Jewell, Welch Tabbed Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
FRISCO, Texas – Central Arkansas’ Zachary Jewell and Houston Baptist’s Christopher Welch are the Southland Conference Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week, respectively, the league announced Wednesday. Southland weekly honors are presented by
Hercules Tires.
Jewell secured a pair of gold medals for the Bears last weekend at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., while helping his squad to a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay event. The senior claimed the top spot on the podium in the 200m race, crossing the finish line with a 20.84. His top performance of the weekend came in the 100m dash, where he recorded a blazing 10.07 finish to grab the nation’s fourth-fastest time. Central Arkansas will have one final regular-season event this weekend in Hammond, La., at the Southeastern Louisiana-Conference Tune-up.
Welch completed an impressive weekend for the Huskies at the J. Fred Duckett Twilight Invitational in Houston, Texas, taking first place in the long jump with a 7.82m (25-08.0 ft) mark and second overall in the triple jump with a 15.01m (49-03.0 ft) leap. After the weekend’s marks, the sophomore now ranks 19th in the nation in the long jump event and second in the Southland this season. Houston Baptist hits the road this weekend for the Texas Invitational in Austin, Texas, beginning April 30 and finishing May 1.
Men’s Track Athlete of the Week – Zachary Jewell, Central Arkansas – Sr. – Mena, Ark.
Jewell won two events for the Bears, setting personal-best marks in both events. He produced the fastest time in the SLC in the 100m with a 10.07 and set a UCA record in the process. He broke another school record with his time of 40.71 in the 200m.
Honorable Mention: Jared Williams, Abilene Christian; Garrett Gibson, Houston Baptist; Gideon Cheplak, McNeese; Alec Snell, New Orleans; Kie’Ave Harry, Northwestern State; Bryan Henderson, Sam Houston; 4x400m Relay Team (Names), Southeastern Louisiana; Leonardo Ledgister, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week – Christopher Welch, Houston Baptist– So. – Dickinson, Texas
Welch leapt into the nation’s top-20 performers for the long jump event after a first-place finish on a 7.82m leap, a mark that came on his second attempt of the afternoon. He currently ranks second in the Southland for the long jump this season and ninth in the NCAA West Region. He also added a second-place finish in the triple jump, capturing a 15.01m jump within a field of 12 competitors.
Honorable Mention: Tyler Richardson, Abilene Christian; Malik Beasley, Central Arkansas; Hunter Longino, McNeese; Vojislav Gvero, New Orelans; Clayton Fritsch, Sam Houston; Slavko Stevic, Southeastern Louisiana; Asani Hylton, Stephen F. Austin.
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 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
March 17 – Track: Kie’Ave Harry, Northwestern State; Field: Donavon Banks, McNeese
March 24 – Track: Gideon Cheplak, McNeese; Field: Tylen Guidry, Lamar
March 31 – Track: Johnathon Sawyer, Southeastern Louisiana; Field: Asani Hylton, Stephen F. Austin
April 7 – Track: Ben Drew, Houston Baptist; Field: Clayton Fritsch, Sam Houston
April 14 – Track: Joshua Smith, Sam Houston; Field: Denim Rogers, Houston Baptist
April 21 – Track: Leonardo Ledgister, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Field: Tyler Richardson, Abilene Christian
April 28 – Track: Zachary Jewell, Central Arkansas; Field: Christopher Welch, Houston Baptist