SoCon announces indoor track and field athletes of the week

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman’s Carson Williams and Samford’s Samuel Werner have been named the Southern Conference men’s indoor track and field athletes of the week, respectively, while Furman’s Sierra Bower and Wofford’s Sherika Christie claimed women’s track and field athlete of the week honors, respectively, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Selections were made by panels of the league’s track and field coaches and included all competition from Jan. 17-23.

Williams competed in the mile on Saturday at the Carolina Challenge in Columbia, South Carolina. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native logged a time of 3:55.46 to set a Furman record, taking the lead in SoCon rankings. The junior’s performance also represents a facility record and places him sixth in the NCAA for the season.

Competing at the Samford Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, Werner made his collegiate debut and placed third in the heptathlon scoring 5,185 points, fourth all-time at Samford. The freshman from Nagold, Germany, now leads the conference in the event and is 18^th nationally.

Furman’s Bower competed in Carolina Challenge on Saturday. The junior from Carbondale, Colorado, finished first in the mile with a time of 4:45.02, the fastest in the SoCon this season and a personal best.

Wofford’s Christie competed in her collegiate debut at the Brant Tolsma Invitational on Friday in Lynchburg, Virginia, taking first place in the long jump with a mark of 5.93m,  placing her second in the conference. The next day, the St. Catherine, Jamaica, product placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 12.18 meters, which broke a school record and ranks first in the conference.

The weekly awards are the first career indoor honors for Werner, Bower, and Christie. Williams’ award is the fourth indoor citation of his career.
 
2023-24 Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week
Men’s track
Jan. 17             CJ McFerrin, Western Carolina
Jan. 24             Carson Williams, Furman      
 
Men’s field
Jan. 17             Brenden Vanderpool, Samford
Jan. 24             Samuel Werner, Samford
 
Women’s track
Jan. 17             Ella Tennent, Wofford
Jan. 24             Sierra Bower, Furman
 
Women’s field
Jan. 17             Hannah Daffin, Samford
Jan. 24             Sherika Christie, Wofford