Lawson and Yeargin Receive MAC Track and Field Athlete of the Week Honors
4/16/2019 3:18:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Following record-setting performances at the Tennessee Relays this past weekend, Kent State's TJ Lawson and Nicole Yeargin earned their first Mid-American Conference Track and Field Athlete of the Week honors of the outdoor season, the league office announced Tuesday afternoon. Lawson was named Male Field Athlete of the Week, while Yeargin was selected as Female Track Athlete of the Week.
In his first outdoor competition of the year, Lawson posted the fourth-best decathlon performance in the world during the 2019 outdoor season with a school-record 7,876 points. The redshirt junior earned 800 or more points in six events and set three PRs during the competition en route to a No. 2 NCAA ranking. A two-time All-American in the event, he captured his second consecutive Tennessee Relays decathlon title by winning the 100m and shot put while finishing in the top-3 in all but one event. In addition to his MAC-leading decathlon score, Lawson ranks fourth in the conference in the high jump (6'-9.5") and long jump (24'-4.25"), as well as sixth in the 100-meter dash (10.78).
Competing in the 200-meter dash for the first time during the outdoor season, Yeargin ran a MAC-best time of 23.26 to shatter the Kent State record. The junior clocked the eighth-fastest wind-legal time in the country last week and is ranked 24th nationally overall this season. She bested the previous school record by 0.38 seconds and her time is 0.62 seconds faster than any other conference competitor this season. Additionally, Yeargin ran an outdoor personal-best of 54.76 in the 400-meter dash, which is the 10th-fastest time in program history.
The Golden Flashes posted four national top-25 marks overall at the Tennessee Relays. Craig Stevens, Jr. ranks 10th in the triple jump (52'-8.25") and Samory Fraga is 19th in the long jump (25'-4.50"). Both were the collegiate champion in their event.
It was also a big weekend for a pair of Kent State alumni, as Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Reggie Jagers III both posted top-4 world marks for the 2019 outdoor season. Thomas-Dodd, who also competed in Knoxville, set the meet record with a top throw of 62'-4" in the women's shot put for the second-best mark this year. Jagers III captured the men's discus title at the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, California with a top mark of 218'-9". He owns the fourth-best throw in the world in 2019.
The Golden Flashes will head to the Virginia Challenge this weekend for competition on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20.
Players Mentioned
