INDIANAPOLIS – Nationally-ranked Findlay collected both Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors as announced on Monday.
 
Findlay hosted the Oiler Open at home and made a strong impression in the program’s first meet as a member of the Great Midwest.
 
The men’s track and field student-athletes have turned in record-breaking performances across the board with 10 provisional qualifiers and two automatic qualifiers this season already.
 
The men have also broken seven conference records already this season, including six in the past weekend alone (400m, high jump, triple jump, long jump, shot put, weight throw).
 
Findlay junior Austin Combs automatically qualified for nationals in the weight throw with the top distance in the country at this point in the season. Findlay freshman Dequan Powell also set a new conference record in the shot put as No. 1, 2 and 3 in the record books shuffled.
 
Malone senior Tevin Riddle solved the triple jump conference record by over a meter with a provisional qualifying distance of 14.65m.
 
 
Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
George Effah
Findlay
Senior
Sunyani, Ghana
 
Effah blazed a new conference record in the 400-meter dash to debut the indoor season with a provisional qualifying time of 48.49. His first mark of the year currently ranks second in NCAA Division II.
 
Effah was third in the GLIAC Championships a year ago and he won the event at the Oiler Open by over one second.
 
The senior speedster also competed and placed second as part of the 4x400-meter relay. He ran with Lenell Shelby III, Jaye Williams and Zach Jellison, finishing with a time of 3:27.62.
 
 
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Trey Everett
Findlay
Senior
Sidney, OH (Fairlawn HS / Bluffton)
 
With the heptathlon now an official conference championship sport, Everett showcased his all-around skills at the Oiler Open with 5,383 points.
 
He also automatically qualified for the NCAA DII Championships in Pittsburg, Kan., while posting two different provisional marks in the long jump and high jump.
 
Everett shattered both existing conference records and currently ranks ninth in Division II in the long jump (7.22m).
 
His high jump clearance of 2.07m ranks 12th in the country and broke Week 1 Great Midwest Field Athlete of the Week Adam Bouchard’s previous league best height.
 
His 5,383 points ranks third in NCAA Division II, represented a new fieldhouse record and a new school record. Everett was the GLIAC champion last season.