USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA February 17, 2025   

M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (Feb. 17, 2025)

NEW ORLEANS — Records and all-time marks.

Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for February 17, 2025.

  • NCAA Division I Men – Washington DMR
  • co-NCAA Division I Women – Silan Ayyildiz, Oregon
  • co-NCAA Division I Women – Amanda Moll, Washington
  • NCAA Division II Men – Romain Legendre, Adams State
  • NCAA Division II Women – Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan
  • NCAA Division III Men – Chasen Hunt, Lynchburg
  • NCAA Division III Women – UChicago DMR
  • NAIA Men – Bryn Woodall, Milligan (Tenn.)
  • NAIA Women – Sydney Duncan, IU Kokomo (Ind.)
  • NJCAA Men – Tafadzwa Chikomba, Meridian (Miss.) CC
  • NJCAA Women – Keliza Smith, Barton (Kan.) CC

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

NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Washington DMR

No one in history ran faster in the distance medley relay than Washington this past weekend.

By “history,” we mean history, like world history.

Washington’s quartet of Ronan McMahon-Staggs, Bodi Ligons, Kyle Reinheimer, and Nathan Green got the baton around in 9:14.10. That time bettered the absolute world record of 9:14.58 previously set last year by the Brooks Beasts professional track club in an outdoor meet at Hayward Field.

Needless to say, it’s also the fastest in collegiate history, obliterating Oklahoma State’s former all-time standard of 9:16.40 clocked two years ago at the Arkansas Qualifier.

This is the third time in program history that male athletes from Washington have been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. It is the second time for the Huskies’ DMR. The outstanding honoree was Anthony Smith back on December 13, 2022.

co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Silan Ayyildiz, Oregon

Junior | Mid-Distance
Istanbul, Turkey

An Oregon Duck finally broke Katelyn Tuhoy’s collegiate record in the mile.

That athlete was Silan Ayyildiz (not Wilma Nielsen) and it happened in Boston (not New York).

Ayyildiz traversed the distance in 4:23.46 to lop off 0.80 seconds from the former all-time standard that Tuohy set two years ago at the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge. The Oregon standout was one of four collegians who went sub-4:25.10 this past weekend at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston: Grace Hartman of NC State (No. 3, 4:24.76), Melissa Riggins of Georgetown (No. 5, 4:24.98), and Margot Appleton of Virginia (No. 6, 4:25.03).

This is the third time this season that an athlete from Oregon has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Ayyildiz joins two-time honoree Wilma Nielsen in that regard.

co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Amanda Moll, Washington

Sophomore | Pole Vault
Olympia, Washington

Amanda Moll went all the way up.

The Washington standout demolished Demi Payne’s 10-year-old collegiate record in the pole vault this past weekend at the Don Kirby Collegiate Elite in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Competing in the same venue in which Payne set the previous CR of 4.75m (15-7), Moll added five inches to that mark when she topped a staggering 4.88m (16-0) on her second attempt to become just the fifth American woman ever to clear 16 feet, either indoors or outdoors (American record-holder Jenn Suhr, Sandi Morris, Katie Nageotte and Payne are the others).

Moll ultimately raised the CR three different times in her field series: the first two were first-attempt clearances of 4.76m (15-7¼) and 4.81m (15-9¼). Then, Moll passed on 4.86m (15-11¼) to try to etch her name into history. Moll did just that and reached rarefied air.

This is the third time in program history that female athletes from Washington has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Moll joins two different distance medley relay teams that were honored on February 20, 2024, and February 7, 2023, in that regard.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Romain Legendre, Adams State

Senior | Distance
Carpentras, France

Divisions be damned, he’s done it again!

In his first go at the 3000 meters this season, Romain Legendre set a new NCAA DII record and the sixth fastest time in collegiate history, winning the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in 7:36.28. Legendre proved that one record wasn’t good enough after setting an NCAA DII all-time best in the 5000 meters earlier this month.

Coincidentally, Legendre would have been the outright collegiate record holder if he had run the same time a year prior. All five marks that sit above his were notched this year, starting with Ethan Strand of North Carolina on top at 7:30.15. 

This marks the second time this season that Legendre has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Legendre previously earned national weekly honors on February 3.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan

Graduate Student | Pole Vault
The Woodlands, Texas

Here’s a bonkers fact: the third best mark in NCAA DII history matches this Redhawk’s third best mark… 

In case you hadn’t guessed it, we’re talking about Brynn King. 

The graduate student is back at the top of the pole vault class, as she soared to 4.60m (15-1), claiming a win at the YSU Last Chance Invitational. Within the same series, King cleared 4.53m (14-10¼), a top-10 height in its own right.

King, who holds the current NCAA DII record in the event, will look to defend her NCAA title come March.

This marks the second time that King has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. King previously earned national weekly honors on December 16, 2024.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Chasen Hunt, Lynchburg

Senior | Distance
Forest, Virginia

Chasen Hunt? More like Chasen Records.

The senior from Forest, Virginia, became just the third athlete in NCAA DIII history to go sub-eight minutes in the 3000 meters on a record-legal track when he ran 7:56.92 this past weekend at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston. Hunt only trails former NCAA DIII legends Alex Phillip (7:53.24) and Aidan Ryan (7:54.48) on the all-time chart.

The Lynchburg standout was part of a historic section in Boston that saw both he and Emmanuel Leblond of Johns Hopkins dip under the barrier. Leblond finished right behind Hunt in 7:57.85 to move up to No. 4 in NCAA DIII history.

This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Lynchburg has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – UChicago DMR

The chase is over.

NCAA DIII women’s distance medley relay squads hunted UW-Oshkosh’s all-time best of 11:32.24 for the past 12 years. The Titans, anchored by the legendary Christy Cazzola, established that mark in winning the event at the 2013 NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Well, now UChicago is on top of the chart, at least on an all-conditions basis. The Maroon quartet of Nora Holmes, Ren Brown, Emma Kelly, and Claudia Harnett went 11:31.24 at the GVSU Big Meet II to tick exactly one second off UW-Oshkosh’s standard. It’s important to note that the Titans still hold the record-legal best since theirs was on a 200-meter track, compared to UChicago’s effort on the 300-meter oval, but the Maroons performance is time-superior.

This is the fourth time in program history that female athletes from UChicago have been named M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week. Two-time 2022 honoree Isabel Maletich and 2020 honoree Laura Darcey took home past national weekly laurels.

NAIA MEN – Bryn Woodall, Milligan (Tenn.)

Senior | Mid-Distances
Llanfairfechan, Wales

Milligan was in record-breaking form at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships on Monday and Tuesday at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

So was Bryn Woodall.

As the Buffaloes were racking up meet records for total points (260) and winning margin (155 points), Woodall broke three individual meet records and anchored the distance medley relay squad to victory for 32.5 points of his own.

Woodall went all-out in his first event, taking down the NAIA record in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:23.74 to win by 6.13 seconds and shave 0.13 seconds off the NAIA best set last year by Luca Santorum of Cumberlands (Ky.).

About two hours later, Woodall received the baton with a comfortable lead of more than 12 seconds in the DMR. Woodall more than doubled that margin with his 4:16.94 split as Milligan clocked 10:23.55.

The next day he added meet records of 8:16.43 and 4:14.90 in the 3000 and mile with winning margins of 11.50 and 4.75 seconds, respectively. His triple of sweeping the 1000, mile and 3000 was last achieved in the AAC Championships in 2023 – by Woodall himself (this year he added a leg on the DMR).

This is the second time that a male athlete from Milligan has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Woodall was also honored in 2023.

NAIA WOMEN – Sydney Duncan, IU Kokomo (Ind.)

Sophomore | Throws
Anderson, Indiana

It was record-breaking time again for Sydney Duncan, this time winning two events with ease at the River States Conference Championships in Marietta, Ohio.

After a foul in the first round of the shot put on Friday, Duncan settled down for a 16.01m (52-6¼) put in Round 2 – that obliterated her own meet record of 14.00m (45-11¼) from winning last year.

She wasn’t near finished as she improved all the way to 16.75m (54-11½) in Round 4 that broke her own NAIA record of 16.47m (54-0½) set a week earlier. After winning by 4.73m (15-6¼), she now has improved the NAIA best four times this winter.

Duncan wasn’t done. On Saturday she heaved the 20-pound weight to a PR 17.08m (56-0½) in shattering the meet record by 1.44m (4-8¼) and winning by 2.25m (7-4).

This is the second time that a female athlete from IU Kokomo has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season as Duncan was also honored earlier this season.

NJCAA MEN – Tafadzwa Chikomba, Meridian (Miss.) CC

Sophomore | Jumps/Sprints
Chiredzi, Zimbabwe

Nothing Tafadzwa Chikomba had done this winter gave any indication of the impressive long jumping he displayed on Friday at the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee.

Chikomba had been long jumping well with a pair of victories in the past month and a best of 7.62m (25-0) that had him No. 2 on the seasonal NJCAA list.

But Round 1 in Vanderbilt’s indoor facility saw him soar out to 8.05m (26-1) – the longest by an NJCAA athlete since 1995 and good for No. 3 on the all-time list. It’s also No. 3 on the yearly collegiate list combining athletes from all divisions.

Chikomba showed it wasn’t a fluke as he added leaps of 8.01m (26-3½) and 7.95m (26-1) in Rounds 4 and 5 (he fouled in Round 2 and passed in Rounds 3 and 6). The next day, Chikomba clocked a PR 6.78 in the 60-meter prelims but didn’t run in the semifinals.

This is the second time that a male athlete from Meridian has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Chikomba joins Kendrick Smith (2016) in that regard.

NJCAA WOMEN – Keliza Smith, Barton (Kan.) CC

Sophomore | Sprints
Georgetown, Guyana

Keliza Smith twice had performances Saturday at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, that enhanced her stature on the NJCAA sprint scene.

First came the 200 meters, in which Smith won her section in a PR 23.54 that moved her to No. 2 on the seasonal list and No. 5 on the all-time chart. She finished tenth overall behind athletes from four-year programs.

Some 2½ hours later Smith took the baton for the anchor leg of Barton’s 4×400 relay and delivered the section’s fastest split (53.72) as the Cougars registered the fastest qualifying time of the year for NJCAA teams (3:44.42).

Smith also rates No. 2 on the seasonal NJCAA 60-meter list at 7.33 from last month that has her in a tie for No. 8 on the all-time NJCAA compilation.

This is the fifth time that a female athlete from Barton has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Smith joins Sanae Hassnaoui (twice in 2024), T’Nia Riley (2019) and Ayesha Champagnie (2016) in that regard.