic, putting her atop the Descending Order List in all three events. The freshman recorded the only NJCAA Division III Automatic Qualifying Marks of the season in the shot put (12.62m/41-5) and the hammer throw (26.26m/118-11) while also posting a 31.92m (104-9) in the discus.