SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman has swept the Southern Conference men’s and women’s outdoor track athlete of the week awards for the third straight week, with Ryan Adams and Gabbi Jennings earning the honors, respectively. VMI’s Andrew Granger and Ellie Miller have claimed men’s and women’s field honors, respectively.
 
Selections were made by panels of the league’s track and field coaches and included all competition from April 21-27. They are the final selections of the 2021 outdoor campaign.
 
Furman’s Adams claimed his third straight weekly honor for his efforts in the 1,500-meter run. The senior from Hudson, Ohio, turned in a time of 3:38.74 to win the event Friday at the 111^th edition of the Drake Relays, taking exactly three seconds off a meet record that had stood since 1990. Adams continues to lead the SoCon in the event with his school-record time of 3:37.82 from the week prior, which is currently seventh on the NCAA Division I Outdoor Qualifying List. He is just the third student-athlete in SoCon outdoor history to win the weekly award three times in the same season, joining field athletes Capers Williamson of The Citadel (2016) and Ben Johnson of ETSU (2018 and 2019). Adams is the first to do so in three consecutive weeks and the first track athlete to be honored three times in a season. His four career weekly awards are tied for third in SoCon outdoor history.
 
Furman’s Jennings also competed at the Drake Relays on Friday, finishing seventh overall and first among collegiate competitors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The senior from Slidell, Louisiana, turned in a personal-best time of 9:43.48, which took more than four seconds off her own school record and is an Olympic Trials qualifying mark. Jennings’s time leads the SoCon by more than a minute, 24 seconds, and ranks seconds on the NCAA Division I Outdoor Qualifying List. The weekly honor is her second this season and the fifth of her outdoor career, tying her for second in SoCon history.
 
VMI’s Granger won the hammer throw and finished third in the discus at the W&L Spring Term Kick-Off, hosted by Washington & Lee in Lexington, Virginia, on Saturday. The freshman from Marietta, Georgia, turned in a personal-best throw of 54.21 meters in the hammer, which ranks second on the SoCon performance list. Granger posted a mark of 35.10 meters in the discus. The weekly award is the first of his career.
 
VMI’s Miller also competed in the throws at the W&L Spring Term Kick-Off on Saturday, turning in a pair of podium finishes. The redshirt sophomore from Dayton, Virginia, finished second in the shot put with a toss of 11.56 meters, which ranks 10^th on the SoCon performance list, and threw the javelin 31.62 meters, which ranks sixth in the league this season. Miller finished sixth in the discus with a throw of 30.08 meters, which is 11^th in the SoCon so far. The weekly award is the first of her career.
 
The Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships are set for Saturday and Sunday at Western Carolina’s Catamount Athletic Complex in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
 
2021 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week
Men’s track
March 25          Michael McMahan, Samford
March 31          Daniel Bernal, Furman
April 7               Titus Moore, Samford
April 14             Ryan Adams, Furman
April 21             Ryan Adams, Furman
April 28             Ryan Adams, Furman
 
Men’s field
March 25          Solomon Ghosh, VMI
March 31          Mac Bennett, Western Carolina
April 7               Sam Blumer, The Citadel
April 14             JP Caglione, The Citadel
April 21             Justin Stuckey, Samford
April 28             Andrew Granger, VMI
 
Women’s track
March 25          Amanda Dumar, Samford
March 31          Bethany Graham, Furman
April 7               Cherrish Wright, Mercer
April 14             Gabbi Jennings, Furman
April 21             Bethany Graham, Furman
April 28             Gabbi Jennings, Furman
 
Women’s field
March 25          Maggie Johnston, Samford
March 31          Milan Williams, The Citadel
April 7               Georgia McDevitt, Wofford
April 14             Maggie Johnston, Samford
April 21             Maggie Johnston, Samford
April 28             Ellie Miller, VMI