SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Samford’s Brandon Hazouri and Western Carolina’s Jared Johnson have been named Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week on the men’s side, the league office announced Wednesday. On the women’s side, Sarah Sanford of Samford claimed track athlete of the week recognition and Holly Gaines of Western Carolina took field athlete of the week distinction. Selections were made by a group of the league’s track and field coaches and included competition held Jan. 27-Feb. 2.
Hazouri nabbed his second men’s track honor of the season by posting a school record in the mile with a time of 4:01.10, earning a runner-up finish at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational on Saturday. The senior from Birmingham, Ala., has set a new mile record in each of the first two meets of the indoor season for Samford, and his latest time ranks in the top 10 in the country.
Johnson earned men’s field athlete of the week by winning the 35-pound weight throw at the Marshall Thundering Classic on Saturday, notching a SoCon-leading toss of 19.33m. The toss also set a facility record and a broke a 17-year-old mark at WCU.
Sanford, from Hoover, Ala., garnered the women’s track athlete of the week distinction by improving on two of her own program records at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational, registering an 8.42-second performance in the 60-meter hurdles and a 56.34-second effort in the 400-meter dash.
Gaines collected women’s field athlete of the week honors by coming in second in the pentathlon at the Thundering Herd Invite for the Catamounts, registering a SoCon-best 3,433 points. Her performance included a third-place finish in the long jump and a seventh-place finish in the high jump. She also won the 800 meter and came in second in the 60-meter hurdles.
Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week
Jan. 20 – Brandon Hazouri, Samford
Jan. 27 – No nominees
Feb. 3 – Brandon Hazouri, Samford
Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week
Jan. 20 – Jamie Brown, Western Carolina
Jan. 27 – No nominees
Feb. 3 – Jared Johnson, Western Carolina
Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week
Jan. 20 – Tayla Carter, Western Carolina
Jan. 27 – No nominees
Feb. 3 – Sarah Sanford, Samford
Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week
Jan. 20 – Hailey Cook, Western Carolina
Jan. 27 – Jordan Highsmith, Samford
Feb. 3 – Holly Gaines, Western Carolina
-www.SoConSports.com-