USTFCCCA News & Notes
By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA April 18, 2023   

M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week (April 18)

NEW ORLEANS — We still can’t believe what happened this past weekend!

Here are the M-F Athletic National Athletes of the Week for April 18.

  • NCAA Division I Men – Tarsis Orogot, Alabama
  • co-NCAA Division I Women – Julien Alfred, Texas
  • co-NCAA Division I Women – Britton Wilson, Arkansas
  • NCAA Division II Men – Cordell Tinch, Pittsburg State
  • NCAA Division II Women – Makayla Jackson, Minnesota State
  • NCAA Division III Men – Ryan Wilson, MIT
  • NCAA Division III Women – Annika Urban, Emory
  • NAIA Men – Rowan Hamilton, British Columbia
  • NAIA Women – Hanna Antkoviak, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
  • NJCAA DI Men – Donald Chiyangwa, New Mexico JC
  • NJCAA DI Women – Calisha Taylor, New Mexico JC
  • NJCAA DIII Men – Noah Mack, College of DuPage (Ill.)
  • NJCAA DIII Women – Karizma Brathwaite, Onondaga (N.Y.) CC

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 – Tarsis Orogot, Alabama

Sophomore | Sprints | Soroti, Uganda

Tarsis Orogot ran like the wind.

Or is that with the wind?

No matter how you slice it, Orogot was lightning quick over 200 meters this past weekend at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida. Orogot clocked a wind-aided 19.60 (+2.9) to notch third-fastest mark in collegiate history, regardless of conditions, and become the 11th-fastest all-conditions performer in world history. Using a conversion calculator, Orogot’s mark was equal to 19.64 in perfect conditions (+2.0 m/s wind) and 19.78 in still conditions (+0.0 m/s).

This is the second year in a row that a male athlete from Alabama has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Eliud Kipsang earned national honors on this weekend last year following his record-breaking effort in the 1500 meters.

Co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Julien Alfred, Texas

Senior | Sprints | Ciceron, St. Lucia

100 meters?

200 meters?

Distance doesn’t matter: Julien Alfred is historically fast.

Alfred rewrote the record book, just like during the indoor season.

The Texas phenom made her season debut in individual events this past weekend at the Tom Jones Memorial and sizzled the track. Alfred clocked a wind-aided 10.72 (+2.4) in the 100 and a wind-legal 21.91 (+1.8) in the 200. The first mark in an all-time, all-conditions collegiate best – 0.02 seconds faster than Cambrea Sturgis’ windy 10.74 winner at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year – while the latter moved Alfred up to No. 2 in collegiate history behind 2022 The Bowerman winner Abby Steiner at 21.80.

This is the first time since 2021 that a female athlete from Texas has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season (Tara Davis on March 30. 2021).

Co-NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Britton Wilson, Arkansas

Junior | Sprints | Henrico, Virginia

Britton Wilson is showing no mercy to the collegiate record book.

Wilson took down Athing Mu’s two-year-old, all-time collegiate outdoor best in the 400 meters when she went 49.51 at the Tom Jones Memorial this past weekend. That shaved 0.06 seconds off the previous standard set by Mu in her Bowerman-winning year. Even more impressive is that 49.51 is Wilson’s second-fastest mark of the collegiate year (Wilson’s indoor CR of 49.48 is the absolute collegiate record, counting both indoor and outdoor marks).

One day earlier, Wilson moved up to No. 3 on the all-time collegiate chart in the 400-meter hurdles when she covered the same distance and cleared ten barriers in 53.23.

This is the second year in a row that Wilson has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Wilson was previously honored on May 17, 2022.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Cordell Tinch, Pittsburg State

Sophomore | Hurdles/Jumps | Green Bay, Wisconsin

Cordell Tinch isn’t slowing down.

He’s also not done breaking records.

Tinch, who competed in the 110-meter hurdles at both the Cal State LA Twilight and the Mt. SAC Relays this past weekend, turned in all-time marks at both meets. He set the NCAA DII record in the event on Thursday at the first meet when he traversed the straightaway and skimmed the barriers in 13.32 (+1.1). Then, Tinch won the elite section of the event at the Mt. SAC Relays on Saturday with a wind-aided 13.22 (+2.2) that is the fastest auto time in NCAA DII history under all conditions.

The Pittsburg State star is now the NCAA DII record-holder in both the 60H and 110H.

This is the third year in a row that a male athlete from Pittsburg State has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Tinch joins Louis Rollins (April 5, 2022) and Brett Thompson (April 6, 2021 and April 13, 2021).

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Makayla Jackson, Minnesota State

Junior | Sprints/Jumps | Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Makayla Jackson was just getting warmed up.

Jackson, who competed at both the Mt. SAC Relays and the Bryan Clay Invitational this past weekend dazzled at the latter with a historic leap. Jackson soared 6.62m (21-8¾) on her first attempt of the competition in Azusa, California, to move up to No. 3 in NCAA DII history and notch the farthest jump in the division since 2013. That came less than 48 hours after she hit another wind-legal 6.13m (20-1½) to finish fourth in a deep field in Walnut, California.

The Minnesota State standout also added a wind-legal 11.60 (+1.4) in the 100 meters, which gave her a provisional mark for the upcoming NCAA DII Outdoor Championships.

This is the second year in a row that Jackson has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Jackson was honored twice in 2022: once on April 12 and then again on May 17.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Ryan Wilson, MIT

Grad Student | Mid-Distance | Redwood City, California

Ryan Wilson made quick work of 2300 meters this past weekend.

Don’t worry: Wilson wasn’t in a new track event.

Wilson, competing at the Bryan Clay Invitational, took over the national lead in both the 800 meters and 1500 meters – but his 1500-meter effort stands tallest. His 3:40.06 mark in the 1500 broke the 27-year-old NCAA DIII in-season record of 3:41.21 set by Karl Paranya back in 1996 (Paranya’s all-dates, all-conditions divisional best of 3:39.84 was set later that summer).

What about the 800? Wilson turned two laps in 1:47.93, which slots him seventh on the NCAA DIII all-time chart.

This is the second time this season that a male athlete from MIT has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week. Matthew Kearney previously earned national honors on March 28 following an all-time performance over 10,000 meters. The Engineers are the first time since 2018 to have two different male athletes take home weekly honors during the outdoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Annika Urban, Emory

Junior | Distance | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Three races; three PRs.

Annika Urban probably likes the most recent one the most.

Urban, competing at the Bryan Clay Invitational, traversed 5000 meters in 16:06.95 to become the third-fastest performer in NCAA DIII history. The only women in front of Urban on the all-time chart are Missy Buttry (now Rock) at 15:37.48 from 2003 and Ella Baran at 15:49.09 from 2022.

The Emory standout leads the division by nearly 20 seconds in the 5000 and tops the seasonal Descending Order List in the 1500 meters at 4:26.17, a mark she ran the previous weekend at the Flames Invitational. Urban is nearly three seconds faster than the closest 1500-meter foe.

This is the first time in program history that a female athlete from Emory has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NAIA MEN – Rowan Hamilton, British Columbia

Junior | Throws | Chilliwack, British Columbia

It was worth the wait for Rowan Hamilton’s seasonal debut in the hammer throw.

Any of his four measured efforts would have won the Pacific Coast Invitational, but his longest of 75.77m (248-7) gave him victory by a margin of 6.67m (21-11). His top mark was also the third-longest throw in NAIA history – not far off his NAIA record 75.98m (249-4) from last year.

Hamilton – who leads the yearly collegiate lists combining all divisions by over five feet – also had the No. 6 throw all-time at 73.92m (242-6) as he now owns the top 22 hammer throws on the NAIA all-time list.

Hamilton is the first male athlete from British Columbia to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NAIA WOMEN – Hannah Antkoviak, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)

Sophomore | Hurdles | Allegan, Michigan

Hannah Antkoviak made some big breakthroughs at Indiana State’s Gibson Invitational.

Antkoviak won the 400-meter hurdles in a PR 58.81, breaking 60 seconds for the first time in winning by 1.98 seconds. She leads the NAIA by nearly a second and rates No. 4 all-time in NAIA history.

That wasn’t her first barrier-breaking mark, however. Earlier in the day she ran sub-14 in the 100-meter hurdles for this first time, first with a 13.91 prelim before a 13.85 for third place in the final and No. 4 on the seasonal NAIA list.

Antkoviak is the first female athlete from Olivet Nazarene to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Donald Chiyangwa, New Mexico JC

Freshman | Sprints | Harare, Zimbabwe

Donald Chiyangwa was literally right at home for the 200 meters at the Ross Black Open.

Running on his home track (site of the NJCAA Division I Championships next month), Chiyangwa blasted a 20.23 time in his prelim to edge James Dadzie of Western Texas (20.24). Chiyangwa moved to No. 4 all-time NJCAA with Dadzie slotting in at No. 5 in the first-ever NJCAA race with multiple runners clocking sub-20.30 wind-legal (+1.9mps) marks.

Chiyangwa – the NJCAA Indoor 400 champ – also ran the second leg on NMJC’s winning 4×100 relay team that ran 40.10, which is No. 4 on the seasonal NJCAA list.

Chiyangwa is the third male athlete from New Mexico JC to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NJCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Calisha Taylor, New Mexico JC

Sophomore | Hurdles | St. Catherine, Jamaica

Calisha Taylor prepped well for the Ross Black Open.

The reigning NJCAA Division I 400-meter hurdles champion lowered her PR to 58.78 to take the national lead in the event, winning by 0.81 seconds over Shenell Tucker of South Plains (Texas).

Taylor – also the NJCAA Indoor 600-yard winner in March – moved to No. 14 on the all-time NJCAA list in lowering her own school record by 0.02 seconds. Her next race on this track is next month’s NJCAA Division I Championships.

This is the ninth time that a female athlete from New Mexico JC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NJCAA DIVISION III MEN – Noah Mack, College of DuPage (Ill.)

Freshman | Sprints/Jumps | Elgin, Illinois

Noah Mack had quite a Saturday at the Wheaton Invitational.

The meet was dominated by four-year programs, with Mack providing an exception in winning the 200 meters in a wind-aided (+3.2mps) 21.39 after taking second in the 100 (10.69 with a legal +2.0 wind).

Both marks vaulted Mack to the top of NJCAA Division III qualifying lists and were better than the winning times in last year’s NJCAA DIII Championships. Mack also made a seasonal debut in the long jump, finishing sixth with an NJCAA-qualifying leap of 6.23m (20-5¼).

Mack is the first male athlete from College of DuPage to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.

NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Karizma Brathwaite, Onondaga (N.Y.) CC

Freshman | Sprints/Jumps | Syracuse, New York

Karizma Brathwaite was a two-time winner at the Cortland Upstate Alternative meet.

Her 25.72 in the 200 won the race by 0.67 seconds and also gave her the NJCAA Division III seasonal lead by 0.75 seconds. Her time is also faster than last year’s winning time in the NJCAA DIII Championships.

Brathwaite claimed the long jump with a wind-aided effort of 5.28m (17-4) and finished second in the 400 (1:01.39), with both marks placing her No. 5 on the NJCAA DIII qualifying list. She is No. 3 in the 100 at 13.04 from the previous weekend.

Brathwaite is the first female athlete from Onondaga (N.Y.) CC to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.