The three Big West Track and Field Athlete of the Week honorees shined with their performances at the Oxy Invitational to record nationally ranked finishes.
 
UC Santa Barbara’s Shyan Vaziri (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) clinched his fourth Big West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week honor after a ninth place finish at the Oxy Invitational in the 800m with a time of 1:49.05.  The junior now sits in 14th in the NCAA West Region in both the 800m and the 1500m.  Vaziri’s time in the 800 ranked 42nd in the country, while his time of 3:42.44 in the 1500 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 18 stands at No. 22 nationally.

With her first Women’s Track Athlete of the Week nod, Jessica Johnson (Long Beach, Calif./Centennial HS) of UC Santa Barbara captured the honor after a second place finish at the Oxy Invitational in the 400m with a time of 53.77. The junior is now tied for first in the Big West in the event with UC Davis’ Cekarri Nixon and is 30th overall in the NCAA West Region. Johnson’s most recent time ranks 57th in the country, also tied with Nixon.
 
For the third time this season and for the second time in a row, UC Irvine’s Itos Aikhionbare (Eagle Rock, Calif./ La Salle HS) claimed Big West Women’s Field Athlete of the Week recognition.  For the second straight Saturday the junior set a new school record, this week in the discus throw, with a mark of 170-2 (51.86m) at the Oxy Invitational. The throw, which ranks 47th nationally, broke her own school record from last year when she had a mark of 169-5.  As the top collegiate finisher who clinched fourth overall in the event, the Anteater also won the shot put with a mark of 52-4.75 (15.97m).  Aikhionbare currently ranks first in the conference in both the discus and the shot put and is sixth in the West Region in the shot put and 29th in the discus throw.  She threw 53-9 in the shot put to break the UCI record at the adidas/Steve Scott Invitational two weeks ago.

Others nominated: None