USD’s Sarehkhani, Grove and UNO’s Spenner Collect Finally Weekly Indoor Track and Field Honors
USD’s Sarehkhani, Grove and UNO’s Spenner Collect Finally Weekly Indoor Track and Field Honors
ELMHURST, Ill. – South Dakota's Kevin Sarehkhani was named The Summit League's Men's Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week, while Omaha's Sami Spenner and South Dakota's Emily Grove were named the Women's Athletes of the Week for their performances Feb. 18-24. The awards marked the final honors of the season.
MEN'S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Kevin Sarehkhani, South Dakota
Sr. // Walnut, Calif.
Sarehkhani earns his first career Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week award after winning the pole vault at the USD Twilight. The senior cleared a personal-best height of 16'10.75" (5.15m), ranking second in the league.
Also nominated: Nathaniel Marshall, Western Illinois.
Previous honorees: 12/10 – Andy Lillejord, North Dakota State; 12/17 – No award given; 1/14 – Ryan Cutter, IUPUI; 1/21 – Mubarik Musa, South Dakota; 1/28 – Andy Lillejord, North Dakota State; 2/4 – Teivaskie Lewin, South Dakota; 2/11 – Nathaniel Marshall, Western Illinois; 2/18 – Nathaniel Marshall, Western Illinois.
WOMEN'S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Sami Spenner, Omaha
Sr. // Columbus, Neb.
Spenner captures her league-record ninth career Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week award and third of the season after setting the American Collegiate record in the pentathlon. The Columbus, Neb., native finished second the pentathlon at the USATF Indoor Championships with a school-record score of 4,498 points, ranking first in the league and marking the best collegiate score this season. En route to her record-breaking score, she also set school records in the long jump (20'9.75") and the 60 meter hurdles (8.52m). Spenner's pentathlon score would rank first on the NCAA Division I performance list and her long jump mark would be seventh, however Omaha is not eligible for the NCAA Championships due to its Division I transition. The senior is third on the all-time collegiate performers list for the pentathlon with the sixth-highest collegiate score. She was also named honorable mention by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the Division I Women's Athlete of the Week.
Emily Grove, South Dakota
Jr. // Pontiac, Ill.
Grove garners her second-straight Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor and the third of her career after moving into a tie for third on the all-time collegiate performers list as she matched the fifth-best collegiate pole vault mark. The junior finished sixth at the USATF Indoor Championships clearing a personal-best and school-record height of 14'9.5" (4.51m), ranking first in the league and NCAA.
Also nominated: Kayla Zink, Fort Wayne; Rachel Zajac, IUPUI; Chelsea Lynes, Western Illinois.
Previous honorees: 12/10 – Jenny Guibert, North Dakota State; 12/17 – Sami Spenner, Omaha; 1/14 – Brittany Beard, Fort Wayne; 1/21 – Megan Glisar, South Dakota; 1/28 – Megan Glisar, South Dakota; 2/4 – Sami Spenner, Omaha; 2/11 – Bethany Firsick, South Dakota; 2/18 – Emily Grove, South Dakota.
ABOUT THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
In its fourth decade of Division I athletics, The Summit League offers 19 championship sports and has a combined enrollment of over 120,000 at eight institutions, including three located in top 60 U.S. metro populations and two land-grant universities. Member institutions include: Denver (University of Denver), Fort Wayne (Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne), IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis), North Dakota State 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 eight NCAA Champions, 62 All-Americans and 50 Academic All-America selections.
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