UC Santa Barbara monopolized the men's portion of the Big West Track and Field Athlete of the Week awards, while a couple of familiar faces represented the women for the second time this season.
The Gauchos shined at the Cal/Nevada Championships with several outstanding performances, including one Big West Men's Track Athlete of the Week Marquis Caldwell (San Jose, Calif./Abraham Lincoln HS). The senior finished in first place in the 400 meters with a personal-best time of 46.95. The mark currently ranks first in the Big West and eighth in the West Region. Caldwell also anchored two winning relay teams in the 4x100 and 4x400. The 41.32 displayed in the 4x100 edged out Sacramento State by four-tenths of a second.
UCSB teammate Mitch Haag (Upland, Calif./Upland HS) captured Big West Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors with an impressive effort in the high jump. Haag's winning leap of 7-02.50 represented a personal-best and earned him the title of Field Athlete of the Meet at the Cal/Nevada Championships. Haag's mark is tied for the eighth-best nationally.
The Women's Track Athlete of the Week award went to UC Davis junior Alycia Cridebring (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS) for the second time this season. She competed at the prestigious Stanford Invitational in Section 3 of the 5,000 meters, and set a school record in the process. Cridebring's time of 16:06.14 broke the mark of 16:17.51 set by future Olympian Kim Conley in 2009. Cridebring shattered her previous personal record time of 16:30.23 (2012) by approximately 24 seconds. The 16:06.14 showing is No. 1 among Big West competitiors, No. 6 in the NCAA West Region and No. 12 in NCAA Division I.
Hawai‘i senior Amanda Alvarez (Vancouver, Wash./Seattle Pacific) repeated as the Big West Women's Field Athlete of the Week. Fresh off a solid performance at the USC Invitational, Alvarez shifted her attention to the Stanford Invitational and excelled in both the triple jump and long jump. She broke her own triple jump record she set last week at the USC Invitational, leaping 42-9.5 (13.04m) at the Stanford Invitational. She had jumped 42-2.25 (12.86) at the USC Invitational. The 42-9.5 mark placed her second overall and first among collegiate athletes at the Stanford meet. It also put her at No. 2 in the NCAA West Regional and No. 6 nationally. Alvarez also finished fifth in the long jump with a personal-best 18-9.75 (5.73m).
Others nominated (Men's Track): Chris Frias (Cal Poly); Jake Dawson (Long Beach State); Michael Koger (UC Riverside)
Others nominated (Men's Field): John Prader (Cal Poly); Michael Montgomery (Long Beach State); Ted Hooper (UC Riverside)
Others nominated (Women's Track): Emily Cooper (Long Beach State); Amanda Rodriguez (UC Santa Barbara)
Others nominated (Women's Field): Linda Rueff (Long Beach State); Veronica Gines (UC Santa Barbara)