USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA April 15, 2024   

M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (April 15)

NEW ORLEANS – They’re taxing the record book!

Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week in collegiate track & field for April 15, 2024!

  • NCAA Division I Men – Colin Sahlman, Northern Arizona
  • NCAA Division I Women – Parker Valby, Florida
  • NCAA Division II Men – Romaine Legendre, Adams State
  • co-NCAA Division II Women – Alexis Brown, Lenoir-Rhyne
  • co-NCAA Division II Women – Gracie Hyde, Adams State
  • NCAA Division III Men – Sam Blaskowski, UW-La Crosse
  • NCAA Division III Women – Victoria Kadiri, Johns Hopkins
  • co-NAIA Men – Andrew Davies, British Columbia
  • co-NAIA Men – David Friedberg, Reinhardt (Ga.)
  • NAIA Women – Kiana Gibson, British Columbia
  • NJCAA DI Men – JaQuavious Harris, Salt Lake (Utah) CC
  • NJCAA DI Women – Cedricka Williams, Barton (Kan.) CC
  • NJCAA DIII Men – Brooks Robson, Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC
  • NJCAA DIII Women – Ellie Logsdon, College of DuPage (Ill.)

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 – Colin Sahlman, Northern Arizona

Sophomore | Distance
Camarillo, California

Collegians go to the Bryan Clay Invitational to run quick 1500-meter races.

Colin Sahlman is the latest to leave his mark on the record book in California.

Sahlman won the elite section of the event this weekend in 3:33.96, narrowly missing the collegiate record of 3:33.74 set by Eliud Kipsang on the same track in 2022. The Northern Arizona standout used his sensational kick to beat Nathan Green of Washington to the finish line (Green stopped the clock in 3:34.79 for the fourth-fastest mark in collegiate history).

This is the second time this season that a male athlete from NAU has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Sahlman joins 10,000-meter record-holder Nico Young in that regard.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Parker Valby, Florida

Junior | Distance
Tampa, Florida

30:50.43.

Parker Valby, we don’t have words.

Valby destroyed another venerable collegiate record; this time in her 10,000-meter debut at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.

The Florida supernova turned 25 laps in 30:50.43 to take nearly 28 seconds off the former CR of 31:18.07 held by Lisa Koll since 2010. No collegian had come within 19 seconds of Koll’s record since 2013.

Valby’s splits were a reported 15:30 and 15:20, which is remarkable in its own right. Her previous PR in the 5000 meters was 15:20.10, a mark that she ran last year to win the NCAA title in Austin.

This is the first time since 2022 – and fourth time overall – that a female athlete from Florida has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Valby joins Anna Hall (2022), Yanis David (2019) and Shayla Sanders (2016) in that regard.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Romaine Legendre, Adams State

Junior | Distance
Carpentras, France

Déjà vu. 

Not five months after Romaine Legendre took down the NCAA DII 5000-meter record on the 200-meter circuit, he did it again on the 400-meter version.

In a field that featured notable NCAA DI talent and professional athletes, the Adams State product left his mark, busting out a 13:16.53 at the Bryan Clay Invitational to take down a 22-year-old record of 13:22.64 set by Michael Aish in 2002. The closest anybody had come in the previous 22 years was Christian Noble of Lee (Tenn.) in 2022, when he ran 13:24.78 at the Raleigh Relays.

This is the fifth time in program history that a male athlete from Adams State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during outdoor season. Legendre joins Clement Duigou, Sydney Gidabuday, and two-time winner Tabor Stevens. 

This is the fifth time in program history that a male athlete from Adams State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the Outdoor Track and Field season. Legendre joins Clement Duigou, Sydney Gidabuday, and two-time winner Tabor Stevens. 

co-NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Alexis Brown, Lenoir Rhyne

Sophomore | Sprints
Mableton, Georgia

The NCAA DII record for the 100 meters only lasted a few hours Saturday afternoon. 

The catch? The same individual broke it twice. 

Alexis Brown of Lenoir-Rhyne put herself on top of the all-time list with an 11.16 clocking in the prelims at the Southside Power and Fitness Invitational. Apparently, that wasn’t enough as she came back and ran even faster in the finals, posting an 11.09 to better her own mark.

And she did it at a meet where her greatest competition was… herself. For reference, the next closest competitor was a teammate who finished 0.52 seconds back. Miles behind in sprinting terms. 

Brown is building on the momentum from a fantastic 2024 indoor season, where she set the NCAA DII 200-meter record and tied the 60-meter version.

This is the second time that Brown has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Brown previously earned national weekly honors on March 28, 2023. 

co-NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Gracie Hyde, Adams State

Grad Student | Distance
Benton, Arkansas

There isn’t much more that Gracie Hyde could’ve done at the Bryan Clay Invitational. 

Hyde showed up ready to compete in two events and left with two NCAA DII records to her name. Thursday evening, the Adams State grad student started the meet with a bang, setting a new NCAA DII steeplechase record in 9:28.17. After a day of rest, Hyde returned to the track and established a new NCAA DII 1500-meter record in 4:08.95. Between both events, she managed to clip a combined 14 seconds from the previous records.

She is no stranger to records at this point either. During the 2024 indoor season she set a new NCAA DII 3000-meter record and ran the final leg of the record setting Adams State DMR squad. The question at this point is not will she continue this tear, it’s how far will she go with it?

This is the first time that Hyde has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Hyde previously earned national weekly honors on February 13, 2024.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Sam Blaskowski, UW-La Crosse

Junior | Sprints
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Sam Blaskowski doesn’t need a strong tailwind to run fast.

After all, Blaskowski owns the NCAA DIII record in the 60 meters indoors and rates second all-time in the 200 meters.

Blaskowski probably won’t argue when conditions allowed him to become the first NCAA DIII athlete to crack the 10-second mark in the 100 meters. The UW-La Crosse standout used a 5.5 m/s tailwind to stop the clock at 9.99 this past weekend at the Beach Invitational in California. According to a conversion calculator, that would equal 10.14 at still conditions (+0.0) and 10.05 at ideal conditions (+2.0). That second mark would destroy his own NCAA DIII record of 10.13.

His outstanding efforts weren’t limited to the 100 meters, though: Blaskowski went a wind-aided 20.82 (+3.8) over 200 meters to usurp the national lead by 0.3 seconds over Eric Gregory.

This is the third time in the past two years that Blaskowski has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. He previously earned national weekly honors on April 11, 2023, and May 23, 2023.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Victoria Kadiri, Johns Hopkins

Senior | Jumps/Sprints
Lynn, Massachusetts

Victoria Kadiri transcends divisions and records.

Kadiri obliterated her own NCAA DIII record in the triple jump this past weekend when she bounded 13.43m (44-0¾) on her sixth and final attempt at the Bison Outdoor Classic. She previously established the NCAA DIII record at 13.21m (43-4¼) last year in a winning effort at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships. Her new best currently ranks her No. 4 on the All-College Descending Order List in 2024.

The Johns Hopkins standout also turned in an exceptional effort in the heptathlon, too, scoring 4742 points. Included in those seven events was 200-meter PR of 25.90 (-0.7) and victories in three.

This is the second year in a row that Kadiri has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Kadiri previously earned national weekly honors on May 9, 2023.

co-NAIA MEN – Andrew Davies, British Columbia

Senior | Distances
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Andrew Davies knew he was ready for a fast time in 10,000-meter debut on the track at the Bryan Clay Invitational. He had gained immense confidence finishing as Canada’s No. 2 runner in the World Cross Country Championships two weeks ago.

But how fast would he run? His 29:03.01 clocking not only obliterated the British Columbia program record by more than a minute, it also eclipsed the fastest-known time in NAIA history by 15 seconds. His previous best time at the distance was 29:32 in a road race in January.

This is the second time that a male athlete from British Columbia has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Davies joins Rowan Hamilton (2023) in that regard.

co-NAIA MEN – David Friedberg, Reinhardt (Ga.)

Senior | Javelin
Ellabell, Georgia

David Friedberg made the Berry Field Day Invitational his own Javelin Day on Saturday.

The two-time reigning NAIA champion opened up with a PR throw of 73.74m (241-11). While that made him No. 2 on the NAIA all-time list, he had plenty more of excitement left. Round 2 saw him set the NAIA best at 75.51m (247-9), overtaking the 2014 standard of 74.42m (244-2) set by John Ampomah of Wiley (Texas).

Still, Friedberg had more as his final heave of the day sailed 76.08m (249-7) to improve his record even further. Add in his Round-5 effort of 73.58m (241-5) and he recorded the four longest throws of his life – and four of the six longest in NAIA history.

This is the first time that a male or female athlete from Reinhardt has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NAIA WOMEN – Kiana Gibson, British Columbia

Sophomore | Distances
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The steeplechase record at British Columbia has double importance – not only the school record, but also the NAIA all-time best.

That remains true, but Kiana Gibson is now the owner of both after her time of 9:51.28 at the Bryan Clay Invitational supplanted the 9:53.71 set by UBC’s Maria Bernard in 2015 as the NAIA record. Gibson and Bernard are the only two sub-10 runners in NAIA history in the steeple.

Gibson added a second PR in the meet two days later, running 4:25.46 in the 1500 as the year’s second-fastest in the NAIA behind only teammate Rachel Mortimer’s 4:22.10.

This is the second time that a female athlete from British Columbia has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Gibson joins Mortimer (2023) in that regard.

NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – JaQuavious Harris, Salt Lake (Utah) CC

Sophomore | Distances
Cheraw, South Carolina

JaQuavious Harris kept his NJCAA 5000-meter record breaking going at the Bryan Clay Invitational.

His latest effort of 13:42.06 in the 5000 shattered the previous NJCAA outdoor best of 13:53.10, set by – who else – Harris two weeks earlier at the Stanford Invitational. Harris holds the indoor standard as well at 13:40.87 that stands as the best combining indoor and outdoor.

Harris is also No. 2 all-time NJCAA in the 1500 meters, having run 3:42.47 three weeks ago.

This is the first time that a male or female athlete from Salt Lake CC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Harris has previously earned this honor for indoor track & field.

NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Cedricka Williams, Barton (Kan.) CC

Freshman | Throws
Ocho Rios, Jamaica

When Cedricka Williams earned M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week honors two weeks ago, it was mentioned that the NJCAA record is 56.51m (185-5).

That record is now history, as Williams added more than a meter with her winning throw of 57.57m (188-10) at Wichita State’s KT Woodman Classic. Cougar teammate Ivanilda Semedo was runner-up at 53.98m (177-1) to rate No. 5 all-time.

While Williams improved her collegiate best from 55.39m (181-9), she is just shy of a PR – she set the Jamaican U20 record of 57.84m (189-9) in winning last year’s ISSA High School Championships.

This is the ninth time that a female athlete from Barton has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Williams joins herself from earlier this year along with Kelsie Murrell-Ross (2022), Nia Robinson (once each in 2022 and 2021), Lashanna Graham (2021), Yoveinny Mota (twice in 2019) and Lydia Mato (2015) in that regard.

NJCAA DIVISION III MEN – Brooks Robson, Hudson Valley (N.Y.) CC

Sophomore | Jumps
Bennington, Vermont

It had been three weeks since Brooks Robson had competed, so he was ready for RPI’s Friday Night Under The Lights.

He responded with the farthest outdoor jumps of the year among NJCAA Division III athletes – and the farthest efforts of his career.

Robson was second to the hosts’ Owen Haas in the long jump with a wind-aided 6.97m (22-10½), then came back to win the triple jump with a PR 14.11m (46-3½) as any of his six attempts would have given him victory.

This is the third time that a male athlete from Hudson Valley has been name M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Robson joins himself and Charles Benichoux last year in that regard.

NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Ellie Logsdon, College of DuPage (Ill.)

Freshman | Sprints/Hurdles
Genoa, Illinois

One can find Ellie Logsdon’s name in all three sprints on the 2024 NJCAA Division III lists, leading the 100 and 400 meters.

Now you can add the 400-meter hurdles to her resume. In her debut in the event, she finished third as the leading JUCO athlete at the Wheaton (Ill.) Invitational in 1:06.11 – a time that compares favorably to last year’s DIII winning time of 1:06.08.

In the same meet she ran a list-leading 12.22 for fifth in the 100 and led off the Chaps’ fourth-place 4×100 relay team that tops DIII lists at 49.65.

This is the sixth time that a female athlete from DuPage has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Logsdon joins Mia Tolbert (twice in 2021), Shaylinn Aver (2021), Emily Fetzer (2021) and Olivia Kalata (2021) in that regard.