May 5, 2025
National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to multiple collegiate Track and Field athletes, when applicable (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions, the National Junior College divisions, and the NAIA).
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.
co-NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Angelos Mantzouranis, Minnesota
Sophomore | Throws | Greece
Angelos Mantzouranis let the hammer fly at the Meet of the UnSaintly.
Mantzouranis had more than enough time to celebrate by the time the implement landed 78.61m (257-11) and cemented his status as the third best performer in collegiate history. That was also the best hammer throw by a collegian since 2002 (Andras Haklits, 78.63m).
The Minnesota standout put together quite the field series around that legendary mark. Three of his throws eclipsed 77.30m (253-7), including another howitzer of 77.82m (255-3) in Round 6.
This is the second time in program history that an athlete from Minnesota has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Mantzouranis joins 2023 honoree Matthew Wilkinson in that regard.
co-NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Ethan Strand, North Carolina
Senior | Distance | Vestavia, Alabama
Collegiate track & field fans knew they were in for a treat when they saw North Carolina teammates Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe, Abel Terffra of Georgetown as well as Titouan Le Grix of Wingate entered in the same 1500-meter race this past weekend at the Duke Twilight.
The race more than lived up to the hype. It was historic.
Strand, who holds collegiate records in both the mile and 3000 meters indoors, won and stopped the clock in 3:33.22 for the second fastest performance in collegiate history outdoors behind Liam Murphy’s 3:33.02 from earlier this season at the Raleigh Relays. Behind Strand, Teffra moved up to No. 6 on the all-time chart at 3:33.84, Wolfe jumped to No. 8 at 3:34.24, and Le Grix soared to No. 9 at 3:34.30 and shattered the NCAA DII record in the process.
Less than two hours later, Strand returned to the track and ran the first open 10,000-meter race of his collegiate career. Strand finished sixth in 29:43.42 in a race dominated by UNC athletes.
This is the first time in program history that a male athlete from North Carolina has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Amanda Moll, Washington
Sophomore | Pole Vault | Olympia, Washington
Both of the pole vault collegiate records are under one roof.
Amanda Moll unified the CRs when she vaulted 4.76m (15-7¼) this past weekend at the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson, Arizona. The Washington standout already held the indoor CR at 4.91m (16-1¼), so she added the outdoor version as well by soaring 1 cm higher than Brynn King.
Moll nearly didn’t make it past 4.31m (14-1¾), though. She needed three attempts at the height, eventually clearing the bar on the third try. It was virtually smooth sailing from then on, as she topped 4.41m and 4.65m on her first attempt and 4.51m and 4.59m on her second attempt.
This is the second time in program history that a female athlete from Washington has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. It’s apropos that 2019 honoree Olivia Gruver set the outdoor CR in the same event prior to her coronation.
NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Titouan Le Grix, Wingate
Senior | Distance | Baillargues, France
If Titouan Le Grix was on a mission to impress, he exceeded expectations.
In a 1500-meter race that will go down in collegiate history, the Wingate mid-distance star held his own against some of the best in the nation at the Duke Twilight – Ethan Strand, Abel Terffra, and Parker Wolfe – who share three national titles and a pair of collegiate records. Winning be damned, Le Grix stood plenty tall with a new NCAA DII record, running 3:34.30.
Looking back, Le Grix’s progression in the event is truly remarkable. As a sophomore, he struggled to break four minutes. As a junior, he chopped 18 seconds off his personal best to get to 3:47.18. A year later and he now owns the No. 9 all-time mark, regardless of division.
This marks the first time in program history that an athlete from Wingate has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.
NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Alexis Brown, Lenoir-Rhyne
Junior | Sprints | Mableton, Georgia
It’s been awhile since you’ve heard her name; but make no mistake, she’s lighting up the track the same.
Alexis Brown rewarded the SAC Outdoor Championships with a performance to remember this weekend, filing away three all-time top-10 NCAA DII marks. The junior out of Lenoir-Rhyne saw 11.12 and 11.18 flash across the scoreboard after the prelims and finals of the 100 meters. That’s No. 4 & No. 9 all-time for those keeping count. She kept the pedal to the metal in the 200 meters as well, going 22.69 for No. 4 all-time.
So why hadn’t Brown made headlines this season until today? She’s simply too good. Get this, Brown has the top-nine times, uninterrupted, in NCAA DII history when it comes to the 100 meters. You have to scroll down the page just to see the next entry. In fact, the next time she sets a personal best it will be an NCAA DII record. The only person left to one-up at this point is herself.
This marks the fourth time that Brown has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during an outdoor season. Brown previously earned national weekly honors on March 28, 2023, April 15, 2024, and May 6, 2024.
NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Joshua Rivers, UW-Oshkosh
Junior | Jumps | Bolingbrook, Illinois
The wind-legal collegiate leader in the long jump is from NCAA Division III.
No need to check the Descending Order List: Joshua Rivers is just that good.
Rivers soared 8.04m (26-4½) this past weekend at the WIAC Outdoor Championships in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. That was 2 cm farther than JC Stevenson of Southern California jumped last month at the Mt. SAC Relays. Rivers also added a 7.83m (25-8¼) mark for good measure.
Oh, Rivers also shattered a 29-year-old NCAA DIII record in the process – one of three that fell over the course of the weekend: Sam Blaskowski of UW-La Crosse lowered his own 100-meter record to 10.08; Jamir Brown of Rowan topped the all-time chart in the 110-meter hurdles at 13.60.
This is the second time in program history that an athlete from UW-Oshkosh has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Rivers joins 2021 honoree Jonathan Wilburn in that regard (Wilburn was honored on March 6 of that year).
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Alyssa Busker, Elmhurst
Grad Student | Sprints | Plainfield, Illinois
Alyssa Busker made history as an individual and helped Elmhurst do so as a team.
Busker’s 23.75 points at the CCIW Outdoor Championships propelled the Blue Jays win their first outdoor conference title in program history. The graduate student from Plainfield, Illinois, won the 100, 200, anchored the winning 4×100 relay, and ran a leg on the sixth-place 4×400 relay.
What about that history? Well, Busker’s 23.62 winner in the 200 meters made her the fourth fastest performer in the NCAA DIII annals. Plus, she and Tiana Grady, Lauren Marshall, and Hannah Schwarz put Elmhurst No. 4 on the NCAA DIII all-time chart in the 4×100 relay.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Elmhurst has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season.
NAIA MEN – Zach Turner, Doane (Neb.)
Senior | Hurdles | Crete, Nebraska
Zach Turner racked another pair of hurdle titles at the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Outdoor Championships on Saturday in Hastings, Nebraska, running his career total to 12 including indoors.
Most impressively Turner set another NAIA record with the first sub-50 time for the 400-meter hurdles in NAIA history at 49.99 that gave him victory by 3.39 seconds. That improved on his previous best of 50.81 in winning last week’s Drake Relays as well as the 50.22 NAIA best set in 2023 by Will Reemtsa of St. Ambrose (Iowa).
Turner didn’t even run that race fresh, as some 90 minutes earlier he won the 110-meter hurdles comfortably in 13.77 seconds, just 0.05 seconds off his own NAIA record from two weeks earlier. He now has run sub-13.80 six times this year – four wind-legal plus a pair of wind-aided marks including the fastest in all-conditions at 13.49w (+7.6).
This is the third time that an athlete from Doane has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season as Turner himself was honored twice earlier this year.
NAIA WOMEN – Briana Campbell, Life (Ga.)
Freshman | Hurdles/Sprints | Jamaica
Briana Campbell regained something at Vanderbilt’s Music City Outdoor Challenge that she had lost just a week ago – the NAIA 100-meter hurdles record.
Campbell’s 13.05 in the heats sliced 17 hundredths off the previous mark, set by Salieci Myles of William Carey (Miss.) in edging Campbell by 0.01 seconds at last week’s Southern States Outdoor Championships, 13.22 to 13.23. That came after Campbell had twice set the record in early April.
Campbell also moved up the NAIA all-time list in 100, winning in 11.45 to tie for No. 9 all-time.
This is the third time that a female athlete from Life has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Campbell herself was honored earlier this year in joining Jennifer Batu (2023) in that regard.
co-NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Jayden Holdsworth, Salt Lake (Utah) CC
Sophomore | Distances | Orem, Utah
Jayden Holdsworth added another notch to his stellar season at the Robison Invitational in Provo, Utah, on Friday.
Running against several of host BYU’s top runners, Holdsworth finished third in the mile in 4:01.09 to move to No. 3 on the all-time NJCAA outdoor list (and No. 4 on an absolute basis combining indoor marks).
All of the times above him in NJCAA history – including the 54-year-old outdoor record of 4:00.0 – were set at low altitude, compared to the 4627-foot (1410-meter) altitude at the Clarence Robison Track & Field Complex. Holdsworth’s time converts to a low-altitude mile of 3:56.36 and a low-altitude 1500 meters of 3:38.85.
This is the third time that a male athlete from Salt Lake CC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Holdsworth himself was honored earlier this year in joining JaQuavious Harris (2024) in that regard.
Co-NJCAA DIVISION I MEN – Bovel McPherson, New Mexico JC
Sophomore | Sprints | Manchester, Jamaica
Bovel McPherson was arguably at his best for the 400 meters at Texas Tech’s Corky/Crofoot Shootout.
McPherson circled the oval in 44.78 to win by 0.49 seconds over the host’s DeSean Boyce in moving to No. 5 on the all-time NJCAA outdoor list. His mark is the fastest since 2019 among NJCAA athletes.
So where does “arguably” fit in? You’d have to include indoors for that as McPherson clocked 45.58 to win the NJCAA Indoor Championships in early March. That time broke a 14-year-old NJCAA record as he won by a staggering 1.07 seconds. McPherson has continued undefeated in the event since that race.
One of the athletes getting serious consideration for this week’s award was McPherson’s own teammate – David Nyamufarira, who won the 100 at the Corky/Crofoot Shoout in 10.01 (-3.0) to become No. =3 all-time NJCAA. That was the best mark by an NJCAA athlete since 1994.
This is the tenth time that a male athlete from New Mexico JC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. McPherson joins Nyamufarira (2025), LeBron James (2025), Tapiwanashe (Carli) Makarawu (twice in 2024, once in 2023), Donald Chiyangwa (twice in 2023) and Andrei Romanov (twice in 2021) in that regard.
NJCAA DIVISION I woMEN – Maimuna Jallow, Cloud County (Kan.) CC
Freshman | Sprints | Sare-Futa, Gambia
Maimuna Jallow continued a near-perfect season at the NJCAA Region 6/Kansas Jayhawk CC Conference Outdoor Championships, sweeping the 100 and 200 meters and defeating the reigning national champion each time.
First up was the 100 meters, and Jallow rocketed to a scorching 11.18 (+1.3) to win by 0.26 seconds over Anita Afrifa of Colby (Kan.) CC. That put Jallow No. 4 on the all-time NJCAA list with the fastest time since 2003.
Jallow followed just over an hour later with another victory over Afrifa in a much closer finish – a scant 0.03 seconds separated the two, with Jallow rising to No. 3 all-time among NJCAA athletes at 22.92 while Afrifa tied her best of 22.95 (No. 4 all-time).
Jallow has only run the 200 faster once – her 22.86 indoor NJCAA record at the NJCAA Indoor Championships. She has finished first in every race she’s run this year since mid-January.
This is the third time that a female athlete from Cloud County CC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Jallow joins Miracle Thompson (2023) and Grace Chinovelum (2019) in that regard.
NJCAA DIVISION III MEN – Paul Clark, Onondaga (N.Y.) CC
Freshman | Mid-Distances | Baldwinsville, New York
There was no catching Paul Clark at the NJCAA Region III Championships on Saturday in Little Falls, New York.
Clark’s first race looked like a breeze, winning the 800 by 8.56 seconds in 2:09.97 as his seasonal best is 1:58.76 (No. 5 on this year’s NJCAA DIII qualifying list).
But his real domination came in the 1500, clocking a PR 4:08.5 to win by 29.4 seconds. That time puts him No. 4 on the yearly list with the NJCAA DIII Outdoor Championships coming up this weekend.
This is the second time that a male athlete from Onondaga CC has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season. Clark joins Jeff Menyah (2017) in that regard.
NJCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Kimiko Quayle, FIT (N.Y.)
Sophomore | Mid-Distances | Demarest, New Jersey
Kimiko Quayle prepped for defending her 1500-meter title at the upcoming NJCAA DIII Outdoor Championships on familiar grounds, as she returned to the site of her PR – St. John’s (N.Y.) for the Tom Farrell Classic.
Quayle was impressive, chopping 5.92 seconds off the 4:47.23 she recorded in late March with a time of 4:41.31 in winning the race by a solid 2.44 seconds.
Her new PR is significant among known NJCAA DIII times – No. 2 all-time behind only the 4:40.25 run by Lilly Alberts of Harper (Ill.) last year.
This is the second time in program history that an athlete from FIT has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the outdoor season as Quayle herself was honored earlier this year. It’s the fourth time in any sport for Quayle, who was twice honored in cross country in 2023.