SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman’s Cameron Ponder and The Citadel’s Stephen Kraeling have been named the Southern Conference men’s indoor track and field athletes of the week, respectively, while UNCG’s Ariana Garcia and The Citadel’s Carisma Holland earned the women’s indoor track and field awards, respectively, the conference office announced Wednesday.
 
Selections were made by panels of the league’s track and field coaches and included all competition from Feb. 16-22. They are the final selections of the season.
 
Furman’s Ponder earned his third award of the season thanks to a record-setting performance at the JDL DMR Invitational on Saturday. The senior from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, won the 3,000-meter run in a meet-record time of 7:50.97, obliterating the previous mark of 8:07.35 and finishing more than 40 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Ponder’s converted time was a personal-best 7:45.56, which ranks 11^th on the NCAA Division I Indoor Qualifying List. The top 16 in each event qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be contested March 11-12 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.
 
The Citadel’s Kraeling competed at the UofSC Indoor Open on Friday, clearing a personal-best 2.05 meters to win the high jump. The Guyton, Georgia, sophomore’s effort moved him up to third on the SoCon performance list this season and tied the fourth-best indoor jump in program history. Kraeling’s mark ranks 18^th on the DI Southeast Region Performance List.
 
UNCG’s Ariana Garcia also competed at the JDL DMR Invitational on Saturday. The graduate student from Beulaville, North Carolina, finished seventh in the mile, posting a career-best time of 5:04.26. Her converted time of 5:01.28 ranks 11^th on the SoCon performance list this season.
 
The Citadel’s Holland claimed her third weekly award of the season for her efforts at the UofSC Indoor Open on Friday. The graduate student from Seneca, South Carolina, took sixth in the shot put with a throw of 13.78 meters and finished 14^th in the weight throw with a toss of 12.88 meters. Holland, who earned SoCon plaudits after each meet in which she competed this regular season, now has more indoor weekly awards than any woman in The Citadel’s history and is the first Bulldog to earn the honor three times in a season. She leads the SoCon in the shot put this season with her 14.23-meter heave at the Liberty Open on Feb. 5, which ranks 22^nd on the Southeast Region performance list.
 
The SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championships are this Saturday and Sunday at the VMI Corps Physical Training Facility in Lexington, Virginia.
 
 
2021-22 Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week
Men’s track
Jan. 19    Evan Guzman, ETSU
Jan. 26    Ben Garner, Samford
Feb. 2      Cameron Ponder, Furman
Feb. 9      Cameron Ponder, Furman
Feb. 16    Carson Williams, Furman
Feb. 23    Cameron Ponder, Furman
 
Men’s field
Jan. 19    Seth Wolfe, Samford
Jan. 26    Ty Kimberlin, Samford
Feb. 2      Ryan Eldridge, Western Carolina
Feb. 9      Jed Sisco, Samford
Feb. 16    Justin Stuckey, Samford
Feb. 23    Stephen Kraeling, The Citadel
 
Women’s track
Jan. 19    Megan Marvin, Furman
Jan. 26    Lesley Green, Chattanooga
Feb. 2      Megan Marvin, Furman
Feb. 9      Genevieve Schwarz, ETSU
Feb. 16    Megan Marvin, Furman
Feb. 23    Ariana Garcia, UNCG
 
Women’s field
Jan. 19    Symphony Buxton, ETSU
Jan. 26    Brittany Bishop, Samford
Feb. 2      Carisma Holland, The Citadel
Feb. 9      Carisma Holland, The Citadel
Feb. 16    Brittany Bishop, Samford
Feb. 23    Carisma Holland, The Citadel