Lincoln University's Sabiel Anderson and Donna-Lee Hylton were named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association's Men's and Women's Outdoor Track Athletes of the Week after strong performances Saturday at the Wendy's/Pittsburg State University Invitational.
The league office announced the honors, which were voted on by a select panel of conference sports information directors Monday.
Anderson set the first automatic qualifying time for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in a track event in the MIAA this season, taking second in the 110-meter hurdles at the Invitational. Anderson, who also won the 400-meter hurdles with a provisional time of 52.22, finished first among all attached athletes in the 110-meter with a time of 14.03. Both times currently rank as the best in the MIAA.
Hylton won two races and broke a stadium record at the Invitational. She won the 400-meter dash in 54.64, setting a Prentice Gudgen Track record in the process, and took the 200-meter dash in 24.21. Both times rank as the best in the MIAA in their respective events this year and both are each provisional qualifiers.
This marks the first athlete of the week award of the season for Anderson and the second for Hylton, who was also named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's Division II National Women's Track Athlete of the Week on Feb. 5 during the indoor season. This is also the second week in a row a member of the Lincoln women's team was named athlete of the week, as Latoya King captured the track honor last week.
III
Hylton wasn't the only Blue Tiger to set a stadium record Saturday, as Yanique Haye also did so as the Blue Tigers had a big day Saturday at the Invitational.
The results by Hylton and Haye were both provisional qualifying marks for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, two of the 15 provisional marks recorded by Lincoln at the meet. The Lincoln women won 11 events at the meet.
Hylton won two of those events, including the 400-meter dash, where she led four Blue Tigers who finished in the top five of that event, with Michelle Cumberbatch also setting a provisional qualifying time with a second-place result (55.19). Haye placed third (56.30), while Nicketa Coombs finished fifth (58.82).
The other win for Hylton came in the 200-meter dash, where she again led four top-eight finishers for Lincoln with the aforementioned winning time of 24.21. Jenae Johnson finished third in that race (24.83), Yanique Ellington took fourth (25.25) and Kayla Heidelberg placed seventh (26.39).
Haye's stadium record came in the 400-meter hurdles, an event dominated by the Blue Tigers with five of the top eight finishers. Haye won with a provisional time of 1:00.38, while Cumberbatch also set a provisional time by taking third in 1:02.33. Juneille Barker (1:04.31) and Toni-Ann Moore (1:04.89) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while Marcia Harrison placed eighth (1:05.88).
Lincoln also had tremendous success in the 100-meter dash, which Cardine Copeland won in 12.15. The Blue Tigers posted three other top-eight results in that race, with Johnson taking fifth (12.46), Nickeisha Beaumont placing sixth (12.47) and Ellington coming in eighth (12.62).
Twishana Williams was a double-winner for Lincoln, setting provisional times in both the 800-meter (2:13.74) and 1,500-meter (4:32.78) runs. Lovan Palmer finished second in the 800 (2:15.04) and Monique Thompson came in fourth in the 800 same race (2:18.29).
Anna-Kay James won the 100-meter hurdles in a provisional time of 14.03. Hers was one of three provisional marks by Lincoln in that event, with the others coming from Barker in second place (14.16) and Moore in fifth place (14.40). Sanchia Lee finished eighth in the race 15.21).
Lincoln finished both first and second in the 4x100-meter relay. The winning team consisted of Moore, Copeland, Ellington and Johnson, and finished with a provisional time of 45.70. The second-place foursome of Coombs, Beaumont, Barker and James finished in 46.11.
Sheri Kaye Campbell highlighted Lincoln's performance in the field events, winning the high jump (1.76 meters) and triple jump (12.48 meters), with both distances standing as provisional qualifiers.
Campbell was one of three Blue Tigers to finish in the top eight of the triple jump, joining Daniele Newman, who turned in a provisional mark with a third-place finish (11.97 meters), and Jonelle Campbell, who took fifth (11.67 meters).
The final provisional qualifying by a Blue Tiger came in the long jump, which Beaumont won with a leap of 5.87 meters. Lee took third. (5.63 meters).
Also at the event, Missouri Southern's Melanie Bower (Linn High School) came in third in the pole vault (3.37 meters) and her teammate, Addie Mengwasser (Chamois High School), placed sixth in the 1,500-meter run (4:59.66). Missouri-Kansas City's Jazmine Cooper (Jefferson City High School) finished eighth in the long jump (5.41 meters).
On the men's side, Lincoln posted one automatic and four provisional marks at the meet.
In addition to Anderson's results, Lincoln's Michael Ashley won both the 200-meter (21.74) and 400-meter (47.19) dashes, with the time in the 400 being a provisional qualifier.
Alonzo Allen also represented Lincoln in the 400 with an eighth-place result (49.52).
In the 200-meter dash, Ashley led three other Lincoln athletes who finished among the top eight. Devin Hill was the runner-up (21.92), while Wesley Best placed fourth (22.25) and Khorey Spalding took fifth (22.76).
The Blue Tigers also picked up a win in the 100-meter dash, where Romel Lewis turned in a provisional qualifying time of 10.36. Lewis led four Blue Tigers runners in the top eight, with Hill taking third (10.79), Spalding placing fourth (10.83) and Best finishing sixth (10.95).
Also, Jermaine Blake turned in a second-place performance in the 800-meter run (1:53.68).
In the 4x100-meter relay, the team of Best, Spalding, Hill and Ashley finished with a provisional time of 40.65 while taking second.
Donohue Williams finished eighth in the 400-meter hurdles (59.30).
Washington Invitational
ST. LOUIS - Several track and field athletes with area ties posted top-eight results in Saturday's Washington University Invitational.
On the men's side, Andy Gilmore (Southern Boone High School) won the high jump (6-10 3/4) while competing for Computomarx.
Truman State's Matthew Schaefer (Helias High School) finished second in the 800-meter run (1:55.22) and was also part of the Bulldogs' 4x400-meter relay team that took second (3:18.41).
William Woods' Ryan Meyer (Linn High School) finished second in the 10,000-meter run (30:17.83), while his teammate, Tanner Edwards (Tipton High School), finished seventh in the 200-meter dash (23.02) and was part of the Owls' winning 4x400-meter relay team (3:16.49).
Competing for Central Methodist, Kiefer Smith (Linn High School) placed sixth in the pole vault (14-1 1/4) and Kyle Jones (School of the Osage High School) took eighth in the high jump (6-2 3/4).
Competing unattached, former Lincoln Blue Tiger Mandela Clifford finished fourth in the 100-meter dash (10.73).
On the women's side, Truman State's Beth Keene (Southern Boone High School) finished third in the triple jump (33-6 1/2) and Alex Apperson (Eldon High School) was part of William Woods' 4x400-meter relay team that finished sixth (4:11.17).