ODAC Athletes of the Week | Indoor Track & Field

ODAC Athletes of the Week | Indoor Track & Field

FOREST, Va. --- Week 15 closes with the second week of indoor track & field, which follows suit from past year's as the final segment for the indoor season until after the turn of the calendar. Several event victories and a school record or two feature among this week's indoor track & field award winners. Included in that list are Eastern Mennonite multi-event athlete Ray Ray Taylor and sprinter Alijah Johnson and Roanoke thrower Grace Fowler and pole vaulter Joseph Eldridge.

Below are entries for each of the winners from today's release. The schedule below will be used for reporting ODAC Athletes of the Week:

  • Mondays: basketball, swimming, wrestling
  • Tuesdays: indoor track & field

For more on ODAC athletics, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

MEN'S INDOOR FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Joseph Eldridge | Roanoke | Fy. | Pole Vault
Eldridge, a first-year from Chattanooga, Tenn., opened his collegiate career in winning fashion at the Bast-Cregger Invitational hosted by Roanoke College. Eldridge led a first-through-fourth finish in the pole vault, clearing the high bar at 4.05 meters (13-3.5) to best teammates Edward Rygalski and Dominic McCombs by 0.15 meters for the event victory. Eldridge's clearance ranks second in the ODAC sits just outside the top-50 in NCAA Division III.

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MEN'S INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Alijah Johnson | Eastern Mennonite | Sr. | Sprints
Johnson, a senior from Upper Marlboro, Md., post three impressive times in sprinting events to kickoff his season at the Bast-Cregger Invitational. In a non-championship event (i.e. not competed at ODAC or NCAA championships), Johnson won the 300-meter dash in 35.09 seconds. According to records published on TFRRS.org, that time is the seventh-fastest in NCAA Division III history. Johnson also competed in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. In the 200-dash -- in which he placed 17th at the Division III Championships last March -- Johnson finished 5th overall and first among D-III competitors with a time of 22.56 seconds. That ranks second in the ODAC so far this season. His converted time of 22.17 seconds for track size and/or banking slots him 15th in the country. In the 60-meter dash, Johnson posted a time of 7.08 seconds in the prelims and 7.12 seconds in the semifinals. His 7.08 time is just outside the ODAC's top-five.

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WOMEN'S INDOOR FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Grace Fowler | Roanoke | Jr. | Throws
Fowler, a junior from Lewisville, N.C., put together a strong season-opening performance in the throws at the Bast-Cregger Invitational hosted by Roanoke College. Fowler finished second overall and was the top Division III competitor in both the shot put and the weight throw. She heaved the shot 11.32 meters (37-1.75) to take over the top spot in the ODAC so far this season. In the weight throw, Fowler flung the implement 14.46 meter (47-5.25) to rank second in the ODAC.

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC WOMEN'S INDOOR FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Ray Ray Taylor | Eastern Mennonite | Sr. | Pentathlon
Taylor, a senior from Pottstown, Pa., collected 3,330 points to win the pentathlon and open her season in style at the Bast-Cregger Invitational hosted by Roanoke College. Taylor is the only athlete to record a point total in the ODAC this year and ranks third in NCAA Division III. The indoor pentathlon consists of two running events -- 60-meter hurdles and 800-meter run -- and three field disciplines -- high jump, long jump, and shot put. In the 60-hurdles, Taylor finished fifth at 9.741 seconds. She won the 800-meter run at 2:29.46, which ranks as the best time in the conference. Her converted time of 2:27.76 for track size and/or banking ranks 31st in the country. In the field events, Taylor won both the shot put and long jump. She tossed the shot 11.05 meters (36-3.00), marking the second-best throw in the conference. Her leap of 5.33 meters (17-6.00) is also second in the league and slots 25th in Division III. Taylor added a third place showing in the high jump at 1.48 meters (4-10.25), which ranks just outside the ODAC's top-5.

Click to learn more about the past week in ODAC WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK