OVC Male Track Athlete of the Week
Andrew Payton, R-Sr., Tualatin, Ore. – Little Rock
• Earned a pair of top 10 finishes at the Washburn Open.
• Was part of the winning distance medley relay squad.
• Topped a field of 22 with a time of 9:43.80.
• The finish set a new school, meet and facility record.
• The time is the second best in the nation.
• Placed seventh in a field of 50 in the 3000-meter.
• Crossed the line in 8:10.21.
• The time ranks first in the OVC.
Others Nominated: Noah Little, Southeast Missouri; Taylor Lehman, SIUE; Alex Nolan, Southern Indiana; Angus Monro, UT Martin; Logan Beckmier, Western Illinois.
OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week
Sa’Nijah Houston, So., Ocala, Fla. – Lindenwood
• Registered two podium finishes at the Washburn Open.
• Claimed the top spot in a field of 59 in the 400-meter.
• Crossed the tape at 54.40.
• The time tops the OVC.
• Finished third in a field of 84 in the 200-meter.
• Set a meet and program record in 24.30.
• The time ranks second in the OVC.
Others Nominated: Kyla Lochtefeld, Little Rock; Lucy Singleton, Morehead State; Brenna Miles, Southeast Missouri; Kaylee Allen, SIUE; Hadessah Austin, Southern Indiana; Madison Trevena, Western Illinois.
OVC Male Field Athlete of the Week
Paden Lewis, Sr., Jefferson City, Mo. – Southeast Missouri
• Collected two top four finishes at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invite hosted by the University of Missouri.
• Finished third in a field of 22 in the shot put with a distance of 61’1.5”.
• Broke the SEMO record and ranks first in the OVC, 32nd in the NCAA.
• Placed fourth in a field of 22 in the weight throw with a mark of 70’6.25”.
• Placed third in a field of 25 in the shot put with a toss of 60’0.25”.
• The distance tops the OVC and is 42nd in the NCAA.
Others Nominated: Sutton Manatt, Little Rock.
Co-OVC Female Field Athlete of the Week
Alexia Washington, So., Rosenburg, Texas – Little Rock
• Topped the podium twice at the Washburn Open.
• Out jumped 39 competitors in the long jump.
• Landed at 19’9.75”, breaking a 31-year-old school record.
• Set a personal record with a leap of 18’11.25” in the field of 35 jumpers.
• Defeated 37 others with a distance of 40’7” in the triple jump.
• Both marks top the OVC.
Anna Thomason, Jr., Cape Girardeau, Mo. – Southeast Missouri
• Finished third in the Pentathlon at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invite hosted by the University of Missouri.
• Scored 4,734 points in the field of 15 pentathletes.
• The result tops the OVC and is 46th in the country.
• During the event, produced the top OVC time in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.50.
• Placed first in the hurdle event and the long jump.
Others Nominated: Zaria Searcy, SIUE; JaDerrika Welch-Fields, UT Martin.
OVC Male Freshman of the Week
Morcellous Harris, Fr., Memphis, Tenn. – Little Rock
• Finished seventh in the Heptathlon at the Washburn Open.
• Scored 4,816 points in the field of 32 heptathletes.
• Won the long jump portion of the event and placed third in the 60-meters.
• Set personal records in six of the seven events.
Others Nominated: Tanner Emerson, SIUE; Zach Wells, Southern Indiana.
OVC Female Freshman of the Week
Hadessah Austin, Fr., Attica, Ind. – Southern Indiana
• Placed second in the 3,000-meter at the Lenny Lyles Invite hosted by Louisville.
• The runner-up time of 9:40.99 outpaced 36 other runners.
• The time is the fastest in the OVC by 19 seconds.
Others Nominated: Aaliyah Booker, Little Rock; Lauren Eftink, Southeast Missouri; Erica Woodard, SIUE.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
OVC Male Track Athlete of the Week
Dec. 18 – Andrew Payton, Little Rock
Jan. 15 – Nick Cimmarusti, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 22 – Andrew Payton, Little Rock
Jan. 29 – Nick Cimmarusti, Southeast Missouri
Feb. 5 – Andrew Payton, Little Rock
OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week
Dec. 18 – Breanna Miles, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 15 – Sydney Burdine, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 22 – Sa’Nijah Houston, Lindenwood
Jan. 29 – Anna Thompson, Southeast Missouri
Feb. 5 – Sa’Nijah Houston, Lindenwood
OVC Male Field Athlete of the Week
Dec. 18 – Paden Lewis, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 15 – Paden Lewis, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 22 – Paden Lewis, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 29 – Paden Lewis, Southeast Missouri
Ramsey Hunt, Eastern Illinois
Feb. 5 – Paden Lewis, Southeast Missouri
OVC Female Field Athlete of the Week
Dec. 18 – Alexia Washington, Little Rock
Jan. 15 – Baylee Beard, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 22 – Brooklyn Marcee, Little Rock
Jan. 29 – Teagan Sullivan, SIUE
Feb. 5 – Alexia Washington, Little Rock
Anna Thomason, Southeast Missouri
OVC Male Freshman of the Week
Dec. 18 – Cole Reinders, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 15 – Dominic Revels, Southeast Missouri
Jan. 22 – Amarion Pulliaum, Little Rock
Jan. 29 – Abe Johnson, Eastern Illinois
Feb. 5 – Morcellous Harris, Little Rock
OVC Female Freshman of the Week
Dec. 18 – Payton Carter, SIUE
Jan. 15 – Ella Goodman, SIUE
Jan. 22 – Rylee Wells, Tennessee Tech
Jan. 29 – Andreese Ortiz, Southeast Missouri
Feb. 5 – Hadessah Austin, Southern Indiana