Sun Belt announces Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week (March 22)
Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Jaylen Bacon, Arkansas State, Junior, Eastover, S.C.
Coming off a bronze medal finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships, made his outdoor season debut with a first place finish in the 100-meter dash at the Bulldog Relays. He posted a time of 10.19 seconds to win the event and the time ranks as the second-best nationally thus far. That time is faster than his gold meal time at the SBC Outdoor Championships last season (10.25).
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Zach Blahnik, South Alabama, Redshirt Senior, Green Bay, Wis.
Blahnik paced the Jaguars in the men's throws in this weekend's Jaguar Classic. The redshirt senior posted one victory in the men's hammer throw (62.16m) and two second-place marks in shot put (15.45m) and discus (49.12m). Blahnik ranks in the league's top 10 for all three events: second in hammer, third in discus and seventh in shot put. Blahnik's shot put and discus personal best marks move him to eighth and seventh on the Jaguars' all-time list for the events, respectively.
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Alexis Baldwin, UTA, Senior, Arlington, Texas
UTA’s Alexis Baldwin finished fifth among collegians in the 100 meters at the TCU Invitational on Saturday. Her clocking of 11.76 is the best in the Sun Belt this season, ranks No. 32 nationally and is 20th on the West Qualifying List. In addition, she was part of the 4x100m relay team that also has the best clocking in the league (45.56) and placed fourth at the meet. That time is currently the 19th-best in the NCAA.
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Helen Falda, UTA, Freshman, Rome, Italy
UTA freshman Helen Falda shattered the school record in the pole vault by nearly 9 inches on Saturday en route to winning the TCU Invitational. She cleared 13 feet, 9 ¾ inches (4.21m). It is the best mark in the Sun Belt Conference this season by six inches. Her mark ranks third nationally on the NCAA Outdoor Qualifying Combined List and second on the NCAA West Qualifying list.
Athlete of the Week Archive
Men's Track Athletes of the Week
March 22 - Jaylen Bacon, Arkansas State
Women's Track Athletes of the Week
March 22 - Zach Blahnik, South Alabama
Men's Field Athletes of the Week
March 22 - Alexis Baldwin, UTA
Women's Field Athletes of the Week
March 22 - Helen Falda, UTA