USTFCCCA Awards
NCAA & NJCAA ITF National Athletes of the Week (February 14)
Courtesy: Curtis Akey & Tyler Mayforth, USTFCCCA February 14, 2017   

NCAA & NJCAA ITF National Athletes of the Week (February 14)

NEW ORLEANS — There must be something in the water.

You can’t explain what’s happened during the 2017 collegiate track & field season another way.

Records keep falling and all-time best lists are being rewritten.

Here are eight athletes who left their mark this past weekend and were named National Athletes of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday.

Find out more about these athletes by clicking their names or 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 8 collegiate outdoor track & field athletes (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions 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.

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 — Fred Kerley, Texas A&M

Senior | Sprints
Taylor, Texas

Fred Kerley is here to run fast and chew bubble gum.

Turns out, he’s all out of bubble gum.

This past weekend at the Tiger Paw Invitational hosted by Clemson, Kerley ran his first open 400 of the season and blistered the track. Kerley broke the tape in 45.02, which is the 4th fastest mark in collegiate history and the 7th fastest mark on the all-time world indoor list (5th best performer).

“Coming back from an injury when I was a sophomore makes every day a blessing,” Kerley told Texas A&M’s website. “I feel blessed to be at Texas A&M training under Coach (Pat) Henry and Coach (Alleyne) Francique. They push me to be great every day.”

If Kerley dips into the 44-second range before the end of the season, he’d be just the 4th collegian in history to do so indoors. The collegiate record is 44.57, set by Florida’s Kerron Clement in 2005.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN — Jazmine Fray, Texas A&M

Sophomore | Mid-Distance
Long Island, New York

Before this past weekend, Jazmine Fray’s best time in the 800 was 2:04.18.

That came last year at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Fray decided to skip 2:03, 2:02 and 2:01 entirely when she crossed the finish line in a collegiate-record time of 2:00.69 at the Tiger Paw Invitational this past weekend. That broke the previous standard of 2:00.95 set by Tennessee’s Nicole Cook in 2005.

“I just think it is crazy,” Fray told Texas A&M’s website. “That’s not what I was striving for. I wanted to run fast. I wanted to run 2:02 or 2:01. I didn’t even know what the collegiate record was going into the race. When I ran 2:00, I didn’t know I had broken the collegiate record.”

After a first 400 of 58.96, Fray had to know something was up. When she closed in 61.73, all that was left was to take the eraser to the record book and put her name where Cook’s used to be.

Fray later helped Texas A&M’s 4×400 relay team take over the national lead with a time of 3:29.74. She ran third.

It was a tough call between Fray and Oregon sprinter Hannah Cunliffe, who broke the 60-meter collegiate record this past weekend at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational. Cunliffe is also the national leader over 200 meters with her time of 22.60.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN — Coy Blair, Tiffin

Senior | Throws
Logan, Ohio

Coy Blair played an integral role in helping Tiffin capture the 2016 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championship, the first national title in any sport for the Dragons.

While the Dragons are set to defend their title as a team, Blair has the opportunity to accomplish much more this year.

After this past weekend, it’s very possible that Blair will be the frontrunner to capture the Division II shot put individual national championship. The native of Logan, Ohio, notched a NCAA Division II automatic qualifying mark in the shot put this past weekend at the Tiffin Dragon Invite, posting a mark of 19.16m (62-10 ½) for the top throw in all of Division II on the season.

In addition to his mark in the shot put, Blair also captured the event title in the weight throw at the Dragons’ home meet, posting a toss of 20.19m (66-3).

One year after finishing 12th at the 2016 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships in the shot put, Blair may finally claim that elusive individual title.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN — McKenzie Warren, Concordia (Ore.)

Senior | Throws
Boring, Oregon

It’s no fluke that you’re seeing McKenzie Warren’s name here for the third time this season.

The native of Boring, Oregon, had anything but a boring weekend at the Husky Classic, where she was pitted against some of the top throwers in all of Division I. There, Warren destroyed the competition in the shot put, notching a mark of 17.62m (57-9¾) for the event title. The senior’s mark shattered a 14-year old NCAA Division II record, previously held by Ashland University’s Adriane Blewitt.

Warren proved she could compete against the best, outdistancing her nearest competitor at the Husky Classic by nearly five feet.

Her mark stands up to some of top throwers in the country, too. Warren’s mark is ranked 4th collegiately on the year, behind Ole Miss’ Raven Saunders, Arizona State’s Maggie Ewen and Arkansas State’s Erin Farmer. Warren is the only non-Division I athlete in the top-10 collegiate shot put marks this season.

With three more weekends until the 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, odds are that you’ll see McKenzie Warren’s name here again.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN — Ian LaMere, UW-Platteville

Senior | Distance
Green Bay, Wisconsin

Only one man in NCAA Division III history had gone sub-14 minutes in an indoor 5000 prior to this past weekend. Move over, Dan Mayer: You have company.

Ian LaMere took aim at Mayer’s record of 13:53.17 at the Iowa State Classic. LaMere was entered in the 2nd section of a loaded field that included numerous NCAA DI runners.

The NCAA DIII runner more than held his own, taking 2nd in the heat behind eventual winner Jonathan Harper of BYU. LaMere finished in 13:54.88, a hair shy of the record.

LaMere beat several NCAA DI runners that were XC All-Americans, namely Nicolas Montanez of BYU (9th in the fall) and Joel Reichow of South Dakota State (20th).

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN — Katherine Pitman, Ithaca

Senior | Pole Vault
Swampscott, Massachusetts

How high can the bar go?

That’s a question Katherine Pitman’s trying to figure out.

Pitman just keeps raising it.

For the second consecutive week, Pitman established a new all-time indoor best in NCAA Division III when it comes to the pole vault. This week she cleared 4.25m (13-11¼) to win the Empire 8 Conference title.

Pitman’s mark also ties the 2nd best mark in NCAA DIII history, regardless of where it was done (indoors or outdoors). If Pitman clears 4.27m (14-0) or higher before the indoor season is over, that would tie or establish a new all-time NCAA DIII record.

NJCAA — Laquan Nairn, South Plains

Sophomore | Jumps
Bahamas

Laquan Nairn literally jumped his way into first place in the NJCAA this past weekend.

The native of the Bahamas was entered in the highly competitive invitational section of the long jump at the prestigious Tyson Invitational, and he did not disappoint. Nairn recorded a leap of 7.80m (25-7¼), good for first in all of NJCAA. More impressively is that he leapt the same distance as Florida teammates Grant Holloway and KeAndre Bates as well as Arkansas’ Andrew Trajkovski.

Nairn’s mark is 11 centimeters greater than his next competitor in NJCAA. If you take that mark and match it up against all levels of college, Nairn is tied for 9th in the nation.

NJCAA — Natasha McDonald, South Plains

Freshman | Sprints

Natasha McDonald came through in a big way for South Plains this past weekend.

On one of the biggest stages in the country this past weekend, McDonald ran a 55.30 in the 400 meters at the Tyson Invitational, taking over the fastest time in the NJCAA on the year. The rookie was one of just two junior college athletes competing in the event in Arkansas, and she recorded a time faster than many athletes from the SEC, Big XII, Big Ten and ACC.

McDonald also ran the first leg of the 4×400 relay at the Tyson Invitational, helping lead the Texans to the 2nd fastest time in all of NJCAA on the year. The quartet finished with a time of 3:43.23.