FRISCO, Texas – McNeese's Grace McKenzie and Houston Baptist's Kaitlin Smith are the Southland Conference Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week, respectively, the league announced Wednesday. Southland weekly honors are presented by Hercules Tires.
McKenzie closed out an action-packed weekend for the Cowgirls, where she competed in a trio of running events at the Texas A&M Team Invitational in College Station, Texas. The senior registered a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.72, setting a McNeese program record while improving to the first-place position for the event on this season's Southland performance list. The Cowgirls are back in action Saturday, April 17, at the LSU Boots Garland Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.
Smith stamped a second-place finish in the heptathlon event over the weekend at the Texas A&M Team Invitational, scoring 5,584 points in her latest performance. She took first place in the 800m portion with a 2:18.10 and finished second in five of the remaining six multis events, including the 100m hurdles (13.34), 200m (24.42), high jump (5-08.0 ft), shot put (37-01.75 ft) and long jump 18-07.75 ft). Houston Baptist heads to the J. Fred Duckett Twilight on the Rice campus Saturday, April 24.
Women's Track Athlete of the Week – Grace McKenzie, McNeese – Sr. – Cork, Ireland
McKenzie closed out an impressive weekend, competing in three running events and posting a program record in the 400m hurdles. She currently ranks first in the Southland and 22nd in the NCAA East region for her latest time in the quarter-mile hurdles. In addition to her fifth-place finish in the 800m and her 10th-place finish in the 100m hurdles over the weekend, McKenzie also tabbed a sixth-place performance in the long jump event.
Honorable Mention: Taylor Tolen, Abilene Christian; Tamara Reeves, Central Arkansas; Ivette Alcantar, UIW; Faith Outing, Lamar; Arina Kleshchukova, New Orleans; Elsa Rijpstra, Nicholls; Natashia Jackson, Northwestern State.
Women's Field Athlete of the Week – Kaitlin Smith, Houston Baptist – Sr. – Wailuku, Hawaii
Smith improved upon her personal best in the heptathlon over the weekend, scoring 5,584 points and topping her previous best mark by nearly 300 points. She finished among the top two in six of the seven multis events for the heptathlon on the weekend.
Honorable Mention: Annina Brandenburg, Abilene Christian; Taylor Coleman, Central Arkansas; Victoria Sunday, UIW; Parl Eelma, Lamar; Alanna Arvie, McNeese; Chelsea Harrington, Nicholls; Lauren-Ashley Clarke, Northwestern State.
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.
2021 Southland Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
March 17 – Track: Natashia Jackson, Northwestern State; Field: Grace McKenzie, McNeese
March 24 – Track: Taylor Tolen, Abilene Christian; Field: Annina Brandenburg, Abilene Christian
March 31 – Track: Irene Rono, Abilene Christian; Field: Grace McKenzie, McNeese
April 7 – Track: Kaitlin Smith, Houston Baptist; Field: Annina Brandenburg, Abilene Christian
April 14 – Track: Grace McKenzie, McNeese; Field: Kaitlin Smith, Houston Baptist
