USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA April 12, 2022   

NCAA & NJCAA OTF National Athletes of the Week (April 12)

NEW ORLEANS – Fastest in the nation? Check.

Among the fastest in the world? You bet.

Here are our National Athletes of the Week in NCAA Track & Field and NJCAA Track & Field for April 12, 2022!

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 – Jenoah Mckiver, Iowa

Sophomore | Sprints
High Point, North Carolina

Jenoah Mckiver turned up the heat this past weekend in Arizona.

Mckiver, competing at the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, set an all-conditions PR of 44.74 in the 400 meters to win his section by more than one second and take the collegiate lead. He is also the second-fastest performer in the world this season behind former Texas A&M standout and 2017 The Bowerman finalist Fred Kerley, who stopped the clock at 44.47 on March 5.

Later in the meet, Mckiver returned to the track to anchor Iowa’s 4×400 relay to a dominant victory with a 43.8 split. The Hawkeyes got the baton around in 3:02.39 to win by nearly two seconds and move up to No. 5 on the current NCAA DI Descending Order List.

This is the first time since at least 2015 that a male athlete from Iowa has been named National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Laulauga Tausaga gave the Hawkeyes their first national honoree three years ago on April 23 following a massive effort in the discus throw.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Abby Steiner, Kentucky

Senior | Sprints
Dublin, Ohio

What can’t Abby Steiner do?

We’re asking a serious question.

Steiner put her talent on full display this past weekend at the Joe May Invitational.

After carrying the baton second on Kentucky’s victorious 4×100 relay that moved up to No. 2 on the NCAA DI Descending Order List at 42.46, Steiner returned to the track for the 100. Steiner notched a decisive come-from-behind win over a talented field with her wind-legal 10.92 (+0.5), which matched the efforts of the fifth-fastest performers in collegiate history (2015 The Bowerman winner Jenna Prandini and 2021 NCAA DI 100-meter champion Cambrea Sturgis).

Steiner wasn’t done, not by a long shot. With a stiff headwind – try 5.6 m/s – Steiner romped to victory in her signature 200, stopping the clock at 22.38. That was the fastest collegiate mark ever run into a headwind greater than 1.8 m/s and would convert to a jaw-dropping 21.67 in still conditions.

This is the first time since 2018 that a female athlete from Kentucky has been named National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. You might remember that someone named Sydney McLaughlin starred for the Wildcats four years ago and took home two weekly honors.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Benjamin Azamati, West Texas A&M

Sophomore | Sprints
Akim Oda, Ghana

Collegiate lead in the 100? Check.

How about the 200? Done.

NCAA DII record? Matched it.

It was business as usual for Benjamin Azamati, as the Ghana product and speedster from West Texas A&M turned another outstanding performance on his home track at the Jo Meaker Classic. Azamati blasted from the blocks to win the 200 with a wind legal 20.13 (+1.4), which tied his own NCAA DII record he set at the 2021 LSC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Even more impressive, Azamati is now a double collegiate leader in the 100 (9.90) and 200 (20.13).

Azamati also toted the baton on the Buffs’ victorious 4×100 relay that is ranked No. 2 on the Descending Order List at 39.43. That time also puts the Buffs at No. 6 on the NCAA DII all-time chart.

This is the second time this season Azamati has been named National Athlete of the Week. He previously earned the honor two weeks ago after setting the NCAA DII record in the 100 at the Texas Relays.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Makayla Jackson, Minnesota State

Redshirt Sophomore | Jumps
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Makayla Jackson began her outdoor campaign with a bang.

Jackson, who captured the national title in the long jump at the 2022 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships last month, won the long jump at the Minnesota State Open on her final attempt of the day with a windy 6.54m (21-5½) to take over the national lead. That is one of the best jumps in NCAA DII history, regardless of conditions, and is the fourth-best all-conditions mark among collegians this year.

Jackson also recorded a wind-legal jump of 6.29m (20-7¾) on her second attempt of the competition and is ranked No. 21 on the NCAA DII all-time chart.

This is the first time since at least 2015 that a female athlete from Minnesota State has been named National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Tucker Cargile, Redlands

Grad Student | Mid-Distance
Denver, Colorado

Tucker Cargile topped them all this past weekend.

Competing at the Pomona-Pitzer Track & Field Invitational, Cargile won a strong 800-meter race in 1:48.89, which gave him the national lead and cemented his place as the No. 12 performer in NCAA DIII history. What made the race so strong? The top-3 marks on the current Descending Order List were turned in between the likes of Cargile (1:48.89), Bennett Boothe-Genthe (1:49.15) and Kai Dettman (1:50.58).

That was also an all-conditions PR for Cargile (his first time under 1:50), who finished a close runner-up in the mile at the NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field Championships this past month.

This is just the second time since at least 2015 that a male athlete from Redlands has been named National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Darren Centi took home the first weekly honor for the Bulldogs seven years ago back on May 5, 2015.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Madeline O’Connell, Rochester (N.Y.)

Junior | Sprints & Jumps
Sudbury, Massachusetts

Did you ever hear of a 400-meter/pole-vault double?

Well, now you have.

(While we’re at it, go ahead and add the 4×100 relay, too).

Madeline O’Connell starred at the University of Rochester Spring Classic this past weekend, capturing individual titles in both the 400 and pole vault, and anchoring the Yellowjackets’ event-winning 4×100 relay. O’Connell’s marks were impressive, too, as she surged into the national lead in the 400 with her 55.38 winner and cleared 3.67m (12-0½) in the pole vault.

Would you believe that all of this happened on the same day?

This is the first time since at least 2015 that an athlete from Rochester (N.Y.) has been named National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NJCAA MEN – Dennis Mutai, Garden City (Kan.) CC

Freshman | Distance
Eldoret, Kenya

It’s been a long time since an NJCAA athlete ran as fast as 29:15.99 in the 10,000 meters.

How long? Try 1987!

That’s what Dennis Mutai accomplished in winning the event at the KT Woodman Classic in moving to No. 5 on the NJCAA all-time list. He won the race by over 25 seconds. Mutai also leads the NJCAA 5000 list this year at 14:24.28 in a race at high altitude.

This is the first time a male athlete from Garden City has earned National Athlete of the Week honors in outdoor track & field.

NJCAA WOMEN – Jerricka Ambus, Hinds (Miss.) CC

Sophomore | Hurdles
Brandon, Mississippi

Erricka Ambus is on a tear.

Most recently, Ambus won the 100-meter hurdles at the Hinds Relays in 13.40 to move to =No. 9 on the NJCAA all-time list, winning by just shy of two seconds. Ambus had previously been No. 11 all-time from a 13.44 effort last week. She won the NJCAA Indoor 60 hurdles in 8.25, good enough for No. 3 all-time.

Ambus is the first female athlete from Hinds CC to be named National Athlete of the Week in outdoor track & field.