NDSU’s Begin, USD’s Valind, UNO’s Spenner Named Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week
NDSU’s Begin, USD’s Valind, UNO’s Spenner Named Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week
ELMHURST, Ill. – North Dakota State's Jerome Begin and South Dakota's Dustin Valind were named The Summit League's Outdoor Track and Field Men's Athletes of the Week, while Omaha's Sami Spenner was named the Women's Athlete of the Week for their performances April 15-21.
MEN'S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Jerome Begin, North Dakota State
Jr. // Greenfield, Minn.
Begin earns his first career Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week award after winning the 400-meter hurdles at the Beach Invitational. The Greenfield, Minn., native finished first with a league-leading time of 52.49. He also took 13th in the same event at the Mt. SAC Relays (52.97).
Dustin Valind, South Dakota
Fr. // Marinette, Wis.
Valind collects his first career Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week honor after tallying a pair of top-two finishes last week. The freshman thrower finished runner-up in the discus with a personal and league-best mark of 175'10" (53.59m). He also took second in the same event (157'9"/48.09m) at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
Also nominated: Ryan Cutter, IUPUI.
Previous honorees: 3/25 – Trevor Berner, North Dakota State; 4/1 – Jeff Mettler, South Dakota; 4/8 – Jeff O'Connell, South Dakota; 4/15 – Kyle McKelvey, South Dakota.
WOMEN'S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Sami Spenner, Omaha
Sr. // Columbus, Neb.
Spenner captures her third career Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week award and second-straight this season after a top-three finish in the heptathlon at the Mt. SAC Relays. The senior finished third in the heptathlon only behind two professional track and field athletes with a league-best score of 6,003 points, which would rank second in the NCAA, however Omaha is not eligible for the NCAA Championships due to its Division I transition She is the second athlete this season to reach 6,000 points in the event. En route to the third-place finish, Spenner posted a league-best mark in the long jump of 20'4.25" (6.20m), which would tie for 28th in the nation and set a school record in the 100-meter hurdles (14.00), ranking second in the league. She also holds the second-best time in the 200 meters (23.54) and third-best mark in the high jump (5'7.75"/1.72m).
Also nominated: Brittany Beard, Fort Wayne; Rachel Zajac, IUPUI; Ashley Tingelstad, North Dakota State; Amber Eichkorn, South Dakota; Jazzelena Black, South Dakota State.
Previous honorees: 3/25 – Antoinette Goodman, North Dakota State; 4/1 – Mary Wirth, South Dakota State; 4/8 – Paige Stratioti, North Dakota State; 4/15 – Sami Spenner, Omaha.
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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