M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (April 2, 2024)
NEW ORLEANS — History doesn’t wait.
And nor do our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for April 2, 2024!
- NCAA Division I Men – Leo Neugebauer, Texas
- NCAA Division I Women – JaMeesia Ford, South Carolina
- NCAA Division II Men – Jordan Davis, Southern Connecticut State
- NCAA Division II Women – Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan
- NCAA Division III Men – Frank Csorba, Lynchburg
- NCAA Division III Women – Fiona Smith, Saint Benedict
- NAIA Men – Christian Rios, Marian (Ind.)
- NAIA Women – Hannah Antkoviak, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
- NJCAA DI Men – Tapiwanashe Makarawu, New Mexico JC
- NJCAA DI Women – Cedricka Williams, Barton (Kan.) CC
- NJCAA DIII Men – Omar Mohamed, Mohawk Valley (N.Y.) CC
- NJCAA DIII Women – Lilly Alberts, Harper (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 – Leo Neugebauer, Texas
Senior | Combined Events
Leinfeldene-Echterdingen, Germany
Leo Neugebauer is up to his old tricks.
By “old tricks,” we mean put up historic marks in the decathlon.
Neugebauer took center stage at the Texas Relays, less than one month removed from winning the heptathlon at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. The Texas standout amassed a meet-record 8708 points over two days, which was also the third-largest total in collegiate history and the best score in world history before the month of April.
Already the collegiate record-holder in the ten-eventer, Neugebauer got off to a hot start at Mike A. Myers Stadium on Wednesday. Neugebauer put up 4620 points – the third-largest Day 1 total in collegiate history – and in that, recorded a shot-put mark of 17.26m (56-7½) that is the farthest-known throw by a collegian within the confines of a decathlon.
Day 2 started with a 14.51 clocking the 110-meter hurdles, his second-fastest wind-legal time ever and progressed through four more events. Perhaps the highlight of those events was a PR throw of 58.99m (193-6) in the javelin.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – JaMeesia Ford, South Carolina
Freshman | Sprints
Fayetteville, North Carolina
22.37.
51.16.
49.38.
JaMeesia Ford is off to a scorching start this outdoor season.
One week after establishing the national lead in the 400 meters at 51.16, Ford returned to the track this past weekend at the Pepsi Florida Relays. Ford left with a national lead in the 200 meters of 22.37 (+0.9) and anchored the nation’s third-fastest 4×400 relay in 49.38. That 22.37 is the fastest wind-legal mark ever run in March in collegiate history.
This is the second week in a row that a female athlete from South Carolina has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Ford and Cynteria James are the first female teammates to earn different national weekly honors in back-to-back weeks in NCAA DI award history.
NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Jordan Davis, Southern Connecticut State
Senior | Throws
Wallingford, Connecticut
Jordan Davis set the javelin world on fire Saturday afternoon.
The senior out of Wallingford, Connecticut, heaved a throw of 83.77m (274-10) at the 96th Texas Clyde Littlefield Relays to capture the No. 1 spot in the NCAA DII record book, the No. 1 spot in the NCAA, and No. 1 spot in the U.S. And to think, just a few minutes earlier, Davis launched the implement 80.36m (263-7), which would have been an NCAA DII record in its own right.
With the remarkable showing, the Southern Connecticut State Owl becomes the fifth best performer in collegiate history. And it’s clear he’s leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else in his own division. Davis has nearly ten meters over Caleb Calvin from Pittsburg State who reached a respectable 74.06m (242-11) last weekend at the Fort Hays State Spring Invite.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Southern Connecticut State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the Outdoor Track and Field season.
NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan
Fifth Year | Pole Vault
The Woodlands, Texas
There’s a common phrase that says the sky’s the limit.
That very well might be describing Brynn King’s year so far.
King, who is receiving votes for The Bowerman as of March 20, surged over the 4.68m (15-4¼) bar to raise her own NCAA DII pole vault record at the 96th Texas Clyde Littlefield Relays. Given her recent display, those ballot totals from The Bowerman Watch List Committee are likely to increase, as the mark now puts her fourth on the all-time collegiate list.
In Austin, King went head-to-head with NCAA DI Indoor champion, Hana Moll of Washington. The two women had been vying for a position at the top of the charts since January, despite never competing against one another. That wish came to fruition on Saturday and it was King who emerged victorious.
This is the second time that King has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the Outdoor Track and Field season. King previously earned national weekly honors on March 26.
NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Frank Csorba, Lynchburg
Grad Student | Distance
Boydton, Virginia
Frank Csorba didn’t back down from a challenge.
Csorba, instead, seized the opportunity and clocked an all-time mark.
Competing in the 5000 meters at the Raleigh Relays, Csorba turned 12.5 laps in 13:56.44 to become the seventh-fastest performer in NCAA DIII history. Only record-holder Alex Phillip ran faster this early in the season (Phillip went 13:47.41 at the Stanford Invitational last year).
This is the first time in program history that a male athlete from Lynchburg has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Fiona Smith, Saint Benedict
Senior | Distance
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Wake up, sleepy heads: Fiona Smith is racing.
Long after many of us went to bed on Friday night, Smith cruised around the track 25 times at the Stanford Invitational in 32:57.28. That made Smith the second-fastest performer in NCAA DIII history in the 10,000 meters with the second-fastest mark. Smith only trails Kassie Parker on the all-time chart (Parker ran 32:36.22 at the same meet the previous year).
Sub-33 was nearly in the cards for Smith last year at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Smith finished 5.17 seconds shy of the mark at 33:05.17 after a legendary head-to-head battle with Parker, where both women were 45 seconds up on the nearest competitors.
This is the second year in a row that Smith has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Smith previously earned national weekly honors on May 2, 2023.
NAIA MEN – Christian Rios, Marian (Ind.)
Junior | Throws
Highland, Indiana
Christian Rios had a meet to remember at Marian (Ind.)’s Knight Open – three wins, all with seasonal bests and two notching NAIA-leading marks. His victories were all the more impressive as the Knights’ throwing crew included the early outdoor leader in one of the events and the reigning NAIA Indoor champ in another.
His day started with the hammer, where he exceeded his previous PR of 60.76m (199-4) on all six attempts, topped by a throw of 64.03m (210-1) that makes him No. 1 on the NAIA list this year. Next came the discus, where he overtook teammate Isaiah Tipping as the national leader with an effort of 52.63m (172-8). He finished off with a PR 16.81m (55-2) in the shot put to defeat teammate and reigning NAIA Indoor champ Jacob Netral that has him No. 3 on the NAIA outdoor list.
This is the first time that a male or female athlete from Marian has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.
NAIA WOMEN – Hannah Antkoviak, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
Junior | Hurdles
Allegan, Michigan
Hannah Antkoviak opened up her outdoor season in style at the Texas Relays.
Antkoviak, the reigning NAIA champion in the 400-meter hurdles, ran her fastest season-opening mark with a 57.28 clocking to win her preliminary heat. That’s her – and the NAIA’s – fourth-best ever as she owns the known NAIA all-time best with a 56.71 from winning the NAIA Outdoor Championships last May. She finished fourth in the final of the Texas Relays at 57.99, giving her the year’s two fastest among NAIA athletes.
This is the third time that a female athlete from Olivet Nazarene has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season, as Antkoviak earned the honor twice last year.
NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Tapiwanashe Makarawu, New Mexico JC
Sophomore | Sprints
Harare, Zimbabwe
Tapiwanashe Makarawu is known by his nickname of “Carlie.”
He is also known to be very fast, and his speed was on display twice at the Texas Relays. In Friday’s preliminary heats of the 100 meters, Makarawu rode a 5.8 meters-per-second wind to a time of 10.08w – the fastest all-conditions mark this year among NJCAA athletes.
Makarawu opted out of Saturday’s 100 final to concentrate on the 200, where he won his section in 20.03w (+2.8mps) that was just 0.002 short of earning the overall title. His 20.03w is the seventh-fastest all-conditions performance in NJCAA history, and second-fastest at low altitude.
This is the sixth time that a male athlete from New Mexico has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Makarawu, who also earned the honor once last year, joins Donald Chiyangwa (twice in 2023) and Andrei Romanov (twice in 2021) in that regard.
NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Cedricka Williams, Barton (Kan.) CC
Freshman | Throws
Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Cedricka Williams made us wait for her first collegiate discus mark, but it was worth it.
After fouling out a week ago at the Cowley (Kan.) Mark A. Phillips Tiger Invitational, Williams had no such difficulty at the Emporia State Relays. She twice exceed 55 meters with a best of 55.39m (181-9) that moved her to No. 3 on the all-time NJCAA list. Cougar teammate Ivanilda Semedo was runner-up at 53.49m/175-6 to rate No. 6 all-time.
Williams has actually thrown even farther – she set the Jamaican U20 record of 57.84m (189-9) in winning last year’s ISSA High School Championships. The NJCAA all-time best is 56.51m (185-5).
This is the eighth time that a female athlete from Barton has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Williams joins 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 – Omar Mohamed, Mohawk Valley (N.Y.) CC
Sophomore | Distances
Utica, New York
Temperatures never got out the 40s at the St. Lawrence Saints Ice Breaker, so Omar Mohamed used a 1500-meter race as a warmup of sorts for the 5000.
After finishing sixth in the 1500 at 4:22.42, Mohamed ran with St. Lawrence’s top runners and clocked a PR 15:43.64 for second place. The time by Mohamed – last fall’s NJCAA Division III cross country champion – would have won any of the last three 5k races at the NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
This is the first time that a male athlete from Mohawk Valley has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Mohamed twice won the honor during cross country.
NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Lilly Alberts, Harper (Ill.)
Sophomore | Mid-Distances
Richmond, Illinois
Lilly Alberts is known for making things look easy, and her 800-meter race at North Central (Ill.)’s First Chance Invitational is the latest example.
Alberts – who won last fall’s NJCAA Division III cross country title by 48.2 seconds – led by 1.77 seconds at the halfway point in this 800 before cruising to victory by 10.74 seconds in 2:10.81, an outdoor PR. That time would have won each of the last three 800s at the NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
This is the fifth time that a female athlete from Harper has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Alberts earned the honor twice last year and joins Natalie Cook (twice in 2018) in that regard. It’s the 11th such award for Alberts across all sports, adding to seven in cross country and one in indoor track & field.