THE CONNING TOWER by Keith Conning: First National Athletes of the Week for 2015 Outdoors Announced

NEW ORLEANS—Collegians took advantage of spring break and warm weather in the South and West, starting their outdoor seasons in the sun. Seven of the eight National Athletes of the Week were competing in California, Texas, or South Carolina.
The awards were announced Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). All eight took over the division lead for their respective divisions and events.
The winners were, alternating men and women and going DI-DII-DIII-NJCAA: Sam Crouser of Oregon and Jeannelle Scheper of South Carolina; Masoud Moghaddam of Texas A&M-Commerce and Kori Gilley of Humboldt State; Jake Mihelich of Linfield and Asia Greene of George Fox; and Odean Skeen and Diamond Gause of South Plains.
Click each of the student-athletes’ names above or keep scrolling below to read about the exploits that made all eight worthy.
National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to eight (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions, plus the NJCAA) collegiate track & field athletes.
Nominations are open to the public. Coaches and sports information directors are encouraged to nominate their student-athletes; as are student-athletes, their families and friends, and fans of their programs.
The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.

DIVISION I MEN – Sam Crouser, Oregon

RS Senior | Gresham, Oregon
Throwing at USC’s Trojan Invitational, Crouser launched the spear 78.94 meters (259-0) for his outdoor debut and fifth straight javelin win. Crouser is the defending NCAA javelin champ, though unlike in past seasons, he didn’t compete indoors this year.
78.94 would have been the best throw in the entire NCAA last year, setting up Crouser well for a title defense. Also at the Trojan Invite: his sister Haley won the women’s javelin.
Honorable mention: Texas A&M 4×100

DIVISION I WOMEN – Jeannelle Scheper, South Carolina

RS Senior | Gros-Islet, Saint Lucia
Scheper hadn’t competed collegiately since the 2014 indoor season, but the two-time national runner-up picked up where she left off a year and a week ago. She jumped 1.91 meters (6-3.25) at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational in Myrtle Beach. That’s just two centimeters lower than the best indoor mark in the NCAA this winter, and the early-season collegiate outdoor leader.
After exactly one full weekend of competition across the nation following the conclusion of the indoor season two weekends ago, Scheper has the national lead by eight centimeters.
Honorable mention: Shelbi Vaughan, Texas A&M

DIVISION II MEN – Masoud Moghaddam, Texas A&M-Commerce

Senior | Mashhad, Iran
Competing the day before his 29th birthday, Moghaddam gave himself a fantastic present: a national leader and provisional qualifier in the hammer. The junior tossed the ball and chain 63.56m (208-6) for the win and an early national lead. His ten points in the hammer helped TAMU-Commerce to a 106-74 win in its dual meet against Tarleton State.
The throw was a school record and currently leads the rest of Division II by over three meters.
Honorable mention: Talyn Washington, Nova Southeastern

DIVISION II WOMEN – Kori Gilley, Humboldt State

Junior | El Cajon, California
Per TFRRS, Gilley has never competed at an NCAA national championship, but she punched her ticket to this year’s national meet in Allendale, Michigan this weekend. Racing against mostly Division I competition, she won her 1500 heat at Sacramento State in 4:23.97–an automatic qualifier for Division II nationals and the fastest time in DII this year. It’s also the fifth fastest time on the 2015 all-college list.
Honorable mention: Amanda Farrough, Lewis

DIVISION III MEN – Jake Mihelich, Linfield

Sophomore | Surprise, Arizona
The sophomore from Surprise has been turning 400 times this March that have been–unexpected. He’s chopped more than a full second from his 2014 personal best, going from last year’s 48.40 to Saturday’s 47.24. (Mihelich ran 47.63 on his home track two weeks ago) The nation-leading time is the fastest DIII regular season 400 since 2013. Mihelich blazed his way to that time against mostly DI and NAIA competition at Portland State’s Rose City Preview.
Honorable mention: Donson Cook-Gallardo, Carleton

DIVISION III WOMEN – Asia Greene, George Fox

Sophomore | West Linn, Oregon
Just a week after finishing third at indoor nationals in North Carolina, Greene uncorked a jump in Santa Barbara that would have netted her a win the week before. She jumped 5.83m (19-1.5) for a three centimeter win, a DIII national leader, and a George Fox school record. That’s the second longest jump in DIII, indoors or out, this year.
Honorable mention: Alexis Appezzato, Ramapo

NJCAA MEN – Odean Skeen, South Plains

Sophomore | Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
The 2012 World Junior 100 meter bronze medalist, 2014 NJCAA 100 meter champ, and 2015 NJCAA 60 meter indoor champ made his 2015 outdoor debut on Saturday, and he did not disappoint. Running with a 0.5 meters per second tailwind, he blew out the 100 meter field at the UTEP Springtime Invitational by over a quarter second. His winning time of 10.21 seconds is the fastest by a collegian in the U.S. this year.
Honorable mention: Meridian 4×100

NJCAA WOMEN – Diamond Gause, South Plains

Sophomore | Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Gause, the younger sister of Florida All-American Destinee Gause, gave South Plains the double collegiate leaders in the 100 meters this weekend. She edged out Wayland Baptist’s Alexis Browner by 0.06 seconds to win the 100 at UTEP in 11.33 seconds–a personal best and the very early collegiate leader.
Honorable mention: Lydia Mato, Barton County