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SoCon announces outdoor track and field athletes of the week
Four schools honored with weekly awards
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman’s Cameron Ponder and VMI’s Isaiah Blount have been named the Southern Conference men’s outdoor track and field athletes of the week, respectively, while Samford’s Katie Keller and The Citadel’s Ali Ruffin 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 competition from April 24-30.
Furman’s Ponder competed at the Jordan Payton Invitational hosted by Stanford, finishing 10th overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:47.67. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, product is currently first in the SoCon in the event, 20th in the East Region and 43rd in the NCAA.
VMI’s Blount finished third in the men’s pole vault at the Penn Relays this week. The junior from Milford, Virginia, cleared 4.71 meters as a decathlete, moving him into fourth place on the Southern Conference pole vault performance list.
Competing at the Maroon and White Invitational hosted by Mississippi State, Keller placed third in the 800-meter, logging a time of 2:07.26. The senior set a new personal best in the event and currently ranks first in the conference.
The Citadel’s Ruffin competed at the East Coast Relays in Jacksonville, Florida, where she placed second in the javelin, resetting her previous school record by two meters with a throw of 47.58 meters. The Greenville, North Carolina, product leads the SoCon in the event and ranks 25th in the East Region. In addition to her Javelin record, the junior holds another school record for kills in a single volleyball 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
April 10 Zephaniah Carcio-McLennan, Samford
April 17 Isaiah Blount, VMI
April 24 Dylan Schubert, Furman
May 1 Cameron Ponder, Furman
Men’s field
March 27 Carl Henry, Samford
April 3 Brenden Vanderpool, Samford
April 10 Cameron Thomas, VMI
April 17 Jaggered Moore, Samford
April 24 Carl Henry, Samford
May 1 Isaiah Blount, VMI
Women’s track
March 27 Abigail Robertson, Furman
April 3 Sierra Bower, Furman
April 10 Jasmine Jefferson, Wofford
April 17 Megan Marvin, Furman
April 24 Nicole Matysik, Furman
May 1 Katie Keller, Samford
Women’s field
March 27 Ellison Chadwick, Samford
April 3 Brittany Bishop, Samford
April 10 Hannah Daffin, Samford
April 17 Heidi Hudson, Western Carolina
April 24 Diana Romero-Barba, ETSU
May 1 Ali Ruffin, The Citadel
Selections were made by panels of the league’s track and field coaches and included all competition from April 24-30.
Furman’s Ponder competed at the Jordan Payton Invitational hosted by Stanford, finishing 10th overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:47.67. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, product is currently first in the SoCon in the event, 20th in the East Region and 43rd in the NCAA.
VMI’s Blount finished third in the men’s pole vault at the Penn Relays this week. The junior from Milford, Virginia, cleared 4.71 meters as a decathlete, moving him into fourth place on the Southern Conference pole vault performance list.
Competing at the Maroon and White Invitational hosted by Mississippi State, Keller placed third in the 800-meter, logging a time of 2:07.26. The senior set a new personal best in the event and currently ranks first in the conference.
The Citadel’s Ruffin competed at the East Coast Relays in Jacksonville, Florida, where she placed second in the javelin, resetting her previous school record by two meters with a throw of 47.58 meters. The Greenville, North Carolina, product leads the SoCon in the event and ranks 25th in the East Region. In addition to her Javelin record, the junior holds another school record for kills in a single volleyball 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
April 10 Zephaniah Carcio-McLennan, Samford
April 17 Isaiah Blount, VMI
April 24 Dylan Schubert, Furman
May 1 Cameron Ponder, Furman
Men’s field
March 27 Carl Henry, Samford
April 3 Brenden Vanderpool, Samford
April 10 Cameron Thomas, VMI
April 17 Jaggered Moore, Samford
April 24 Carl Henry, Samford
May 1 Isaiah Blount, VMI
Women’s track
March 27 Abigail Robertson, Furman
April 3 Sierra Bower, Furman
April 10 Jasmine Jefferson, Wofford
April 17 Megan Marvin, Furman
April 24 Nicole Matysik, Furman
May 1 Katie Keller, Samford
Women’s field
March 27 Ellison Chadwick, Samford
April 3 Brittany Bishop, Samford
April 10 Hannah Daffin, Samford
April 17 Heidi Hudson, Western Carolina
April 24 Diana Romero-Barba, ETSU
May 1 Ali Ruffin, The Citadel