Photo by: Michael Wade/Southland Conferenc
Melgar fourth ACU thrower to win AOTW award
4/10/2019 3:39:00 PM | Track & Field
ABILENE – Abilene Christian senior Kayla Melgar Wednesday was announced as the Southland Conference's Female Field Athlete of the Week in recognition of her incredible performances this past weekend at Arizona State's Sun Angel Classic. She is the fifth different Wildcat to receive a 2019 citation and the fourth ACU thrower, joining a group that also features Lonnie Smith (Jan. 30), Kai Schmidt (March 20) and Josh Hunter. Sprinter Jared Williams was voted men's track athlete of the week on March 20.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on at least 25 percent of ballots.
A native of Tempe, Ariz., Melgar claimed first-place honors in the shot put competition at the Sun Angel Classic with a throw that's currently 13th-best in the NCAA and tops in the Southland this season. In addition to her victory, Melgar finished fifth in the discus premiere with a throw of 172-1 and ninth in the hammer premiere with a 172-5 toss.
Melgar's victory was the second of the outdoor season and 14th of her distinguished career. She additionally won the outdoor shot put at Texas Tech's Fearless Champion Open on March 22 (52' 4.75"), and at the conference indoor championship she totaled 14 points between a pair of medal-stand showings in the shot put and weight throw.
This week's list of honorable mentions included Schmidt and senior distance runner Ryan Cleary. Schmidt won for the third time this outdoor season, beating six throwers to claim first-place honors in the discus premiere event at the Sun Angel Classic. He also placed third in the shot put premiere event, going up against competition from Iowa, BYU and ASU's Turner Washington, who was competing unattached.
Cleary, meanwhile, defeated 11 runners to win the North Texas Classic 1500m run with the No. 2 time in the Southland Conference of 3:50.25.
Next up for the Wildcats is a trip to Waco for the annual Michael Johnson Invitational hosted by Baylor.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on at least 25 percent of ballots.
A native of Tempe, Ariz., Melgar claimed first-place honors in the shot put competition at the Sun Angel Classic with a throw that's currently 13th-best in the NCAA and tops in the Southland this season. In addition to her victory, Melgar finished fifth in the discus premiere with a throw of 172-1 and ninth in the hammer premiere with a 172-5 toss.
Melgar's victory was the second of the outdoor season and 14th of her distinguished career. She additionally won the outdoor shot put at Texas Tech's Fearless Champion Open on March 22 (52' 4.75"), and at the conference indoor championship she totaled 14 points between a pair of medal-stand showings in the shot put and weight throw.
This week's list of honorable mentions included Schmidt and senior distance runner Ryan Cleary. Schmidt won for the third time this outdoor season, beating six throwers to claim first-place honors in the discus premiere event at the Sun Angel Classic. He also placed third in the shot put premiere event, going up against competition from Iowa, BYU and ASU's Turner Washington, who was competing unattached.
Cleary, meanwhile, defeated 11 runners to win the North Texas Classic 1500m run with the No. 2 time in the Southland Conference of 3:50.25.
Next up for the Wildcats is a trip to Waco for the annual Michael Johnson Invitational hosted by Baylor.
Players Mentioned
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
/ Track & Field
ACU Press Conference: Abilene Flying Bison to Play at ACU in 2026
Tuesday, April 07
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | April 6, 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Softball: Jo Koons Press Conference | April 6, 2026
Monday, April 06
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | March 31, 2026
Tuesday, March 31
