ABILENE - Junior Shalaina Lakey and senior
Nick Jones Thursday were selected as the Lone Star Conference's Field Athletes of the Week after the duo recorded several notable performances during last Saturday's invitational hosted by Texas-El Paso.
The Wildcats have earned seven LSC Field Athlete of the Week citations since the start of 2012 outdoor season. Jones is a three-time winner this spring, while triple jumper Amanda Ouedraogo has twice been recognized. Hammer throwers Lakey and Baptiste Kerjean have each received the award once. Top-ranked 800-meter runner Banjo Jaiyesimi was named LSC Track Athlete of the Week lat Thursday.
Jones today was hailed by the conference after he launched a personal best discus throw of 203 feet, 3 inches (61.95 meters) at UTEP's Kidd Field. His effort moved him up to third place on the all-time NCAA Division II performance list, and only ranks behind former Wildcat and 1996 Olympian Andy Kokhanovsky, who recorded the DII record of 211-5 (64.44m) at the Abilene Invitational on May 9, 1996, and 1988 Olympian Randy Heisler (204-1, 62.22m), who posted his top mark with the University of Indianapolis at the 1984 NCAA Championships.
Kokhanovsky pupil and six-time All-America Mason Finley of Kansas was among those Jones beat in the discus. Jones also defeated several more DI opponents from Boise State, New Mexico and Rice by more than two meters to win the shot put with a push of 61-5.50 (18.73m).
Jones this spring has won two shot put and discus titles, and has finished among the top five two other times. He is one of four Wildcat NCAA automatic qualifiers along with Ouedraogo, Kerjean, and long jumper Levance Williams.
Lakey earned a share of LSC's Women's Field Athlete of the Week title with Angelo State's Jayda Spencer after recording a personal best and NCAA provisional qualifying throw of 163-7 to place fourth in the hammer at the UTEP Invitational. Lakey registered this distance on her sixth and final attempt, finishing behind three DI throwers from Kansas and Boise State. Lakey is the first Wildcat on the ACU women's team this season to record a NCAA provisional mark in the hammer.
Lakey and Kevin Johnson were the only new Wildcats to add their names last week to ACU's growing list of NCAA provisional qualifiers, which now stands at 18. Johnson made the cut as part of a 4x100-meter relay that recorded an altitude-adjusted time of 41.13. Dennis Bain, Paris Robertson and Jordan Geary ran the relay's first three legs.
The Wildcats return to action Saturday for the
2012 Michael Johnson Dr Pepper Classic at Baylor University's Hart-Patterson Track Complex. The event will feature multiple Olympic hopefuls and top runners from TCU, North Texas, Texas State, UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin and Angelo State, among 25 schools competing.
