Okeze, Watson Named SBC Track Athletes of the Week

LITTLE ROCK – After an impressive weekend on the track, Little Rock's Charles Okeze and Shanieke Watson were named the Sun Belt Conference's Men's and Women's Outdoor Track Athletes of the Week on Wednesday afternoon.
 
For Watson, this is her second consecutive week as the Sun Belt's Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week. At Rice's Victor Lopez Classic, Watson won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:44.66 — the third-fastest time in program history. Her time was also the fastest in the Sun Belt, sixth-fastest in the NCAA West Region and seventh-fastest in the nation this season. Watson also finished second in the 1,500 meter with a time of 4:37.45 — the fastest time in the Sun Belt this season.
 
Watson becomes just the second Trojan in program history to earn Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week honors for the second time in her career and is the first to earn the award twice in the same season. Dawn Williams-Sewer earned the award twice in 1996 and 1997.
 
Okeze earned the Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week award for the first time in his career after a great weekend of races. At the Victor Lopez Classic, Okeze placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.51 — the eighth-best mark in program history. His time was the fifth-fastest in the Sun Belt, 21st-fastest in the NCAA West Region and 52nd-fastest in the nation this season. Okeze then placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.02 to earn the sixth-best time in program history. His mark was the fastest in the Sun Belt, 11th-fastest in the NCAA West Region and 25th-fastest nationally this season.
 
Okeze, along with teammates Travion Clark, Ch'kilas Calhoun and Keshawn Andrews, placed second in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 40.53 — the third-best time in program history. Their time was the fourth-fastest in the Sun Belt, 20th-fastest in the NCAA West Region and 39th-fastest in the nation this season.
 
This is just the third time in the history of the men's and women's outdoor track and field programs that both squads have had a Sun Belt Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week in the same week.
 
Little Rock's men and women will continue their season at the Ole Miss Classic on Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi.