USTFCCCA Awards
Courtesy: USTFCCCA Communications February 24, 2025   

M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (Feb. 24, 2025)

NEW ORLEANS — They’re at it again!

Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for February 24, 2025.

  • co-NCAA Division I Men – Virginia DMR
  • co-NCAA Division I Men – Johnny Brackins Jr., Southern California
  • NCAA Division I Women – Oregon DMR
  • NCAA Division II Men – Mason Strader, Pittsburg State
  • NCAA Division II Women – Texas A&M-Kingsville 4×400 relay
  • NCAA Division III Men – Alexander Rhodes, Puget Sound
  • NCAA Division III Women – Lauren Jarrett, UW-La Crosse
  • NJCAA Men – Trevon Hamer, Barton (Kan.) CC
  • NJCAA Women – Keliza Smith, Barton (Kan.) CC

Find out more about each of these athletes by scrolling below.

co-NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Virginia DMR

9:14 is the new 9:16 in the distance medley relay.

One week after Washington clocked the fastest DMR in world history of 9:14.10, Virginia’s quartet of Wes Porter, Alex Sherman, Conor Murphy, and Gary Martin barely missed that best by 0.09 seconds with their 9:14.19 this past weekend at the Arkansas Qualifier. The Cavaliers shattered Oklahoma State’s record-legal CR of 9:16.40 in the process (Washington still has the all-conditions collegiate best, but Virginia owns the recognized CR with its mark on a 200-meter track, compared to the 300+ meter oval on which the Huskies ran).

Porter split 2:50.51 for 1200 meters before Sherman and Murphy split 46.27 and 1:47.33 for 400 meters and 800 meters, respectively. Then Martin, the second fastest miler in collegiate history, brought the Cavaliers home in 3:50.09, more than two seconds clear of the rest of the field.

This is the second time this season that male athletes from Virginia have been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. This DMR joins Martin, who was honored on February 10, in that regard. It also marks the second week in a row that a DMR has been lauded.

co-NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Johnny Brackins Jr., Southern California

Senior | Hurdles/Jumps
Kansas City, Missouri

Johnny Brackins Jr. has a habit of PRing on the biggest stages.

Brackins hurdled his way into collegiate history this past weekend at the USATF Indoor Championships in Staten Island, New York. The Southern California standout went PR 7.44 in the prelims and then shaved off 0.01 seconds to finish third in the final at PR 7.43 behind 2019 The Bowerman winner Grant Holloway and Cameron Murray. Brackins became the fourth best performer in collegiate history with the fifth best performance with the latter mark.

Right around this time last year, Brackins soared PR 8.23m (27-0) in the long jump at the 2024 USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to win the national title.

This marks the second year in a row that Brackins has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Brackins was previously honored on February 20, 2024, following his winning outing at the USATF Indoor Championships.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Oregon DMR

What happens when you have the fastest miler in collegiate history on the anchor of a distance medley relay that is stacked with other lightning quick athletes? A high chance of a record – and that’s exactly what Oregon turned in this past weekend at the Terrier DMR Challenge.

The Ducks flew to the record-legal CR of 10:42.05 in Boston, Massachusetts. That took off more than a full second from the previous CR of 10:43.39 set by Washington on the same track.

Julia Nielsen, sister of Wilma Nielsen, led off in 3:18.06 before handing off the baton to Moriah Oliviera, who split 400 meters in 52.46. Olivieria gave the stick to Mia Barnett, who traversed 800 meters in 2:05.07 before Silan Ayyildiz brought them home in 4:26.06.

This is the fourth time this season that female athletes from Oregon have been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. This quartet joins Ayyildiz and two-time honoree Wilma Nielsen in that regard. It’s also the third year in a row that a DMR squad has been lauded.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Mason Strader, Pittsburg State

Grad Student | Mid-Distances
Holton, Kansas

It had been three years since Mason Strader last ran a sub-4 mile.

So Strader went back to the site and meet of that race – Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the Arkansas Qualifier.

Strader was just off his PR pace after 409 meters, clocking 60.25 vs. 60.04 in 2022. Two laps later he moved ahead at 1:59.40 (compared to 2:00.10 in 2022). With two laps to go he had improved even more on his PR pace 2:58.18 (compared to 3:00.00 in 2022).

He closed in 59.99 to cross the finish in 3:58.16. That’s the fastest raw mile time in the NCAA DII this year and strengthened his hold at No. 5 all-time.

This is the second time in his career that Strader has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Strader previously was honored in 2022, coincidentally following his previous sub-4 mile.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Texas A&M-Kingsville 4×400

Pride and a program best were on the line for Texas A&M-Kingsville in the final section of the final event of the Lone Star Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Javelinas were tied with Angelo State for second place in the team standings with 94.5 points but had no intention of keeping it close as TAMU-Kingsville’s deep stable of 400-meter runners went to work on their 21-year-old program record of 3:49.34.

The first two legs were run by Vitiana Robert, a senior from Tarbes, France, and Sakara Wade, a freshman from Portland, Texas. Wade had missed making the 400 final by just 0.01 seconds and Robert was 0.23 seconds away.

Carrying the baton on the third leg was Oneika Brissett, a freshman from Montego Bay, Jamaica, after finishing seventh in the 400 earlier in the day, while anchor duties were given to Cynai Christopher, a senior from Missouri City, Texas.

Christopher, who was fourth in 400 earlier, brought the Javelinas across the line first in 3:39.62, winning by nearly a second to smash their school record by over nine seconds in cementing their best team finish in program history. TAMU-Kingsville now has the fastest 4×400 time registered this year by an NCAA DII program and No. 5 all-time.

This is the first time that female athletes from Texas A&M-Kingsville have been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Alexander Rhodes, Puget Sound

Sophomore | Sprints
Portland, Oregon

Andrew Rock’s NCAA DIII 400-meter record of 46.42 has stood since 2004.

Chances are it won’t top the list much longer with Alexander Rhodes on the prowl.

Rhodes lit up the track at the USATF Indoor Championships this past weekend in Staten Island, New York, running PR 46.44 to come within 0.02 seconds of Rock’s near 21-year-old record. The Puget Sound standout has gone sub-46.75 four times this season and owns two of the top-five fastest marks in NCAA DIII history on a record-legal track at No. 2 and No. 3.

This marks the third time this season that Rhodes has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Rhodes previously earned national weekly honors on December 16, 2024, and January 21, 2025, following other standout 400-meter efforts.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Lauren Jarrett, UW-La Crosse

Junior | Sprints
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Lauren Jarrett didn’t back down this past weekend.

Jarrett finished sixth in the final of the 60 meters at the USATF Indoor Championships in PR 7.29 and lowered her own NCAA DIII record in the process. The UW-La Crosse standout has been on a heater this season, bettering the NCAA DIII 60-meter record three times: first to 7.37 at the Pat Healy Classic in late January; then to 7.34 two weeks ago at the Mark Guthrie Legacy Classic; and now to 7.29 – 0.11 seconds faster than what the record was as of January 24.

This is the second time this season that Jarrett has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Jarrett previously earned national weekly honors on January 27 and February 10.

NJCAA MEN – Trevon Hamer, Barton (Kan.) CC

Sophomore | Jumps
Georgetown, Guyana

Trevon Hamer had himself quite the meet at the Region 6/KJCCC Indoor Championships at Pittsburg, Kansas.

That included the three farthest long jumps and triple jumps of his career.

First came the long jump on Saturday. Two efforts of 7.59m (24-11) plus one at 7.58m (24-10½) were all beyond his PR entering the meet of 7.53m (24-8½), but all fell short of the winning mark of 7.62m (25-0) as Hamer finished runner-up.

But then came Sunday’s triple jump. Hamer exceeded his PR of 15.98m (52-5¼) three times with a best of 16.25m (53-3¾) to win by 1.34m (4-4¾) as he moved him to No. 10 on the all-time NJCAA list. He also had efforts of 16.18m (53-1) and 16.03m (52-7¼).

This is the sixth time that a male athlete from Barton has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Hamer joins Tyrese Reid (2021), Dakari Carter (2021), Davonte Burnett (2020), Tavarius Wright (2019) and Terence Ware (2018) in that regard.

WOMEN – Keliza Smith, Barton (Kan.) CC

Sophomore | Sprints
Georgetown, Guyana

Keliza Smith continues to sizzle, improving in one event and adding another at the Region 6/KJCCC Indoor Championships at Pittsburg, Kansas.

Smith even withstood a challenge as she came out of the 60-meter prelims as second fastest at 7.34, which was just off her 7.33 best but behind the 7.30 by Maimuna Jallow of Cloud County (Kan.) CC. Smith improved to 7.31 in Sunday’s final for the win and moving to No. =4 all-time among NJCAA athletes.

She bypassed her regular 200 for the 400 in her first attempt at that event in over a year. The result was a 53.77 on Pittsburg State’s 300-meter oval, making her No. 5 in history on an all-conditions basis.

This is the second week in a row that Smith has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.