BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Little Rock men's track and field made a statement across the Ohio Valley Conference, sweeping the weekly male indoor awards as junior
Devin Stevens (Track Athlete of the Week), senior
Deshawn Roberts (Co-Field Athlete of the Week), and freshman
Jeremiah Patton (Freshman of the Week) earned top honors.
The Trojans turned in a strong showing at the Woo Pig Classic, and the OVC took notice.
Stevens claimed Track Athlete of the Week after a standout performance in the 800 meters. He finished runner-up with a time of 1:51, just one second shy of his personal best and currently the top mark in the OVC. He achieved the mark in a field stacked with Division I talent.
"Winning Track Athlete of the Week after my poor showing at Washburn feels amazing," said Stevens. "To go from 1:54 to 1:51 on such a short turnaround makes me feel more and more confident in my coaches and my training. Coach Dion refused to let me get down on myself after Washburn, and now we are going to use this momentum to get after it at Tyson this Friday!"
Roberts earned Co-Field Athlete of the Week honors following a top-three finish in the high jump. The senior cleared a personal-best 2.10 meters, which also ranks No. 1 in the OVC this season. Roberts continues to build momentum heading toward the conference championships.
"Winning the Co-Field Athlete of the Week award means everything, honestly, winning anything is awesome," said Roberts.
Patton capped off the sweep by earning his third Freshman of the Week award this season. The freshman clocked a near personal-best time of 6.75 seconds in the 60 meters, finishing fifth in the finals against top competitors from Arkansas and Pittsburg State.
"Winning another Freshman of the Week means a lot to me," said Patton. "It shows that the work I've been putting in is paying off, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates and coaches pushing me every day. After this past week, I feel confident and motivated to keep improving and continue to help the team in whatever way I can."
Head coach
J.P. Behnke praised the trio and the team's continued progress.
"It's nice to see these guys get recognized for their hard work," said Behnke. "We are seeing improvements week by week, not just from these three but from the entire team. The pieces are starting to come together, and I can't wait to see what this team is capable of at the OVC Championship in two weeks."
The Trojans will split squads this weekend, competing at both the Arkansas Tyson Invitational and the Russ Jewett Indoor Gorilla Classic on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 13-14. The meets will serve as the final tune-ups before the OVC Indoor Championships on Feb. 24-25.
For the latest information on Little Rock Cross Country/Track and Field, check out LRTrojans.com. You can also follow the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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