USTFCCCA Awards
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA February 15, 2022   

NCAA & NJCAA ITF National Athletes of the Week (Feb. 15)

NEW ORLEANS – What a weekend!

Here are the National Athletes of the Week in NCAA and NJCAA Indoor Track & Field for February 15!

Find out more about each of 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 eight collegiate track & field athletes, when applicable (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. 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 – Yared Nuguse, Notre Dame

Senior | Distance
Louisville, Kentucky

Yared Nuguse broke his first collegiate record without pacers.

Truth be told, Nuguse probably didn’t need them the second time around.

Nuguse, who broke Josh Kerr’s record in the 1500 meters last year in a solo effort at the ACC Outdoor Championships, turned his attention to Alistair Cragg’s indoor 3000m standard that had stood since 1994. The Notre Dame standout went out at record pace this past weekend at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational and held on the rest of the way. Nuguse stopped the clock at 7:38.13, lowering the all-time collegiate best from 7:38.59.

To say Nuguse is in select company would be putting it lightly: Nuguse is just the second athlete in collegiate history to hold both the outdoor 1500m and indoor 3000m collegiate records at the same time. The other is 2009 The Bowerman winner Jenny Barringer.

This is the second time in program history that a male athlete from Notre Dame has been named National Athlete of the Week since 2019. Back then, it was four of them: the Irish distance medley relay, which was anchored by Nuguse.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Abby Steiner, Kentucky

Senior | Sprints
Dublin, Ohio

Two-hundred meters? Three-hundred meters?

It doesn’t matter: Abby Steiner holds collegiate records in both.

Steiner, who broke Merlene Ottey’s 40-year-old all-time best in the 300m earlier this season, made quick work of the 200m at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational this past weekend. She broke the stagger by the 100-meter mark, cruised around the bend and crossed the finish line in 22.37, which took 0.01 seconds off the collegiate record she shared with Gabby Thomas at 22.38 (Both Steiner and Thomas notched those marks in NCAA title-winning performances).

Dating back to last year, Steiner has now clocked three of the top-5 marks in collegiate indoor history over 200 meters. Steiner sits No. 1, t-No. 2 (22.38) and No. 5 (22.41) on the chart.

Oh, that’s not all Steiner did. She also PR’d in the 60 at 7.12 and carried the baton second on the Wildcats’ collegiate-leading 4×400 relay.

This is the second time this season that Steiner has been named National Athlete of the Week. Steiner previously earned the honor following her record-breaking run in December.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Dillon Powell, Colo. School of Mines

Redshirt Sophomore | Distance
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Records are meant to be broken.

Some sooner than others.

Dillon Powell smashed the NCAA Division II record in the 5000 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational with his 13:33.68 performance in Boston on Saturday night. His effort topped the one year old record of 13:37.69 set by Christian Noble of Lee (Tenn.).

Powell wasn’t the only Oredigger to dip under the former record. Teammate Kyle Moran also scooted under the former record with his time of 13:35.58 to become the second-fastest performer in DII history. Powell and Moran finished second and third, respectively, in their section behind NCAA DI Joshua Methner of Notre Dame.

This is the first time Powell has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. He is also the third Oredigger to earn the honor, joining Connor McLean (2020) and Seun Ogunmodede (2015).

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Berenice Cleyet-Merle, UIndy

Senior | Mid-Distance
Saint-Sulpice-Des-Rivoires, France

Two weeks ago, Berenice Cleyet-Merle clocked the second-fastest 800 in NCAA Division II history.

Now she sits alone at the top of the list in the mile.

Cleyet-Merle shattered the NCAA Division II record in the event with her time of 4:31.99 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. She topped the previous record of 4:37.42 held by Alicja Konieczek of Western Colorado since 2017. She is ranked third among all collegians this year behind NCAA Division I Emily Mackay of Binghamton (4:30.94) and Stanford’s Julia Heymach (4:31.35), who were also in the same race at Boston.

Cleyet-Merle has etched her name all over the record books this season. Her first mile of the season was 4:40.84, good to become the eighth-best performer on the DII all-time list. She then followed up with her 2:03.89 in the 800 at the IU Relays before her historic run in Boston on Friday night.

This is the second time this season that Cleyet-Merle has been named National Athlete of the Week. She previously earned the honor on February 1, 2022.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Aidan Ryan, Williams

Senior | Distance
New York, New York

Aidan Ryan hasn’t met an NCAA Division III record he doesn’t want to break.

Well, at least not yet.

Ryan added to his already impressive resume with two record-breaking efforts this past weekend at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational.

It started on Friday when Ryan anchored the Williams distance medley relay team to a mark of 9:42.29, which surpassed the previous NCAA DIII standard of 9:46.95 (John Carroll beat the Ephs to the line, though, and to the victor go the spoils and the record in 9:41.56).

Then on Saturday, Ryan competed in the 3000 meters, an event in which he already owned the NCAA DIII all-time, all-conditions best from earlier this season at 7:55.29, which was turned in on an oversized track in Washington. Ryan PR’d by almost one full second and took nearly 13 seconds off the previous NCAA DIII record held by Ben Sathre of St. Thomas (Minn.) from 2012: 7:54.48 to 8:07.02 (USTFCCCA recognizes “records” as those on 200-meter tracks).

This is the third time this season that Ryan has been named National Athlete of the Week. He earned the honor following his first 3000m effort and then again after his NCAA DIII mile record.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Ella Baran, Johns Hopkins

Senior | Mid-Distance
Plymouth, Massachusetts

Two weeks. Two records.

Ella Baran has put her name into the annals of NCAA Division III history.

Competing at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational this past weekend, Baran shattered the NCAA DIII record in the 3000m with her 9:13.32 effort. The previous best on a 200-meter track of 9:20.85 was clocked by NCAA DIII legend Missy Buttry in 2003.

One week earlier, Baran had her sights on Buttry’s longstanding mile record of 4:43.92 and demoted that mark to No. 2 in the record books. Baran demolished that standard by more than three seconds at 4:40.53. It was also the fastest mile by an NCAA DIII woman, regardless of condition, meaning indoors, outdoors, oversized- or regulation-sized track.

This is the first time since 2017 – and third overall – that a female athlete from Johns Hopkins has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Baran joins Felicia Koerner (2017) and Jordan Delane (2016) as those athletes who received national plaudits.

NJCAA MEN – Kudakwashe Chadenga, South Plains (Texas)

Freshman | High Jump
Harare, Zimbabwe

Kudakwashe Chadenga has been on a serious jumping tear in February. Having never cleared 7-feet (2.14m) before this month, he has now done it five times in two meets.

His latest effort of 2.22m (7-3¼) at the Texas Tech Shootout moved him up to a tie for No. 4 all-time in NJCAA history. It is also the highest jump by a JUCO athlete since 2012 and ties him for No. 5 among all collegians this year.

A week earlier, Chadenga PR’d at the Charlie Thomas Invitational, with his best that day of 2.20m (7-2½) making him then tied for No. 6 on the all-time NJCAA list.

He is the ninth male athlete from South Plains to be named National Athlete of the Week in indoor track & field.

NJCAA WOMEN – Hilda Chebet, Iowa Western CC

Freshman | Mid-Distance
Rift Valley, Kenya

Two races, two victories and two all-time top-10 marks – that’s how Hilda Chebet spent her Saturday afternoon.

First up at the South Dakota State Invitational was the mile, in which Chebet shaved more than five seconds off her nation-leading time with a 4:51.81 win. That moved her to No. 7 among NJCAA runners all-time regardless of track size. Chebet finished the afternoon in a new event, the 1000 meters. Her winning effort of 2:51.93 makes her No. 2 seasonally and No. 8 all-time on the NJCAA lists including oversized-track marks. Chebet also owns the fastest NJCAA time in the 5000 at 17:08.71 from the previous weekend.

Chebet is the fourth female athlete from Iowa Western CC to be named National Athlete of the Week in indoor track & field.