With weather conditions delayed the Big West Challenge Cup to Sunday, hosted by Cal State Fullerton at Titan Track, but the meet continued as record-breaking marks were recorded for those competing. UC Santa Barbara women got off to a great start and won the women’s division as the men came in second behind defending champs, Long Beach State. The Gauchos were led by Big West Male Track Athlete of the Week, Ryan Martin, and Big West Female Field Athlete of the Week, Barbara Nwaba. The Big West Female Track Athlete of the week was awarded to UC Irvine’s Amber Middleton and Big West Male Field Athlete of the Week, Long Beach State’s Ben Woodruff.
Senior Gaucho, Martin clock in a time of 1:50.87 in the 800-meter run last week to garner his second Big West Male Track Athlete of the Week award this season. The Lake Forest, Calif. native was a major part in helping the men’s competition find the second place spot at the Big West Challenge Cup this past week.
Middleton helped the Anteaters with her 100-meter hurdles first place finish, marking a career-best 13.71 to receive her third weekly honor this season by the Big West. She was just .04 seconds shy of tying the UC Irvine school record in that event. The senior also took part in both of the women’s relay competitions for a first and second place finish.
Collecting his third weekly honor of the 2012 Big West Track and Field season, Woodruff tossed a record breaking number in many categories with his performance in the javelin competition last week. Posting 74.12-meters, the senior from Redondo Beach, Calif. broke a school record, meet record, stadium record and conference record to earn the No. 6 spot nationally while helping the 49er men clinch the meet title.
For the second-consecutive week, Nwaba was named Big West Female Field Athlete of the Week for her performance in the javelin and 100-meter hurdles. The Los Angeles native won the javelin competition (131-9) as well as placed second in the hurdles competition recording a 13.82 time at the Big West Challenge last week for the Gauchos.
Others nominated: Elijah Landry_Zapien (Men’s Track)
Katie Wilson (Cal State Fullerton), Shakina Phillips (Long Beach State), Melanise Chapman (UC Davis),
Danielle Moreno (UC Santa Barbara) (Women’s Track)
Alex Umstead (UC Santa Barbara) (Men’s Field)