USTFCCCA Awards
NCAA & NJCAA ITF National Athletes of the Week (February 21)
Courtesy: Curtis Akey & Tyler Mayforth, USTFCCCA February 21, 2017   

NCAA & NJCAA ITF National Athletes of the Week (February 21)

NEW ORLEANS — No collegiate records were broken this past weekend, but a few all-time best lists were rewritten.

The National Athletes of the Week for February 21, as presented by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), did some damage across all three NCAA divisions and the NJCAA.

Without further ado, here are the eight selections for National Athlete of the Week.

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

National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to 8 collegiate outdoor track & field athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions and the NJCAA).

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.

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 — Kendal Williams, Georgia

Sophomore | Sprints
Jacksonville, Florida

Until this past weekend, Tennessee’s Christian Coleman was all alone atop the NCAA Division I Descending Order List when it came to the 60-meter dash.

Note: We said until this past weekend.

That’s because Kendal Williams scorched the track at the Tiger Tune-Up hosted by Clemson University.

Williams matched Coleman’s time of 6.51 and set a facility record in the process. The sophomore from Jacksonville, Florida now has the 8th best all-time performance in collegiate history, alongside Coleman. Williams also won the prelims in 6.54, which gave him another sub-6.60 effort.

There’s a chance for some fireworks this weekend as Williams and Coleman square off at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Nashville, Tennessee.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN — Lexi Weeks, Arkansas

Sophomore | Pole Vault
Cabot, Arkansas

Lexi Weeks is back where she rightfully belongs: atop the NCAA DI pole vault world.

Weeks, the two-time NCAA champ in 2016 as a freshman, surged to the top of the leaderboard with her performance at the Arkansas Qualifier this past weekend.

The sophomore from Cabot, Arkansas trailed her sister (Tori Weeks) on the NCAA DI Descending Order List for most of the season thus far, but soared above her at home. Weeks cleared 4.60m (15-1) and notched her 4th career indoor clearance of 15 feet or better.

She’ll be back in action this weekend at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN — Vincent Kiprop, Missouri Southern

Sophomore | Distance
Kericho, Kenya

It could be difficult to catch Vincent Kiprop at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships.

The native of Kericho, Kenya, etched his name into the NCAA Division II record book with a stunning performance in the 5,000 this past weekend. At the Nebraska Tune-Up, Kiprop ran a blistering time of 13:53.94, blowing away the competition. Kiprop’s time makes him the 7th-best performer in the event in NCAA Division II history.

More importantly for Missouri Southern is that the time Kiprop ran this past weekend is tops in Division II, and is over eight seconds faster than the nearest competitor in the Descending Order List this season. Last year, Kiprop ran just a shade over a second out of 8th place in the 5,000 at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, failing to score for the lions.

After a cross country season that saw him capture the Division II individual title last fall, it’s clear that Kiprop has picked himself up and dusted himself off after last year’s indoor campaign, and looks to add to his trophy case come March 10-11 in Birmingham, Alabama.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN — Rellie Kaputin, West Texas A&M

Junior | Jumps
East New Britain, Papua New Guinea

If you’re looking for one individual track and field athlete who had a more productive weekend than Rellie Kaputin, think again.

The junior from West Texas A&M had one of the best weekends in Division II history in recent memory. Not only did she shoot to the top of the Descending Order List in two events after an outstanding outing at the Lone Star Indoor Track and Field Championships, but she added her name to the Division II record book on two occasions.

The native of Papua New Guinea recorded a Division II season-best triple jump mark of 12.88m (42-3¼), which is close to 1.5 feet further than her nearest competitor in Division II on the season. That leap also made her the 10th-best performer in the event in Division II history.

She wasn’t done, though. Kaputin then notched the top mark in Division II in the long jump with a leap of 6.27m (20-7), putting her over five inches further from 2nd place in the nation, and placing her as the 6th-best performer in the event in Division II history.

Couple those performances with the fact that she won the event title in the high jump before she took part in the long and triple jump events, and it’s safe to say that Kaputin accomplished more in one weekend than some hope to accomplish in a career.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN — David Paynotta, UW-River Falls

Senior | Sprints
Finlayson, Minnesota

David Paynotta hit a PR in a big way this past weekend.

Paynotta competed at the Snowshoe Open and clocked a time of 6.72 in the 60. That better his previous PR by five one-hundredths of a second and moved him into a tie for 5th place on the all-time chart in NCAA Division III history.

It just so happens that in a little more than two weeks, Paynotta will face the man he is tied with at 5th – Birmingham-Southern’s Jamal Watkins – at the 2017 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Paynotta is also tied for 8th on the NCAA DIII Descending Order List at 200 meters.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN — Amber Celen, Bridgewater (Va.)

Junior | Sprints
Townsend, Delaware

Make no mistake about it: Amber Celen is the favorite to win the NCAA Division III titles at 60 and 200 meters.

If there is any doubt, she proved why she is a powerhouse this past weekend.

Competing at the UCS Invitational, Celen cemented her top rank in NCAA DIII in both the 60 and 200. In the former, she lowered her time to 7.60 – but it’s what she did in the latter that earned her spot on this release.

Celen tore around the track in 24.56 – which set a PR – and beat Nikia Squire, the 2016 NCAA Division II 60-meter champ in the process. That time of 24.56 is also the 6th best mark in NCAA Division III history and left her one one-hundredth of a second shy of cracking the top-5. It was also the fastest time run in NCAA DIII in the past two years.

NJCAA MEN — Sterling Mungro, Iowa Central CC

Sophomore | Throws
DeSoto, Texas

Sterling Mungro saved his career-best performance for this past weekend.

After posting a sub-18.00m mark in the weight throw earlier this month despite coming out of the gate strong at the beginning of the season, the DeSoto, Texas, native burst onto the national scene this past weekend at the NJCAA Region XI Championships with a mark of 19.03m (62-5 ¼).

Mungro’s mark allowed him to climb to the highest spot on the NJCAA Descending Order List in the event on the season. It also set him almost a foot further than the nearest competitor in Division II.

After winning the shot put title at the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships a year ago, this mark should give Mungro the confidence that will allow him to capture an individual in another event this year.

NJCAA WOMEN — Nayoka Clunis, Cloud County CC

Sophomore | Throws
Kingston, Jamaica

Nayoka Clunis had never recorded a weight throw mark over 18.00m. That changed dramatically this past weekend.

The Jamaican not only eclipsed the 18.00m mark, but she surpassed the 19.00m mark in one fell swoop. Clunis placed first at the NJCAA Region VI Indoor Championships in the weight throw with a toss of 19.32m (63-4 ¾), good for first in the NJCAA on the season. Her throw was 1.59m further than her previous personal best.

Additionally, the sophomore from Cloud Country CC won the shot put event title at the NJCAA Region VII Indoor Championships with a mark of 14.37m (47-1 ¾).

With the way Clunis wrapped up her weekend, don’t be surprised to see her hit 20.00m in the weight throw at the NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Pittsburg, Kansas, in two weekends.