M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (Feb. 14)
NEW ORLEANS – Where is the love for the record books?
Collegiate track & field athletes are beating it up, left and right.
Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for February 14, 2023.
- NCAA Division I Men – Dylan Jacobs, Tennessee
- co-NCAA Division I Women – Katelyn Tuohy, NC State
- co-NCAA Division I Women – Jorinde van Klinken, Oregon
- co-NCAA Division II Men – Cordell Tinch, Pittsburg State
- co-NCAA Division II Men – Dillon Powell, Colo. School of Mines
- NCAA Division II Women – Brianna Robles, Adams State
- NCAA Division III Men – Ryan Wilson, MIT
- NCAA Division III Women – Grace Devanny, Wesleyan (Conn.)
- NAIA Men – Donte Sol, Multnomah (Ore.)
- NAIA Women – Addy Wiley, Huntington (Ind.)
- NJCAA Men – Kamir Farquharson, South Plains (Texas)
- NJCAA Women – Deshana Skeete, New Mexico JC
Find out more about each of these athletes by 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 14 collegiate cross country athletes, when applicable (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions, the NAIA 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 – Dylan Jacobs, Tennessee
Grad Student | Distance
Orland Park, Illinois
Dylan Jacobs has made a statement this indoor season.
That statement is, “The road to the indoor distance crowns either go through me – or I’ll be right up there contending for them.”
Jacobs notched his second all-time effort this season with a 7:36.89 scorcher in the 3000 meters at the 115th Millrose Games this past weekend. That moved him up to No. 2 in collegiate history, just 0.47 seconds shy of the collegiate record established by Drew Bosley a few weeks earlier.
Back in January, Jacobs clocked the third-fastest mark in collegiate indoor history over 5000 meters with his 13:11.01 effort at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston.
This is the first time since 2020 that a male athlete from Tennessee has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Darryl Sullivan picked up honors three years ago following a dynamic clearance in the high jump.
co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Katelyn Tuohy, NC State
Sophomore | Distance
Stony Point, New York
Katelyn Tuohy is doing things that haven’t been seen in 14 years.
Tuohy set her third collegiate record of the indoor season, this time in the 3000 meters. Competing at the 115th Millrose Games, Tuohy turned 15 laps in 8:35.20 to demolish the five-year-old record of 8:41.60 set by Karissa Schweizer in 2018 and placed third in a star-studded field.
A few weeks earlier, Tuohy took down both the 1500-meter and mile records on the same track inside the Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory. Tuohy traversed the mile distance in 4:24.26 and hit a 1500-meter split of 4:06.49 en route to that all-time effort.
Tuohy might have sights on the 5000-meter standard next. If the NC State phenom captures that, too, she’ll do something not even 2009 The Bowerman winner Jenny Simpson accomplished.
This is the second time in the past three weeks that Tuohy has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week.
co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Jordine van Klinken, Oregon
Senior | Throws
Assen, The Netherlands
Jordine van Klinken is now a two-time collegiate record holder.
Already the best with the disc in her hand, van Klinken is now tops with the shot indoors.
Competing at the Don Kirby Invitational hosted by New Mexico, van Klinken launched the orb 19.57m (64-2½) to break the collegiate record, formerly held by Raven Saunders of Ole Miss at 19.56m (64-2¼). You read that correctly: van Klinken got it by 1cm, but that’s all you need.
van Klinken earned her first collegiate record last year when she took down Meg Ritchie’s legendary discus mark at the USATF Throws Festival when she let loose a 70.22m (230-5) howitzer. Ritche’s record had stood since 1981 and van Klinken destroyed it by nine feet.
This is the first time in her career that van Klinken has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. It is also the first time since 2017 that a female athlete from Oregon earned national honors indoors: Raevyn Rogers on January 31, 2017.
co-NCAA DIVISION II MEN — Cordell Tinch, Pittsburg State
Sophomore | Hurdles/Jumps
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Cordell Tinch solidified his spot as one one of the best in collegiate history.
The Pittsburg State standout took down the NCAA Division II record in the Men’s 60 Meter Hurdles with his 7.50 winner at the Gorilla Classic. Tinch topped the previous best of 7.53 set by Myles Hunter of Minnesota State in 2016. He also ran 7.57 in the prelims – giving him two of the three fastest times in divisional history.
Not only did Tinch make DII history, he matched the seventh-best performer in collegiate history in the 60-meter hurdles with his NCAA-leading 7.50.
Tinch didn’t stop there, though. He cleared 2.20m (7-2½) in the high jump to match the No. 3 performer on the NCAA DII Descending Order List.
This is the second-straight week Tinch has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week.
co-NCAA DIVISION II MEN — Dillon Powell, Colo. School of Mines
Redshirt Junior | Distance
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Records are meant to be broken – even your own.
Dillon Powell topped his NCAA Division II record in the 5000 meters in Boston on Saturday night, clocking 13:28.46 to finish seventh overall in the field. He shaved off more than five seconds from his previous best of 13:33.68, giving him two of the fastest times ever recorded in divisional history.
This is Powell’s second time being named M-F National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Powell captured the honor a year ago after his first record-breaking run.
NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN — Brianna Robles, Adams State
Sophomore | Distance
Palmview, Texas
Record book, meet Brianna Robles.
Robles broke the NCAA Division II record in the 5000 meters, clocking 15:47.88 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. The Adams State star smashed the previous best of 16:01.09 set by Neely Spence of Shippensburg in 2011. She stayed consistent throughout the race before pouring it on in the last 200 meters with a 32.48 second split.
Robles only trails the all-conditions best of 15:28.46 set by Caroline Kurgat of Alaska Anchorage in 2019.
This is the third time in program history that a female athlete from Adams State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Robles joins Kandace Thomas, who earned the honor twice in 2019.
NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Ryan Wilson, MIT
Grad Student | Mid-Distance
Redwood City, California
Four NCAA DIII records were set by men this past weekend: Ryan Wilson in the mile; Alex Phillip in the 5000 meters (Christian Patzka originally broke it earlier in the day, but Phillip answered with a faster time later that night); Rowan in the 4×400; and Loras in the DMR.
So how is your friendly, neighborhood Association expected to pick an M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week out of that quartet? All performances are deserving, so shouldn’t it be a four-way tie?
Well, we turned to the All-College Descending Order List to see where each would rank among all collegians, as well as the rest of their division. That’s where Wilson distanced himself from the pack. Wilson, with his 3:55.29 effort at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, slots in at No. 11 on that chart. In fact, if the season ended today, Wilson would qualify for the NCAA DI Championships (as would Loras). Wilson is also the only NCAA DIII miler in the top-125.
This is the first time in program history that a male athlete from MIT has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Grace Devanny, Wesleyan (Conn.)
Senior | Sprints
Concord, New Hampshire
It didn’t take long for Grace Devanny to sprint to the top of the NCAA DIII Descending Order List – and into the all-time top-10 – in both the 200 meters and 400 meters.
Let’s add it up: 1 minute, 19.8 seconds.
Competing at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Devanny turned two laps in 55.26 for the national lead in the 400 meters and then ripped one lap in 24.42 seconds to surge to the top of the 200-meter leaderboard. Both marks rank No. 8 on the NCAA DIII all-time chart.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Wesleyan (Conn.) has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NJCAA MEN – Kimar Farquharson, South Plains (Texas)
Sophomore | Mid-Distance
Kingston, Jamaica
Kimar Farquharson took down the NJCAA indoor record in the 800 meters in a memorable performance as he defeated reigning record holder – and teammate – Mehmet Celik at the Jarvis Scott Open.
Farquharson opened up aggressively, clocking 26.08 and 26.50 for the first two laps to pass 400 in 52.57 – more than a second ahead of the pace Celik ran in his 1:48.23 record in January. He closed with laps of 27.28 and 27.27 to finish in 1:47.04, chopping more than a second off the record as Celik also got a new PR of 1:47.90.
Farquharson wasn’t done, however. He came back the next day to anchor the Texans’ 4×400 relay team to second place in 3:06.48 with a 45.71 split. South Plains’ time is second fastest in the NJCAA this year and No. 3 all-time as SPC owns the record of 3:05.16 from back in 2012.
This is Farquharson’s third time being honored as M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. He earned the award twice last year – once each indoors and outdoors.
NJCAA WOMEN – Deshana Skeete, New Mexico JC
Sophomore | Sprints
Linden, Guyana
Deshana Skeete kept her head-to-head undefeated streak this year in the 400 meters intact in winning the Jarvis Scott Open in 54.49.
Skeete’s most recent clocking is second only nationally to her own 54.29 set two weeks ago at the New Mexico Team Open with a performance that made her No. 8 all-time in NJCAA indoor history.
Earlier this year she registered a 53.95 split on New Mexico JC’s 4×400 relay team that made the T-Birds the No. 5 program all-time NJCAA at 3:42.39. She is also second-fastest nationally in the 200 at 23.88.
Skeete is the eighth female athlete from New Mexico JC to earn the M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week award in indoor track & field.
NAIA MEN – Donte Sol, Multnomah (Ore.)
Sophomore | Sprints
Wesley Chapel, Florida
Donte Sol has gone to No. 1 like a rocket.
Sol blasted a 6.61 60-meter time to win the Husky Classic. That not only leads the NAIA lists this year – it also matches the fastest-known mark in NAIA history, tying Zacheus Beard of Langston (Okla.) in winning last year’s NAIA Indoor Championships.
Sol was on a tear from the prelims, lowering his PR from 6.73 to 6.65 before his fireworks in the final. He was a member of Colby (Kan.) CC’s winning distance medley relay team at last year’s NJCAA Indoor Championships, running the 400-meter leg.
Sol is the first athlete from Multnomah to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in indoor track & field.
NAIA WOMEN – Addy Wiley, Huntington (Ind.)
Freshman | Mid-Distance/Distance
Huntington, Indiana
Just when you think you’ve seen it all from Addy Wiley, she comes up with another sterling performance.
Her latest masterpiece came in the 800 meters. Running on Grand Valley State’s 300-meter oversized oval at the Big Meet #1, Wiley blazed to a time of 2:02.33 in winning by more than five seconds.
That performance is the fastest known in NAIA history – on any sized indoor track or even outdoors.
Wiley leads the NAIA lists in five individual events. Besides the 800, Wiley tops the 600 meters (1:29.77), 1000 (2:51.56), mile (4:32.15) and 3000 (9:24.28). Her times in the 600 and mile are also the best-known in NAIA history.
This is Wiley’s third time being honored as M-F Athlete of the Week in indoor track & field, adding to the two she earned in cross country.