Kent State Track and Field Sweeps MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week Honors
12/13/2017 11:19:00 AM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
CLEVELAND, Ohio – One day after taking three of four Mid-American Conference weekly awards for the opening weekend of the indoor season, the Kent State track and field program swept the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards, the league office announced Wednesday (Dec. 13) morning. Redshirt sophomore TJ Lawson was named MAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week and senior Sam Tollerud was named MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
The MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honor is presented weekly to a MAC male and female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during the week's competition. The winners are selected by a group of the conference's faculty athletic representatives.
Kent State has now earned a conference-best five scholar-athlete awards for the 2017-18 academic year. The Golden Flashes' 16 recipients a year ago were five more than any other conference school and at least twice as many as the remaining 10 conference member institutions.
Lawson, a sports administration major with a 3.770 cumulative GPA, set new school and Kent State Field House records by scoring an impressive 5,865 points to win the heptathlon and claim MAC Male Field Athlete of the Week honors. Lawson, who ranks second nationally in the event, won six of the seven events and set a new PR in five events. He owns the top 60-meter dash time (7.06) in the conference this season, as well as the top mark in the high jump (2.11m/6'11.0") and long jump (7.43m/24'-4.5"). Lawson hit qualifying marks for the 2018 MAC Indoor Championships in the high jump and long jump.
Sam Tollerud, an exercise science major with a 4.00 cumulative GPA, finished first among collegiate athletes in the seeded pole vault on Friday at the Golden Flash Gala. Tollerud's mark of 4.02m (13'-2.25") ranks 7th in the country this season and qualifies her for the 2018 MAC Indoor Championships, where she will attempt to repeat as conference champion in the event.
The Golden Flashes will return to action at the Kent State Field House for the Doug Raymond Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Players Mentioned
