Lincoln's Ellington earns MIAA track award

Following a three-win performance last week, Lincoln's Yanique Ellington became the first winner of the indoor season of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Women's Track Athlete of the Week award.

The league office announced the award Tuesday, with the honor being voted upon by a select panel of conference sports information directors.

Ellington won three races at Saturday's Saluki Fast Start hosted by Southern Illinois-Carbondale, setting three of the best times in the MIAA in the process. Competing mainly against Division I athletes, Ellington won the 60-meter dash (7.63 second) and the 200-meter dash (24.51) and helped Lincoln's 4x400-meter relay team win in 3:52.43.

All three times are provisional qualifiers that lead the MIAA and are among the top six in the country.

This marks the fourth time overall, and the first since April 14, that Ellington has been named MIAA Women's Track Athlete of the Week.

The Blue Tigers are off until Jan. 16 when Lincoln will begin the 2014-15 indoor season in earnest at the Missouri Invitational in Columbia.