Lillejord, Kruchowski, Spenner Capture Weekly Indoor Track and Field Awards

1/15/2013 12:00:00 AM

ELMHURST, Ill. – North Dakota State's Andy Lillejord was named The Summit League's Indoor Track and Field Men's Athlete of the Week, while North Dakota State's Faith Kruchowski and Omaha's Sami Spenner were named The Summit League's Indoor Track and Field Women's Athletes of the Week for their performances Jan. 8-14.

MEN'S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Andy Lillejord, North Dakota State
Jr. // Jamestown, N.D.
Lillejord collects his first career Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor after winning the heptathlon at the Bison Classic. The Jamestown, N.D., native scored a league-best 5,424 points, which ranks fourth in the nation. He won six of the seven heptathlon events.

Also nominated: D.C. Okonta, Kansas City; Andrew Stebbins; Oakland; Nathaniel Marshall, Western Illinois.

Previous winners: Dec. 11 – Casey Orgon, NDSU; Dec. 18 – Niklas Rippon, OU; Jan. 8 – Kris Leverette, UMKC.

WOMEN'S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Faith Kruchowski, North Dakota State
Sr. // Trail, Minn.
Kruchowski garners her first career Athlete of the Week award after posting the 12^th-fastest 800-meter time in the nation and helping North Dakota State win the Bison Classic. The senior finished second in the 800 meters with a time of 2:11.62, which is a league-best. She only finished behind Minnesota's Alena Brooks, who ranks fifth in nation.

Sami Spenner, Omaha
Jr. // Columbus, Neb.
Spenner collects her second career Athlete of the Week honor after winning the long jump and finishing second in the triple jump at the Dort Indoor Invitational. The junior won the long jump with a league-best mark of 19'11.05" (6.08m), which would rank seventh in the nation, however Omaha is not eligible for the NCAA Championships due to Division I transition. Her long jump mark leads the league by nearly a foot. The Columbus, Neb., native took second in the triple jump with a distance of 39'10.05" (12.15m).

Also nominated: Shanelle Williams, Kansas City; Karli Keur, Oakland.

Previous winners: Dec. 11 – Sami Spenner, UNO; Dec. 18 – Katelynne Hartman, OU; Jan. 8 – Dahila Dyson, UMKC.

ABOUT THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
Entering its fourth decade of Division I athletics, The Summit League offers 19 championship sports and has a combined enrollment of over 144,000 at nine universities, four of which are located in top 58 U.S. metro populations (Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Omaha). Member institutions include: Fort Wayne (Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne), IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis), Kansas City (University of Missouri-Kansas City), North Dakota State University, Oakland University, Omaha (University of Nebraska Omaha), the University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University and Western Illinois University. Previously known as the Mid-Continent Conference, The Summit League rebranded in 2007 and has since produced 54 All-Americans, 37 Academic All-America selections and seven NCAA Championships. For more information about the league and its history, visit www.thesummitleague.org to "See The Summit" or follow on Twitter @thesummitleague.

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