December 16, 2024
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.
NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Cameron Miller, Purdue
Grad Student | Sprints | Dallas, Texas
Cameron Miller’s margin of victory in the 300 meters this past weekend at the Blue Demon Holiday Invitational was a remarkable 1.31 seconds. That makes sense, because when you’re running an all-time top-10 mark in collegiate history, few are going to be able to keep up with you.
Miller’s 32.43 clocking in Chicago gave him the sixth fastest performance in collegiate history and the fastest in Big Ten history, taking down a two-year-old best by Tyler Johnson of Ohio State. It also established a PR of 0.12 seconds for Miller, who reached the 200-meter final at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships in Boston last year.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Purdue has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Jenna Rogers, Nebraska
Senior | Jumps | Rutherford, New Jersey
Jenna Rogers soared to new heights.
Rogers cleared a PR 1.91m (6-3¼) in the high jump this past weekend at the Husker Holiday Open and took the early collegiate lead. That mark, turned in on her third attempt, topped her previous PR of 1.90m (6-2¾) that she jumped this past January at the Graduate Classic.
The Nebraska standout has been a fixture in the event at the NCAA DI Championships over the past several years. Rogers is a five-time All-American with her best finish of fourth coming at the 2023 NCAA DI Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Nebraska has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Titouan Le Grix, Wingate
Senior | Distance | Baillargues, France
Titouan Le Grix is off to a fast start in 2024.
Le Grix made his season debut in the mile this past weekend at the Indiana Early Bird and clocked a PR of 4:00.30 to move up to No. 10 on the NCAA DII all-time chart. He wasn’t the only Bulldog in the race, though, as teammates David Holman and Martin Segura went 4:00.40 and 4:00.58 to also crack the all-time top-15 at No. 13 and No. 15, respectively.
Less than one month ago, Le Grix – who won the NCAA steeplechase title last year – placed 11th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to help Wingate to a runner-up team finish.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Wingate to be named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan
Grad Student | Pole Vault | The Woodlands, Texas
Brynn King is at it again.
By “at it again,” we mean putting up all-time marks.
King cleared 4.45m (14-7¼) in the pole vault this past weekend at the Susquehanna Early Season Invite and Multi notched the eighth best mark in NCAA DII history. That, coupled with her season-opening 4.60m (14-9) at the Akron Haynes Lancaster Open two weeks ago, gives her ten of the top-11 marks on the all-time chart.
This is the fifth time in her career that King has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season. King earned national weekly honors four consecutive weeks last year: December 5, December 12, January 16 and January 23.
NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Alexander Rhodes, Puget Sound
Sophomore | Sprints | Portland, Oregon
Welcome to the record book, Alexander Rhodes.
The Puget Sound sophomore sprinted to the top of the NCAA DIII all-time chart in the 300 meters this past weekend at the Spokane Invitational. He traversed the distance in 32.91, which obliterated the previous all-time best of 33.27 set last year by Eric Gregory. And wouldn’t you know that Rhodes chased Gregory last year when they eventually finished 1-2 in the 400 meters at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Puget Sound has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Eden Maranell, St. Norbert
Sophomore | Jumps/Multis | Howards Grove, Wisconsin
Eden Maranell left nothing to (last) chance this year.
Competing at the Indiana Early Bird in her second meet of the season, Maranell bounded an outright PR of 11.91m (39-7) to move up to No. 2 on the NCAA DIII seasonal chart. That was part of a series where Maranell equaled or surpassed 11.71m (38-5) three times, a mark that she only eclipsed twice before in her collegiate career.
What makes that performance notable? Last year Maranell qualified for the event at the 2024 NCAA DIII Indoor Championships on her last jump of the UWL Final Qualifier. Chances are Maranell won’t need that to happen again.
And one week earlier, Maranell amassed 3348 points in the pentathlon at the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird Open & Multi to put herself No. 6 on that seasonal chart. During that PR effort, Maranell posted collegiate bests of 2:30.38 in the 800 meters and 5.20m (17-0¾) in the long jump.
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from St. Norbert has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NAIA MEN – Robert Atwater, Midland (Neb.)
Senior | Multis/Jumps | Detroit, Michigan
Three national-leading marks in one event – that’s what Robert Atwater achieved at the Concordia (Neb.) Bulldog Early Bird Meet.
Atwater’s event was the heptathlon, and his winning score of 5,254 points not only made him the early-season NAIA leader – it also put him No. 10 on the all-time NAIA list.
Within the heptathlon, Atwater had two other national-leading marks at 2.12m (6-11½) in the high jump and 7.43m (24-4½) in the long jump – efforts that would have placed second and tied for third in last year’s NAIA Indoor Championships. One of those who was ahead of the long jump mark was Atwater himself as he won the national title last year.
Atwater’s heptathlon included two other PRs – 8.71 in the 60-meter hurdles and 3:07.22 in the 1000 meters. He also won the Bulldog Early Bird open high jump at 2.09m (6-10¼) and long jump at 7.09m (23-3¼).
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Midland has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NAIA WOMEN – Sydney Duncan, IU Kokomo (Ind.)
Sophomore | Throws | Anderson, Indiana
It was record-breaking time in Bloomington, Indiana on Friday.
And especially so for Sydney Duncan, who improved her shot put PR three times at the Indiana Early Bird meet, with the last two also doubling as NAIA records.
Duncan opened up with a 14.68m (48-2), a two-foot PR that would have been far enough to win. In round 2, she added more than four feet to her best at 15.91m (52-2½) that also shattered the NAIA best on record of 15.51m (50-10¾) by Amy Blucker of Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) in 2015.
She wasn’t done, though. After a 15.81m (51-10½) effort in round 3, Duncan launched the 4-kilogram ball out to 16.46m (54-0) to add nearly two more feet to her record. She finished her series with puts of 15.59m (51-1¾) and 15.90m (52-2).
This is the first time in program history that an athlete from IU Kokomo has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
NJCAA MEN – Raynier Galvez, Indian Hills (Iowa) CC
Freshman | Mid-Distances | Paterson, New Jersey
New week, new distance – and another Top-10 all-time mark for Raynier Galvez.
Galvez stepped up from the 600 yards to the 800 meters for the Iowa State Holiday Invitational, but the result had many similarities as he once again posted a victory by more than three seconds and his time – 1:49.77 on an oversized oval – placed him No. 10 on the all-time, all-conditions NJCAA list.
The NJCAA indoor 800 all-time list has a few notable names ahead of Galvez – including former Warrior national champions Rivaldo Marshall at 1:48.46 and Tyrice Taylor at 1:48.49, both also achieved at the Iowa State Holiday Invitational.
For the second straight meet, Galvez ran the second leg on Indian Hills’ victorious 4×400 relay, which clocked 3:17.78 (their 3:13.69 time from last week still leads the early NJCAA seasonal list).
This is the 13th time that male athletes from Indian Hills have been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in indoor track & field. Galvez was so honored last week in joining Traunard Folson (2024), Tyrice Taylor (2024), the 2024 DMR team, Rivaldo Marshall (three times in 2023), Kendrick Winfield (2022), Kenny Bednarek (three times in 2019) and Nathan Winters (2017) in that regard.
NJCAA WOMEN – Dymonde Nave, Indian Hills (Iowa) CC
Sophomore | Hurdles | Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Imagine an athlete PRing in the first four races of the year.
For Dymonde Nave, that’s been reality this month as last year’s NJCAA runner-up outdoors in the 100-meter hurdles is now impressing indoors in the 60-meter hurdles.
After PRing last weekend at 8.72 (prelims) and 8.65 (final) in winning the 60 hurdles at the Washburn Alumni Invite – both times which would have scored in last year’s NJCAA Indoor Championships – Nave wasn’t near done. This past weekend, she won the Iowa State Holiday Invitational in 8.49, which bettered her PR 8.60 in the prelims.
Nave’s time of 8.49 would have placed second in last year’s NJCAA Indoor Championships and is just 0.01 seconds outside of the NJCAA all-time top-25.
This is the eighth time that a female athlete from Indian Hills has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week in indoor track & field. Nave joins Oarabile Tshosa (twice in 2024), Jahzara Hart (2023), Haleigh Hadley (2023), Kayla McCray (2022), Kahliyah Anderson (2022) and Tyaraa English-Paulson (2018) in that regard.