USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA February 22, 2022   

NCAA & NJCAA ITF National Athletes of the Week (Feb. 22)

NEW ORLEANS – Collegiate track & field athletes continue to impress!

Here are the National Athletes of the Week in NCAA and NJCAA Indoor Track & Field for February 22!

Find out more about each of 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 eight collegiate track & field athletes, when applicable (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. 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 – Washington DMR

On a weekend where the all-time collegiate top-10 in the men’s distance medley relay underwent a complete makeover, Washington stood – and continues to stand – tallest.

The Huskies led an all-out assault on the record book on Friday night at the Arkansas Qualifier, as they finished first in a race that saw the top-3 teams crack the all-time top-5 performers and each of teams who competed carve their programs into the all-time top-10 performance list.

Washington broke the tape in 9:21.10, good enough to become the third-fastest team in collegiate history with the fourth-fastest performance. Luke Houser (2:52.90), Anthony Smith (46.72), Cass Elliott (1:48.68) and Brian Fay (3:52.81) combined for that blistering effort.

Behind the Huskies, who won by more than one second, Alabama (9:22.43), Oklahoma State (9:22.70), Iowa State (9:24.07) and Arkansas (9:24.56) crossed the finish line in order. Those are now the fifth-, sixth-, eighth- and tenth-fastest performances in collegiate history.

The following day, seven teams went sub-9:25 at the Alex Wilson Invitational, paced by Notre Dame in 9:21.73. All of those marks dipped under the previous all-time, all-conditions best.

This is the first time in program history that any male athlete from Washington has been named National Athlete of the Week since at least 2015.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Anavia Battle, Ohio State

Grad Student | Sprints
Inkster, Michigan

The fastest collegian over 200 meters, indoors or outdoors, made her mark this past weekend.

Anavia Battle ripped one lap at the Arkansas Qualifier in 22.49 to move up to No. 2 on the seasonal Descending Order List behind indoor record-setter Abby Steiner of Kentucky. Battle beat Jada Baylark of Arkansas, who is now the ninth-fastest performer this season, by 0.57 seconds.

But, rewind eight months and you’ll see Battle scorching a half-lap of the track at Hayward Field during the U.S. Olympic Trials – Track & Field. Battle covered those 200 meters in 21.95 to take over the No. 1 spot on the all-dates, all-time collegiate chart and qualify for her first Olympics thanks to a third-place finish. Tamara Clark took fourth place in 21.98, fourth on the all-dates list.

This is the second time this season that a female athlete from Ohio State has been named National Athlete of the Week. Adelaide Aquilla took home honors previously on January 25.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Mason Strader

Junior | Distance
Holton, Kansas

Mason Strader ran to an all-time mark.

Strader, who competed at the Arkansas Qualifier this past weekend, went sub-four in the mile with his 3:58.47 effort on the 200-meter banked track to win his section. That effort in Fayetteville makes him the third-best performer with the fourth-fastest time in NCAA DII history. He is also ranked second on the Descending Order List in the event.

This is the second time an athlete from Pittsburg State has been National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Garrett Appier was the first to earn the honor back in 2016.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Tytavia Hardy, Mississippi College

Senior | Sprints/Jumps
Pensacola, Florida

Tytavia Hardy can do it all.

Hardy scored 36 points for the Choctaws at the Gulf South Conference Championships and led her team to a runner-up finish. She topped the podium twice, winning the 60H in a meet record time of 8.60 and the triple jump after bounding 11.90m (39-½) on her fifth attempt of the competition. Hardy also earned a pair of silver medals in the high jump (1.63m/5-4¼) and long jump (5.54m/18-2¼).

Hardy’s efforts landed her the GSC Top Field Performer and Most Outstanding Overall Performer of the Meet. Her record-setting performance in the 60H is also the seventh-best time in NCAA DII this year.

This is the first time in program history an athlete from Mississippi College has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Jaylen Grant, UW-Oshkosh

Junior | Sprints
Kenosha, Wisconsin

Jaylen Grant broke through in a big way this past weekend.

Competing at the UWO Titan Challenge, Grant blistered the straightaway to a mark of 6.72 in the 60 meters, which made him the fifth-best performer in NCAA Division III history. That is also the fastest effort since 2014, when Thurgood Dennis of UW-Eau Claire set the current NCAA DIII record of 6.68 to win the event title at the NCAA DIII Indoor Championships.

In three previous 60-meter finals this season, Grant clocked matching 6.78 times. Those are all substantial improvements for Grant, who topped out at 6.87 as a sophomore last year. Let’s not forget about the 6.76 that Grant ran in the preliminaries this past weekend to qualify for the final.

This is the first time since at least 2015 that a male athlete from UW-Oshkosh has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Tia Jones, Ithaca

Junior | Sprints
Vestal, New York

How do you break a tie?

Go to the next event.

That’s how Tia Jones is National Athlete of the Week.

Both Jones and Maddie Moran of Nebraska Wesleyan clocked identical 7.59 60-meter marks this weekend to tie for the national lead. The former clocked her mark at the Deneault Invitational on Friday, while the latter did so at the Nebraska Tune-Up on Saturday. What put Jones over the top was her secondary event, the 200. Jones became the second-best seasonal performer with her 25.11 effort.

Both of those marks are PRs for Jones, who was previously named National Athlete of the Week on December 10, 2020. This is the eighth time that a female athlete from Ithaca earned national honors since 2017 (Katherine Pitman and Parley Hannan combined for six plaudits).

NJCAA MEN – Thomas Nieto, South Plains (Texas)

Sophomore | Pole Vault
Ibaque, Colombia

Thomas Nieto joined the 17-foot pole vault club indoors at the Jarvis Scott Open. He liked it so much he PRed twice more.

Before the meet, Nieto sat in a tie for eighth on the all-time NJCAA indoor list at 5.06m (16-7¼) from earlier this season. By the end of it, Nieto would be third.

As the bar reached 5.18m (17-0), Nieto sailed over on his first attempt, moving to No. 7 all-time. As the only vaulter remaining, Nieto extended his vaulting when he cleared 5.23m (17-1¾) on his third jump, climbing to No. 5 all-time and bettering his outdoor best of 5.20m (17-0¾). But Nieto wasn’t done, scaling 5.31m (17-5) on a first attempt to soar to No. 3 on the all-time NJCAA list.

It’s safe to say Nieto is ready to improve on his two runner-up finishes at the NJCAA Championships last year.

Nieto is the 10th male athlete – and third this year – from South Plains to be named National Athlete of the Week in indoor track & field.

NJCAA WOMEN – Nickisha Pryce, Iowa Western CC

Sophomore | Sprints
Clarendon, Jamaica

Nickisha Pryce didn’t let the tight confines of a flat 200-meter track hold her back at the Region XI Championships.

Pryce won two individual events – the 200 and 400 meters – and anchored Iowa Western to victory in the 4×400 relay as the Reivers won the team title with 280 points. She set seasonal bests in the 400 (55.58) and 200 (24.56), as did the 4×400 squad (3:46.93). At last year’s NJCAA Indoor Championships, Pryce won the 400, finished second in the 200 and anchored the winning 4×400 team.

Pryce is the fifth female athlete – third this year – from Iowa Western to earn this award in indoor track & field.