BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Army West Point took home four Patriot League Outdoor Track and Field Weekly Awards when selections were announced on Tuesday. Boston University and Bucknell rounded out the honors with one selection apiece.
Army West Point’s Brian Matthews earned Patriot League Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week honors after logging a runner-up finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a season-best mark of 50.92. The mark leads the Patriot League and ranks 30th in NCAA Division I. Boston University’s Vera Sjöberg won Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this outdoor season. She broke a Terrier record that had stood since 1991 with a time of 4:13.77 in the 1,500m. The Stockholm native ranks 29th in NCAA DI and leads the Patriot League in the event.
Army West Point’s Cameron Smith earned Patriot League Men’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week honors after a League-leading hammer throw mark of 65.98m (216’ 6”). Smith also ranks 30th in NCAA DI. Bucknell’s Justley Sharp broke the school record in the discus (165’ 10” / 50.56m) and shot put (51’ 2.75” / 15.61m) put en route to Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week honors. The freshman now leads the Patriot League in both events, while her discus mark ranks 90th in NCAA DI and her shot put mark is 73rd.
Freshman Trey McGinnis garnered Patriot League Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Rookie of the Week honor after winning the 200m (21.31) and the 400m (48.16) this past weekend. The Army West Point sprinter now ranks second in the Patriot League in the 200m and fifth in the 400m. Fellow Black Knight Mikayla Cheney earned Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season. Cheney logged a 1,500m time of 4:27.25 at the Virginia Challenge, while also earning a 2:12.98 mark in the 800m.
Boston University’s Foster Malleck and Ellie Roan, Bucknell’s Meghan Quinn, Loyola Maryland's Lauryn Clarke, and Navy’s Mayu Gayton, Nathan Kent, Walker Rudisaile and Annie Taylor each earned honorable mention nods.
Patriot League Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Brian Matthews, Army West Point, Sr., Sprints, Catheys Valley, Calif./El Capitan
*Matthews logged a 400-meter hurdle time of 50.92, placing him second all-time in the West Point record books.
*The mark leads the Patriot League and places him 30th in NCAA DI.
*He also led off for the Black Knights’ relay team that placed third in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:09.43
Patriot League Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Vera Sjöberg, Boston University, So., Distance, Stockholm, Sweden/Rudbeck
*Sjöberg set a Terrier record in the 1,500m with a time of 4:13.77 at the Wake Forest Invitational.
*The sophomore ranks first in the Patriot League and 29th in NCAA DI in the event.
Patriot League Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Cameron Smith, Army West Point, Sr., Throws, Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood
*Smith took second at the Virginia Challenge with a hammer throw mark of 65.98m (216’ 6”).
*He currently leads the Patriot League by nearly 10 feet and ranks 37th in NCAA DI.
Patriot League Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Justley Sharp, Bucknell, Fr., Throws, Homer City, Pa./Homer Center
*Sharp broke the Bucknell school record in both the discus (165’ 10” / 50.56m) and shot put (51’ 2.75” / 15.61m) at the Bucknell Team Challenge, winning gold in both events.
*The freshman now leads the Patriot League in both events.
*Her discus mark ranks 90th in NCAA DI, while her shot put mark is 73rd.
Patriot League Men’s Rookie of the Week
Trey McGinnis, Army West Point, Fr., Sprints, St. Joseph, Mich./Saint Joseph
*McGinnis won the 200m (21.31) and the 400m (48.16) at the Bucknell Team Challenge.
*He currently ranks second in the Patriot League in the 200m, while ranking fifth in the 400m.
Patriot League Women’s Rookie of the Week
Mikayla Cheney, Army West Point, Fr., Distance, New Castle, Colo./Coal Ridge
*Cheney logged a 1,500m time of 4:27.25 at the Virginia Challenge, while also earning a 2:12.98 mark in the 800m.
*Both times would place Cheney in the League’s top five if she did not already have better season marks.
Honorable Mention
Ellie Roan, Boston University, So., Throws, Sebastopol, Calif./West County
*Roan logged a 58.25m (191’ 1”) mark in the hammer throw and a 14.27m (46”10’) mark in the shot put at the Michael Johnson Classic at Baylor.
*Roan now ranks second in the Patriot League and 81st in NCAA DI in the hammer throw.
Foster Malleck, Boston University, Gr., Distance, Kitchener, Ontario/St. Marys
*Malleck logged a 3:40.72 mark in the 1,500m at the Wake Forest Invitational. His time leads the Patriot League and ranks 30th in NCAA DI.
Meghan Quinn, Bucknell, Sr., Sprints, Lititz, Pa./Warwick
*Quin won the 400m with a mark of 55.04 at the Bucknell Team Challenge.
*She also logged a second-place finish in the 200m with a time of 24.06.
Lauryn Clarke, Loyola-Md., So., Sprints, Damascus, Md./Damascus
*Clarke ran a Patriot League-leading time of 11.68 seconds to win the 100m dash this weekend.
*She also finished second in the 200m with a mark of 24.38.
Mayu Gayton, Navy, Sr., Sprints, Jenkintown, Pa./Abington
*Gayton set a school record in the 100m with a time of 10.73 in her victory. The mark ranks fourth in the Patriot League.
*She also ran the 200m and logged a 24.78 mark, which ranks eighth in the League.
Nathan Kent, Navy, So., Sprints, Rocklin, Calif./Rocklin
*Kent won the 100m (10.58) and the 200m (20.98) at the Navy Spring Invite.
*He also helped the Mids to a win in the 4x100 relay with a team-time of 40.80.
Walker Rudisaile, Navy, Sr., Pole Vault, Marion, Texas/Marion
*Rudisaile took second at the Navy Spring Invitational with a pole vault clearance of 5.21m (17’ 1”).
*The mark leads the Patriot League and ranks 50th in NCAA DI.
Annie Taylor, Navy, Sr., Multis, Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth
*Taylor scored the third-most points in Academy history with 5,013.
*The senior ranks first in the Patriot League and 74th in NCAA DI.
Past Winners
Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
3.18 – Brahmir Vick, Navy, Sr.
3.26 – Mitchell Burr, Army West Point, Sr.
4.2 – Freddy Collins, Boston University, So.
4.9 – Nathan Kent, Navy, So.
4.16 – Luke Griner, Army West Point, Sr.
4.23 – Brian Matthews, Army West Point, Sr.
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
3.18 – Saydee Aganus, Army West Point, Sr.
3.26 – Ellie Abraham, Navy, Sr.
4.2 – Vera Sjöberg, Boston University, So.
4.9 – Meghan Quinn, Bucknell, Sr.
4.16 – Ashley Struck, Lehigh, Sr.
4.23 – Vera Sjöberg, Boston University, So.
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
3.18 – Joshua Boamah, Navy, Sr.
3.26 – Jacob Bowersock, Army West Point, So.
4.2 – Joshua Gilliard, Army West Point, Sr.
4.9 – Joshua Boamah, Navy, Sr.
4.16 – Stuart Bladon, Boston University, Sr.
4.23 – Cameron Smith, Army West Point, Sr.
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
3.18 – Peace Omonzane, Boston University, So.
3.26 – Karen Hull, Bucknell, Sr.
4.2 – Emily Fink, Army West Point, Jr.
4.9 – Peace Omonzane, Boston University, So.
4.16 – Hannah Lowenstein, Navy, Sr.
4.23 – Justley Sharp, Bucknell, Fr.
Men’s Rookie of the Week
3.18 – Marcel Jackson, Navy, Fr.
3.26 – Joshua Duncan, Army West Point. Fr.
4.2 – Jaxon Hammond, Army West Point, Fr.
4.9 – Joshua Duncan, Army West Point. Fr.
4.16 – Bernard Kemp, Bucknell, Fr.
4.23 – Trey McGinnis, Army West Point, Fr.
Women’s Rookie of the Week
3.18 – Claire Wimer, Army West Point, Fr.
3.26 – Evelyn Bliss, Bucknell, Fr.
4.2 – Mikayla Cheney, Army West Point, Fr.
4.9 – Justley Sharp, Bucknell, Fr.
4.16 – Evelyn Bliss, Bucknell, Fr.
4.23 – Mikayla Cheney, Army West Point, Fr.
PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2024 Patriot League Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held at Bucknell University's Christy Mathewson - Memorial Stadium beginning Friday, May 3 and concluding on Saturday, May 4. All nine men's programs and each of the ten women's programs will compete in the events as the Navy Midshipmen look to defend their men’s and women’s titles.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.