USTFCCCA News & Notes
NAIA OTF National Athletes of the Week (April 6)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Here are the NAIA Men’s & Women’s Track & Field National Athletes of the Week, as released on Wednesday afternoon by the NAIA National Office.
Men’s Athletes of the Week
Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Payton Maudlin, Dordt (Iowa)
Payton Mauldin won two events in his outdoor season debut, the Dordt Invitational, last weekend. Mauldin took first place in the 800m with a time of 1:51.2, currently the fastest time posted in the GPAC and third-best in the NAIA. The sophomore then anchored the winning 4×400 relay, running a 47.8 split, an event the Defenders have the top time in the GPAC and ninth fastest in the NAIA.
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Dylan Kucera, Midland (Neb.)
Dylan Kucera, a senior from Fremont, Nebraska, won a pair of events (shot put and hammer throw) and placed 4th in another (discus) at the Central Nebraska Challenge this weekend. He has reached the NAIA ‘A’ Standard in the shot put and hammer, owning the 1st and 2nd best marks nationally in the events. He is 11th in the discus with an NAIA ‘B’ Standard.
Women’s Athletes of the Week
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Praise Idamadudu, Cumberland (Tenn.)
Praise Idamadudu took home first place in the 400m dash with a time of 53.16s, qualifying her with NAIA “A” standards for nationals with the fastest time in the nation. Idamadudu finished third in the 200m dash with a time of 23.43s, the fastest time in the NAIA this year with by three-tenths of a second qualifying her with “A” Standards for nationals.
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Kortney Schutt, Friends (Kan.)
Kortney Schutt, the KCAC Women’s Indoor Shot Put champion, is in full gear for the Outdoor season. This past weekend at the Friends Spring Open, Schutt won both the Shot Put and Discuss while placing second in the Hammer Throw. The Wichita native recorded two automatic qualifying standards along with a B standard in the Discus. Her performance in all three events are the top marks in the KCAC, with the Shot Put and Hammer Throw marks ranking first in the entire NAIA and her Discus being good for seventh in the nation. Schutt also broke the school record in the Hammer Throw.