SPARTANBURG, S.C. – ETSU’s Jason Bowers and Samford’s Brenden Vanderpool have been named the Southern Conference men’s outdoor track and field athletes of the week, respectively, while Furman’s Sierra Bower and Samford’s Brittany Bishop earned the respective awards on the women’s side, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Selections were made by panels of the league’s track and field coaches and included all outdoor competition to date.
ETSU’s Bowers competed at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 28th. In the 5,000 meter run, the Parys, South Africa, product finished eighth with a time of 13:42.68. The sophomore currently ranks first in the SoCon, ninth in the East Regional and 15
th in the NCAA for the event.
Samford’s Vanderpool represented the Bahamas this week at the 51
st CARIFTA Games held in St. George’s, Grenada. The freshman competed in the Under 20 division, defending his title with a jump of 5.30m. The Smyrna, Georgia product set a meet record and Bahamas National Record.
Competing at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, North Carolina, Furman’s Bower set a personal best in the 5,000-meter run, posting a time of 16:03. The Carbondale, Colorado, product currently leads the SoCon in the event and is ranked No. 15 in the East Region and No. 36 in the NCAA. The junior is the best ranked SoCon track athlete at both the regional and national level.
Samford’s Bishop competed at the UAB Spring Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 29
th. The graduate student from Clinton, Tennessee, cleared 3.8 meters in pole vault to place second in the event. Her mark places her in the conference lead for the season.
2024 Southern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week
Men’s track
March 27 Titus Moore, Samford
April 3 Jason Bowers, ETSU
Men’s field
March 27 Carl Henry, Samford
April 3 Brenden Vanderpool, Samford
Women’s track
March 27 Abigail Robertson, Furman
April 3 Sierra Bower, Furman
Women’s field
March 27 Ellison Chadwick, Samford
April 3 Brittany Bishop, Samford