The Cal Poly men and UC Davis women collected Big West Men's and Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors for strong performances in meet competition.
Cal Poly junior Blake Ahrold (Dana Hills, Calif./Dana Hills HS) captured the Men's Track Athlete of the Week award for his role at the Cal Poly/ShareSlo.com Invitational. He won the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 9:04.31, which established a personal-best and rated as the No. 2 time nationally according to TFRRS.
Mustang teammate John Prader (Salinas, Calif./Salinas HS) was selected the Men's Field Athlete of the Week. He claimed the title in the pole vault with a mark of 18 feet, one-half inches at the Cal Poly/ShareSlo.com Invitational. The Salinas, Calif. native also set a personal record and tied for the top mark in the country with his performance.
A pair of UC Davis sophomores claimed this week's honors for the women.
Ashley Marshall (Moreno Valley, Calif./Rancho Verde HS) turned in a couple of second place finishes for the Aggies to claim Women's Track Athlete of the Week honors. She ran a 24.02 in the 200 meters that broke the school record of 24.04, which was set by teammate Melanise Chapman in the heat before Marshall's on Saturday. Chapman entered the day as the record holder (24.09) in the event before she and Marshall both outran that mark at the Sacramento State-hosted Hornet Invitational. Marshall's 24.02 ranks No. 1 in the Big West, tied for No. 20 in the West Region and tied for No. 28 in NCAA Division I.
Marshall then focused her attention on the 4x100 relay, and helped UCD to a runner-up finish in 45.26 seconds. She ran the second leg of that relay as the group broke the school record of 45.77 set in 2007. The Aggies own the fastest relay time in the conference by more than a second.
Sarah Hussey (Elk Grove, Calif./Elk Grove HS) also performed well at the Hornet Invitational to secure Women's Field Athlete of the Week recognition. Hussey's mark of 172-06 (52.58) in the discus placed her fourth in the event and obliterated her previous PR of 166-00 (50.60) established last year. The mark also moved her from No. 7 to No. 5 all-time in the Aggie record book. In addition to ranking tops in the Big West, Hussey's throw also places her No. 26 in the West Region and tied for No. 42 in NCAA Division I.
Others nominated (Men's Track): Devin Hickey (Long Beach State); Riley Martin (UC Irvine)
Others nominated (Men's Field): Walter Whitaker (Cal State Fullerton); Adam Bianchessi (Long Beach State);
Others nominated (Women's Track): Lia Rivers-Birt (Cal Poly); Katie Wilson (Cal State Fullerton); Emily Cooper (Long Beach State); Kaycee Holcomb (UC Irvine); Ashley Satterwhite (Hawaii)
Others nominated (Women's Field): Kendal Nielsen (Cal Poly); Amanda Klinchuch (Long Beach State); Joanne Franke-Kuhn (Hawaii)