M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (Feb. 28)
NEW ORLEANS — This season has been a blur!
Here are the M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for February 28, 2023.
(We know we’re sending this a day early, but we couldn’t wait to show you who we picked after one of the biggest weekends in recent memory.)
- NCAA Division I Men – Terrence Jones, Texas Tech
- co-NCAA Division I Women – Julien Alfred, Texas
- co-NCAA Division I Women – Talitha Diggs, Florida
- NCAA Division II Men – Cordell Tinch, Pittsburg State
- NCAA Division II Women – Denisha Cartwright, Minnesota State
- NCAA Division III Men – Ryan Wilson, MIT
- NCAA Division III Women – Kenadee Wayt, Mount Union
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.
NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Terrence Jones, Texas Tech
Junior | Sprints
Freeport, Bahamas
Don’t tell us you forgot about Terrence Jones.
That’s co-collegiate record holder Terrence Jones.
Jones reminded everybody of his talent this past weekend at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, which served as his season opener. The Texas Tech supernova matched the fourth-fastest 60-meter effort in collegiate history in the prelims of the event (6.46) and then clocked another all-time top-10 mark to win the final (6.48). Home-track advantage has proven true for Jones, as a little more than one year ago, he equaled the collegiate record in the event at 6.45.
Remember these two words from the previous paragraph: “season opener.”
This is the first time since 2018 that a male athlete from Texas Tech has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season (Trey Culver on January 16).
Co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Julien Alfred, Texas
Grad Student | Sprints
Castries, St. Lucia
Julien Alfred sprints 60 meters.
Julien Alfred sets a collegiate record.
Rinse, repeat.
Alfred, competing at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas, became the first collegiate woman to go sub-7.00 in the event with her otherworldly 6.97 clocking to win the title. That came hours after Alfred went 7.03 in the prelims to notch another all-time top-5 mark.
If you’re wondering the impact that Alfred left on the collegiate record book so far, wonder no longer: Alfred owns six of the eight fastest performances in collegiate history from this year alone (seven, if you count last year). Her former collegiate record of 7.04 is now No. 5.
Lest we forget that Alfred returned to the track and won the 200 in 22.26, which has her No. 2 in collegiate history with the third-fastest mark.
This is the third time this season that Alfred has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Alfred previously earned national honors on January 24 and February 7.
Co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Talitha Diggs, Florida
Junior | Sprints
Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania
Talitha Diggs did her best “Annie Get Your Gun” impression.
Less than 90 minutes after Rhasidat Adeleke took down the collegiate record in the 400 meters, Diggs answered with her own record-breaking run in that same event. Diggs turned two laps of the 200-meter oval inside the Randal Tyson Track Center in 50.15 to not only trump Adeleke by 0.18 seconds, but set an American record and move up to No. 8 in world history.
“Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you.”
Diggs has been a 400-meter force over the past two years. Dating back to the 2022 indoor season, Diggs swept the NCAA titles and turned in two jaw-dropping efforts: a 49.99 ripper in Eugene last June to move up to No. 5 in collegiate history and then this collegiate record.
This is the third time in the past two years that a female athlete from Florida has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. Jasmine Moore and Grace Stark each took home national honors for their efforts last year.
NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Cordell Tinch, Pittsburg State
Sophomore| Hurdles
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Cordell Tinch continued his onslaught of the NCAA Division II all-time chart in the 60-meter hurdles.
In doing so, he also led top-ranked Pittsburg State to its third-straight team title at the MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Tinch clocked the third and fifth-fastest times in DII history, first going 7.56 in the prelims before winning the finals in 7.58. Tinch now owns five of the six fastest times ever recorded by a DII athlete, including the divisional record of 7.50 he set earlier this year. That record-breaking effort made him the No. 7 performer in collegiate history.
Tinch also won the high jump with a PR clearance of 2.22m (7-3¼) and ran a leg on the Gorillas’ fifth-place 4×400 relay.
This is the third time this season that Tinch has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week.
NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Denisha Cartwright, Minnesota State
Senior| Sprints/Hurdles
Nassau, Bahamas
Denisha Cartwright was the star of the show at the NSIC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The Minnesota State standout captured three event crowns and led the Mavericks to their third consecutive NSIC title. Cartwright won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.22, the 60 meters in 7.27 and the 200 meters in 23.79. Her victory in the 60-meter hurdles was the third conference title of her career.
Cartwright not only won her events, she also turned in two all-time performances on the first day of competition.
In her signature event, Cartwright clocked 8.11 in the prelims of the 60-meter hurdles for the ninth-fastest time in NCAA Division II history. Cartwright then returned to the track for the 60 meter prelims and went 7.23 to become the outright No. 4 performer on the DII all-time chart. She was previously in a three-way tie for No. 4 at 7.24.
Cartwright was named the NSIC High Point Performer of the Meet following her 30-point performance and setting conference records in all three events.
This is the third time this season that Cartwright has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week.
NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Ryan Wilson, MIT
Grad Student | Mid-Distance
Redwood City, California
Ryan Wilson wasn’t content with just one NCAA DIII record.
So, Wilson made it two this past weekend at the Last Chance Indoor Qualifier in Boston.
Wilson, competing on the same track where he set his mile record earlier in the season, took down the 11-year-old division best in the 800 meters with his 1:46.61 winner. Not only is that the fastest-ever mark by an NCAA DIII athlete indoors, it is also superior to the outdoor best.
If you take a look at the All-College Descending Order List, Wilson is now ranked in a fifth-place tie in the 800 at 1:46.61 and sits alone in 14th place with his 3:55.29 record in the mile.
Wilson also won the mile at the New England Division III Indoor Championships this past weekend in 4:04.80, which helped MIT capture top team honors.
This is the second time this season that Wilson has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. You probably don’t need to be reminded of why Wilson was honored the first time.
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Kenadee Wayt, Mount Union
Junior | Sprints
Wheeling, West Virginia
Kenadee Wayt showed range – and resiliency – at the OAC Indoor Championships this past weekend in Berea, Ohio.
We’ll start with the range: Wayt won three individual titles (55 meters, 200 meters and 500 meters) and finished runner-up in another (800 meters). Her mark of 24.77 in the 200, which converts down to 24.40 for qualifying purposes, ranks her No. 1 in the nation, while her 1:14.69 clocking in the 500 moved her up to No. 3 in NCAA DIII history. Wayt’s runner-up effort in the 800 came to Hope Murphy of Baldwin Wallace, who is currently No. 2 on the seasonal chart.
Now let’s talk about resilience: Wayt contested the finals of the 55, 800 and 200 all within one hour, ten minutes of each other. Wayt won the 55 at 3:45 pm, finished a close runner-up in the 800 less than 20 minutes later and then set a conference record in winning the 200 at 4:55 pm.
Needless to say, Wayt’s 38 points went a long way in helping Mount Union win the team title.