Rowe, Jackson Named Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year
FRISCO, Texas – Lamar’s Jordan Rowe and Northwestern State’s Natashia Jackson are the 2020 Southland Conference Indoor Track & Field Men’s and Women’s Athletes of the Year, respectively, the league announced Friday. In addition to the indoor superlative award winners, the first-, second- and third-team all-conference student-athletes were announced. Southland Conference Athletes of the Year are presented by
Ready Nutrition.
Rowe and Jackson were awarded Athlete of the Year honors after leading the men’s and women’s indoor championships as the event’s Most Valuable Performers (MVP). Rowe racked up 22 points and a pair of first-place finishes in the mile and (4:12.52) and 3,000-meter (8:26.46) events. Jackson compiled an astounding 27.5 points, while breaking meet records in the 200m and 400m races.
Southeastern Louisiana’s Corey Mistretta led the Lions to the men’s team championship and was awarded the Southland Men’s Coach of the Year. Stephen F. Austin’s Phil Olson was once again named the Women’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Ladyjacks to their second-straight team title.
Southland Conference indoor track & field superlatives are nominated and voted upon by the league’s head coaches. Voting for oneself or one’s own athletes is not permitted. All-Conference distinction is given to the first-, second- and third-place finishers in each championship event final.
For athletes that achieved
qualifying marks this season, the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be a two-day event hosted at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M., March 12-14.
The
2020 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be hosted by Abilene Christian May 15-17 in Abilene, Texas.
Men’s Outstanding Running Events Performer – Jordan Rowe, Sr., Lamar
Rowe stamped an impressive performance at the Southland indoor championships, leading the pack in both the mile and 3,000m races. The senior nabbed first team all-conference honors and has now won the mile and 3,000m events at the Southland Indoor Championships for two consecutive years.
Men’s Outstanding Field Events Performer – Branson Ellis, So., Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin’s Branson Ellis captured a meet record in the pole vault event at the indoor championships this week, clearing the bar with an 18-05.25 (5.62m) mark on just his second jump. Ellis captured first-team honors with the jump and currently holds the Southland Indoor pole vault record with a 19-00.25 (5.80m).
Men’s Freshman of the Year – Tyler Richardson, Fr., Abilene Christian
Abilene Christian’s Tyler Richardson took first place overall with a 56-01.75 (17.11m) toss in the shot put. The freshman took home the gold in the shot put with a personal-best mark in addition to a fifth-place finish in the weight throw (56-11.25/17.35m).
Men’s Newcomer of the Year – Johnathon Sawyer, Jr., Southeastern Louisiana
Sawyer was electric for the newly crowned Lions, taking first place in the 200m (20.99) and 400m (46.23) events. His 400m time set a new Southland indoor meet record, giving the Lions two of their four gold medals for the event.
Men’s Athlete of the Year – Jordan Rowe, Sr., Lamar
Rowe also nabbed Athlete of the Year honors with his spectacular performance for the Cardinals. The senior has now won titles in each of his appearances at the Southland Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Men’s Coach of the Year – Corey Mistretta, Southeastern Louisiana
Mistretta led the Lions to their first team championship since the 2014 indoor season. His team put up 99 points to lead the standings by a 12-point margin.
Women’s Outstanding Running Events Performer – Natashia Jackson, Sr., Northwestern State
Jackson rewrote the record books at the indoor championships, taking first place in the 200m (23.50), 400m (53.25) and 4x400m Relay events for the Lady Demons. The senior’s 400m title performance also set a Southland Conference indoor track record.
Women’s Outstanding Field Events Performer – Jasmyn Steels, Sr., Northwestern State
Steels, the reigning NCAA indoor long jump national champion, claimed the Southland long jump title this past weekend with a 20-05.75 (6.24m) mark. The senior needed just three attempts to claim the gold and also added a silver medal in the triple jump event (41-05.25/12.63m).
Women’s Freshman of the Year – Sierra Temple , Fr., Central Arkansas
Central Arkansas’ Sierra Temple burst onto the scene for the Bears, taking second place in the 200m event with a 24.00 mark. The freshman also registered a personal best 7.52 in the preliminary round of the 60m dash.
Women’s Newcomer of the Year – Arina Kleshchukova, Jr., New Orleans
Arina Kleshchukova took home first place in the women’s 5,000m race with a time of 16:56.92, a personal record for the newcomer. She also took part in the 3,000m and distance medley relay events for the Privateers.
Women’s Athlete of the Year – Natashia Jackson, Sr., Northwestern State
Jackson was crowned the Athlete of the Year after an impressive overall showing for the Lady Demons at the indoor meet. The senior erupted with stellar anchor-leg performance in the 4x400m relay that pushed the NSU team to a first-place finish.
Women’s Coach of the Year – Phil Olson, Stephen F. Austin
Olson once again claimed the Women’s Coach of the Year honors after pushing the Ladyjacks to a team title. He has now won the award in each of the past two seasons.
2020 Southland Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Teams
| Event |
First |
Second |
Third |
| 60m |
Zachary Jewell, UCA |
Joshua Raphael, MCN |
Jo’Vaughn Martin, SHSU |
| 200m |
Jo’vaughn Martin, SHSU |
Zachary Jewell, UCA |
Johnathon Sawyer, SLU |
| 400m |
Johnathon Sawyer, SLU |
James Benson II, SLU |
A.J. Bennett, SFA |
| 800m |
Matthew Hernandez, UIW |
Christos Zachariou, HBU |
Alex Hanson, UCA |
| Mile |
Jordan Rowe, LU |
Andrew Bosquez, SHSU |
Shea Foster, SLU |
| 3,000m |
Jordan Rowe, LU |
Grant O’Callaghan, SLU |
Max Nores, UCA |
| 5,000m |
Gideon Cheplak, MCN |
Matthew Arnold, LU |
Isaac Vargas, AMCC |
| 60m Hurdles |
Darion Dunn, MCN |
Joshua Smith, SHSU |
Timor Barrett, AMCC |
| 4x400m |
ACU: A. Williams, R. Linton, B. Brownlow, J. Williams |
SFA: A. Callahan, D. Sankey, J. Garcia, A. Bennett |
SHSU: E. Woods, C. Brown, J. Austin, J. Smith |
| DMR |
SLU: S. Foster, G. Coleman, A. Cordero, G. O’Callaghan |
LU: E. Peveto, C. Joseph, M. Arnold, J. Rowe |
MCN: A. Gilliam, T. Banks, L. Horgan, J. Croft |
| High Jump |
Slavko Stevic, SLU |
Jeremiah Gilliam, UIW |
Asani Hylton, SFA |
| Pole Vault |
Branson Ellis, SFA |
Hudson Hall, HBU |
Carter Scott, SFA |
| Long Jump |
Markeit Steverson, NSU |
Zachary Johnson, SHSU |
Aaron Worrell, UNO |
| Triple Jump |
Tylen Guidry, LU |
Chris Welch, HBU |
Quindarrius Thompson, NSU |
| Shot Put |
Tyler Richardson, ACU |
Marco Arevalo, NSU |
Cobe Graham, SHSU |
| Weight Throw |
Trenton Bridges, SFA |
Jacob Mechler, ACU |
Vojislav Gvero, UNO |
| Heptathlon |
Colton Cohea, AMCC |
Scott Boon, HBU |
Riccardo Klotz, SLU |
2020 Southland Conference Women’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Teams
| Event |
First |
Second |
Third |
| 60m |
Sierra Temple, UCA |
Taylor Tolen, ACU |
Lynelle Washington, NSU |
| 200m |
Natashia Jackson, NSU |
Ajah Criner, UCA |
Imani Nave, SFA |
| 400m |
Natashia Jackson, NSU |
Imani Nave, SFA |
Hailey Alcorn, NICH |
| 800m |
LaSean Davis, SFA |
Brianna Nolen, SFA |
Ivette Alcantar, UIW |
| Mile |
Kelsey Ramirez, SFA |
Alia Henderson, UIW |
Tamara Reeves, UCA |
| 3,000m |
Kelsey Ramirez, SFA |
Gracie Hyde, UCA |
Valentina Campos, AMCC |
| 5,000m |
Arina Kleshchukova, UNO |
Valentina Campos, AMCC |
Claire Crone, SFA |
| 60m Hurdles |
Mathilde Coquillaud-Salo, SFA |
Janiel Moore, NSU |
Omo Oboh, NICH |
| 4x400m |
NSU: J. Moore, J. Fields, E. Wilson, N. Jackson |
SFA: I. Nave, C. Burch, M. Coquillaud-Salomon, N. Kabongo |
UIW: E. Sebastion, A. Brathwaite, R. Miles, D. Keys |
| DMR |
SFA: L. Davis, D. Carr, N. Kabongo, K. Ramirez |
SLU: T. Stuntz, J. Patterson, L. Hutcheson, S. Daigle |
AMCC: A. Girard, A. Bustamante, Q. Johnson, V. Campos |
| High Jump |
Lauren Clarke, NSU |
Nissi Kabongo, SFA |
Zoe Spinn, ACU |
| Pole Vault |
Kaylee Bizzell, SFA |
AnnMarie Broussard, NSU |
Mackenzie West, ACU |
| Long Jump |
Jasmyn Steels, NSU |
Shaynea Redmond, SHSU |
Dreunna Washington, MCN |
| Triple Jump |
Lauren Clarke, NSU |
Jasmyn Steels, NSU |
Malaiya Jedkins, MCN |
| Shot Put |
Annina Brandenburg, ACU |
Alanna Arvie, MCN |
Danielle Lorenz, UNO |
| Weight Throw |
Alanna Arvie, MCN |
Jemira Thomlinson, HBU |
Kristin McDuffie, NSU |
| Pentathlon |
Kaitlin Smith, HBU |
Mathilde Coquillaud-Salom, SFA |
Parl Eelma, LU |