USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA March 3, 2025   

M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (March 3, 2025)

NEW ORLEANS — Hold up. Wait a minute.

Y’all thought they were finished!?

Here are our M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for March 3, 2025!

  • co-NCAA Division I Men – Johnny Brackins Jr., Southern California
  • co-NCAA Division I Men – Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Ole Miss
  • co-NCAA Division I Women – Aaliyah Butler, Georgia
  • co-NCAA Division I Women – Amanda Moll, Washington
  • NCAA Division II Men – Talel Khalifi, Tiffin
  • NCAA Division II Women – Joy Udo-Gabriel, Missouri Southern
  • NCAA Division III Men – Sam Blaskowski, UW-La Crosse
  • NCAA Division III Women – Alyssa Busker, Elmhurst

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.

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

Senior | Hurdles/Jumps
Kansas City, Missouri

Johnny Brackins Jr. starred at the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Brackins put on a masterclass in both the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump, events in which he won conference titles by a large margin. First came the long jump, where he spanned SB 7.99m (26-2¾) on his third attempt to beat Emmanuel Njoku of Purdue by more than ten inches (Brackins didn’t take his last two attempts after a foul on the fourth). Then, Brackins traversed 60 meters and cleared five hurdles in 7.49 to post a 0.16-second victory in that event the following day.

That kind of performance brings to memory what 2019 The Bowerman winner Grant Holloway did at the SEC Indoor Championships six years ago. Holloway won the 60H and long jump in 7.44 and 7.84m (25-8¾), respectively. (You can’t forget about him winning the 60 meters in 6.54, either.)

This is the second week in a row that Brackins has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Brackins shared national weekly honors with the Virginia DMR on February 24.

co-NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Ole Miss

Junior | Throws
Woonsocket, Rhode Island

There are few throwers like Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan in collegiate history.

Robinson-O’Hagan added to his growing resume this past weekend at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas. The Ole Miss standout swept the shot put and weight throw with exemplary marks for the second year in a row: 20.81m (68-3¼) in the former; PR 24.35m (79-10¾) in the latter that made him the 13th best performer in collegiate history.

If you combine Robinson-O’Hagan’s PRs of 21.11m (69-3¼) and 24.35m (79-10¾), which came in back-to-back meets, they total 45.46m (149-1¾). Only former North Dakota State standout Payton Otterdahl amassed a bigger distance in collegiate history at 45.92m (150-8).

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

co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Aaliyah Butler, Georgia

Junior | Sprints
Miami, Florida

Aaliyah Butler made history two laps at a time this past weekend at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas.

Butler started things off by winning the 400-meter final in 49.78 for a meet record and the second fastest time in collegiate history. If Butler ran even 0.13 seconds slower, she would have finished second since Isabella Whittaker of Arkansas was right behind her in 49.90 for the third fastest performance in collegiate history. Talk about a race for the ages.

The Georgia standout returned to the track later in the meet for the climactic 4×400 relay. Butler anchored the Bulldogs in 49.87 to help them set a school record and become the sixth-fastest program in collegiate history.

This is the first time since 2020 and sixth time overall that a female athlete from Georgia has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Butler joins 2020 honoree Jasmine Moore, two-time honoree and 2018 The Bowerman winner Keturah Orji, 2018 honoree Lynna Irby and 2015 honoree Kendell Williams in that regard.

co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Amanda Moll, Washington

Sophomore | Pole Vault
Olympia, Washington

Imagine vaulting 4.81m (15-9¼) and not winning a conference title.

Good thing Amanda Moll didn’t have to find that out this past weekend at the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her twin sister Hana Moll did, though.

Amanda Moll and Hana Moll went bar for bar in the Hoosier State, both clearing 4.76m (15-7¼) and 4.81m (15-9¼) on their first attempts. They asked the bar to be raised to 4.91m (16-1¼), a mark that would equal the eighth best performer in world history, combining indoors or outdoors. Amanda Moll topped that on her first attempt, while Hana Moll wasn’t able to on all three of her tries.

If Amanda Moll didn’t soar over 4.91m (16-1¼), the conference title would have gone to Hana Moll on the countback. Hana Moll had fewer misses at previous heights than Amanda Moll.

This is the second time this season that Amanda Moll has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Amanda Moll previously earned national weekly honors on February 17.    

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Talel Khalifi, Tiffin

Senior | Distance
Mansoura, Kairouan, Tunisia

Talel Khalifi put it all on the line. 

The senior out of Mansoura, Kairouan, Tunisia, put his body on the line this past weekend at the G-MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Khalifi scored 30 points across three events to carry Tiffin to its second conference title in a row. Khalifi secured wins in the mile (4:06.23), 3000 meters (8:18.11), and 5000 meters (14:40.16).

Each of those ten-point outputs were critical for the Dragons this past weekend, as they won by exactly ten points.

This marks the sixth time a male athlete from Tiffin has been named M-F National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Khalifi joins Lamar Hargrove, Coy Blair, James Ngandu, Jonte Baker, and Nikolas Curtiss in that regard.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Joy Udo-Gabriel, Missouri Southern

Sophomore | Sprints
Abia, Nigeria

Blink and you might miss her!

Joy Udo-Gabriel was gone as soon as the gun went off at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Nigerian sprinter blew through the line in 7.13 seconds, surpassing Alexis Brown of Lenoir Rhyne on the all-time leaderboard to set a new NCAA DII 60-meter record. For those paying attention, that mark currently ranks as the fifth fastest time during the 2025 season, regardless of division. 

A sophomore at Missouri Southern, Udo-Gabriel’s success dates back to 2018 where she made appearances at the Commonwealth Games and African Championships, walking away with a pair of medals on her country’s 4×100 relay. In 2022, Nigeria fell one spot short of a position on the World Championship 4×100 relay podium, finishing fourth. 

This marks the second time a female athlete from Missouri Southern has been named M-F National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Udo-Gabriel joins Emily Presley who was honored on January 16, 2018.

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

Senior | Sprints
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Sam Blaskowski lowered his own NCAA DIII record in the 60 meters to 6.60 in the prelims at the 2025 WIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Then, Blaskowski won the fastest 60-meter race in NCAA DIII history in the final. Blaskowski scorched the straightaway 6.62, which tied his former division best, to beat Davian Willems of UW-Oshkosh, who ran 6.63 to become the second fastest performer with the fourth fastest time.

The UW-La Crosse’s name is synonymous with 60-meter history. He now owns eight of the top-10 marks in NCAA DIII annals, including each of the top-three from 2025 alone.

This is the second time this season – and ninth time overall – that Blaskowski has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Blaskowski previously earned national weekly honors on February 10, 2025, as well as twice in 2024, four times in 2023 and once more in 2022.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Alyssa Busker, Elmhurst

Grad Student | Sprints
Plainfield, Illinois

Want to know what’s sweeter than running three all-time top-10 marks?

Leading your team to its first conference indoor title in program history.

Alyssa Busker did it all at the CCIW Indoor Track & Field Championships this past weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Busker won the 55 meters, 200 meters and anchored the Blue Jays to victory in the 4×400 relay to amass 22.5 of the team’s winning total of 160 points.

What about those marks? Busker went 7.01 in the prelims in the 55 meters for what was the seventh fastest time in NCAA DIII history and then lowered her PR to 6.99 in the final. Then in the 200 meters, Busker clocked 24.31 to move up to No. 8 on the NCAA DIII all-time chart.

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