Men’s Track Athlete of the Week Riak Reese, Kent State, 60m/200m R-Senior – Gahanna, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln Riak Reese remained undefeated in event finals this season by winning the 200m dash at Michigan’s Silverston Invitational in a time of 21.11. Reese sprinted away from his competition to win the race by 0.56 seconds. He now owns the MAC’s 5 fastest 200m times this year and his personal-best time of 20.99 gives him a No.
28 national ranking. Women’s Track Athlete of the Week Alsu Bogdanova, Eastern Michigan, 3000m R-Senior – Kazan, Russia/Lyceum #83 Redshirt senior Alsu Bogdanova continued her incredible 2018 campaign in the Alex Wilson Invite Saturday, Feb. 17 in South Bend, Ind. The Kazan, Russia native ran a leg in the distance medley relay squad, which finished with a time of 11:00.51 to break EMU’s all-time record in the event. Additionally, the time currently ranks third in the nation and demolished the top-time in the MAC by 39 seconds to claim the top spot.
Along with being a part of the dominant DMR squad, Bogdanova now holds the top time in the conference for the 5000m and the 3000m, while ranking fourth in the 800m and eighth in the mile run. Men’s Field Athlete of the Week Matt Ludwig, Akron, PV Junior - Chardon, Ohio/Lake Catholic Junior Matt Ludwig (Chardon, Ohio) surpassed 18-3.75 (5.58m) to triumph in the men's pole vault at the Zips Invitational on Friday, Feb. 16, to remain unbeaten against collegiate competition.
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week Cayla Carey, Kent State, LJ Senior – Mason, Ohio/Ursuline Academy Cayla Carey unleashed the third-best long jump in program history to take first place Saturday at the Kent State Tune Up. Carey soared 20’-3.50” on her third attempt to tie the best mark in the MAC this season and move into 17th in the national rankings. She won the competition by more than a foot and all four of her successful attempts would have been good enough to win the event. Other Nominees: Men’s Track Tyler Brown, Eastern Michigan, 400m R-Senior – Findlay, Ohio/Findlay Redshirt senior Tyler Brown put together another incredible performance as a member of the 4x400 relay team at the Alex Wilson Invite Saturday, Feb. 17 in South Bend, Ind. The Findlay, Ohio native served as the anchor in the event, bringing home an event time of 3:08.06, which now serves as a new EMU all-time best. Additionally, the time beat the previous MAC-best this season by nine seconds.
Shane Moffo, Central Michigan, 60mH Junior – Farmington Hills, Mich./Walled Lake Western CMU’s Shane Moffo turned in another outstanding performance in the men’s 60-meter hurdles at the Silverston, posting times of 8.01 seconds in the preliminaries and 8.00 in the finals to take first place. These attempts mark four in a row that Moffo has improved on his all-time best, as he continues to add cushion to his No. 2 MAC Performance List ranking. The 8.00 was enough to add Moffo's name to the National Division I Indoor Qualifying List, where he is currently tied for 72nd. Mitchell Moore, Buffalo, 400m Senior – Ontario, NY/Jamestown Mitchell Moore won the men's 400m at the Akron Zips Invite with a time of 48.02 - a time that ranks fifth in the MAC.
Taron Slone, Akron, 200m Senior – Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Ready University of Akron senior Taron Slone (Columbus, Ohio) ran the fourth-fastest time in indoor program history winning the men's 200 meters in a career-best time of 21.34 to direct the efforts for Akron at the Zips Invitational on Friday, Feb. 16, at the Stile Athletics Field House. Women’s Track Remy Amarteifio, Northern Illinois, 60m/60mH Sophomore – Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township Sophomore Remy Amarteifio (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) earned two wins at Illinois' Orange & Blue Open, on Saturday, in the 60-meter dash and 60-meter hurdles. Amarteifio took fourth in the 60-meter dash and turned around for the finals to set her career fastest time in 7.63 seconds. In the hurdles, she took second in the prelims and followed it up with a win in the finals crossing the finish line at 8.53 seconds. Sarah Bruns, Miami, 60mH Freshman – Cincinnati, Ohio/Kings Freshman Sarah Bruns began her evening in South Bend with a personal-best 9.06 in the 60m hurdles that landed her a spot in the finals. She would go on to take third with a 9.22.
Her biggest contribution of the night was when she jumped in with the 4x4 squad and helped them to a second-place finish thanks to a 3:42.87. It marked the third straight week the team came within just one second of the all-time Miami record.
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Haley Hess, Akron, 800m Sophomore – Curtice, Ohio/Clay Running a person-best time of 2:13.08 to take the women's 800 meters at the Zips Invitational on Friday, Feb. 16, was sophomore Haley Hess (Curtice, Ohio). Juliane Sormain, Western Michigan, 800m Freshman – Cachan, France/Institut Notre Dame Freshman Juliane Sormain dropped down in distance at the Ball State Tune-Up to win the 800-meter run after outpacing her teammate and running at time of 2:17. The win was the first of her career and it helped the Broncos defeated BSU, Wright State and IPFW. Amy Villarini, Buffalo, 400m Junior – Hamburg, NY/Hamburg Amy Villarini won the women's 400m at the Akron Zips Invite with a time of 56.65.
Nadia Williams, Central Michigan, 200m Sophomore – Mount Horeb, Wis./Mount Horeb Sophomore Nadia Williams broke the CMU women's indoor record in the 200-meter dash, finishing in 24.14 seconds for first place at Friday’s Silverston Invitational. Williams’ 24.14 supplants Kia Johnson’s time of 24.18 set in 2002. The mark shatters Williams' previous best of 24.69, qualifies her for next week’s Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships, and catapults her name from 17th to second on the MAC Indoor Performance List for this season. She trails Eastern Michigan senior Jasmine Jones by six-hundredths of a second for the top position.
Men’s Field Skyler Lester, Eastern Michigan, HJ Freshman – Marietta, GA/Marietta Freshman Skyler Lester put together a career performance at the Silverston Invitational Friday, Feb. 16 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Marietta, Ga. Native marked his best high jump of his young career with a height of 2.05m to place second in the event. Additionally, his new personal-record also launched him up to eighth in the conference. Kevin Weiler, Central Michigan, SP Junior – Swartz Creek, Mich./Swartz Creek CMU’s Kevin Weiler came back from a pectoral injury to record a season-best 17.57-meter (57-7 3/4) throw for second place in the men’s shot put at the Silverston Invitational.
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The junior has now claimed four victories and one runner-up finish in five indoor meets this season, has held the league’s best distance for the last three weeks, and is tied for 75th nationally. Women’s Field Lucy Bryan, Akron, PV Sophomore – Bristol, England/Clifton Sophomore Lucy Bryan (Bristol, England) eclipsed 14-0.75 (4.29m) to win the women's pole vault at the Zips Invitational on Friday, Feb. Gabrielle Collins, Western Michigan, LJ/TJ Sophomore – Chesaning, Mich./Caro Gabrielle Collins won three events as the Broncos dominated the Ball State Tune-Up on Friday, defeating BSU, Wright State and IPFW. Collins matched her season's best jump of 19' 3.25' in the long jump to take first. The jump also solidified her spot at sixth on the MAC's performance list. Collins went on to win the triple jump after reaching 37' 6' and finished the meet off with her third win of the day in the 60-meter hurdles after running a time of 8.90 seconds.
Erin Howard, Central Michigan, SP R-Freshamn – Lansing, Mich./Sexton Erin Howard recorded the second-best shot-put throw of her career - 15.45 meters (50-8 1/4) - at the Silverston Invitational to take third place. In six meets this indoor season, Howard has three shot put victories and has not finished below fourth place. The MAC automatic qualifier currently holds the fourth-best distance in the conference and is ranked 49th in the event on the National Indoor Qualifying List. Adrienne Mayfield, Ball State, WT Senior – Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township Ball State's best performance at the Ball State Tune-Up came in the weight throw, with senior Adrienne Mayfield taking the top spot with a career-best throw of 17.18m. It's the fourth-best individual performance in program history and currently ranks 14th on the MAC performance list.
Gaza Odunaiya, Ohio, WT Junior – Athens, Ohio/Athens The Bobcats had a successful weekend in their last meet before the 2018 Mid-American Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, the 2018 Ohio State Buckeye Tune-Up, where the Bobcats had several top-10 finishes as well as a new weight throw program record from junior Gaza Odunaiya. The junior recorded a throw of 19.07m to place third overall, beating the previous school record by over a foot.
This performance ranks Odunaiya as fifth in the MAC and 63rd in the nation. Elise Walker, Miami, HJ Freshman – Camden, Ohio/Preble Shawnee Freshman Elise Walker grabbed second in the high jump at Ohio State's Buckeye Tune-Up over the weekend. She was one of four field 'Hawks to medal on Friday.