Stephen F. Austin Sweeps Men's Weekly Indoor Track & Field Honors
FRISCO, Texas – Stephen F. Austin’s Drake Murphy and Antonio Ruiz were crowned the Southland Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week, the league announced Wednesday. All Southland weekly awards are presented by
MidSouth Bank.
The Lumberjacks’ duo competed at the Red Raider Invitational in Lubbock, Texas, over the weekend.
Men’s Track Athlete of the Week – Drake Murphy, Stephen F. Austin – Sr. – Galveston, Texas
The senior runner raced to an SFA school record time of 1:50.46 in the 800-meters. His performance in the event currently ranks 11th in the nation and first in the Southland Conference for the 2019 indoor season. He finished second overall in a field of 37 competitors.
Honorable Mention: Alex Hanson, Central Arkansas; Tyler Smith, McNeese; Garett Cortez, UIW; Tremayne Flagler, Northwestern State.
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week – Antonio Ruiz, Stephen F. Austin – Sr. – Tomball, Texas
Ruiz vaulted his way to first-place honors in the pole vault event after posting a career-best mark of 5.52m (18 feet and 1.25 inches) over the weekend. His performance at the Red Raider Invite leads Southland pole vaulters and stands fourth in the nation this indoor season.
Honorable Mention: Ceaser Stephens, Northwestern State; Clayton Fritsch, Sam Houston State; Zachary Jewell, Central Arkansas.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on at least 25 percent of ballots.