INDIANAPOLIS – A pair of talented sophomores from Walsh and Malone earned Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors on Monday.
 
With over 20 provisional qualifiers, three auto qualifiers and three nationally-ranked teams, the Great Midwest continues to impress on the national level.
 
The Great Midwest Indoor Championships are less than two weeks away at Hillsdale’s Biermann Athletic Center.
 
Track Athlete of the Week
Andra Lehotay
Walsh
Sophomore
Magnolia, OH (Sandy Valley HS)
 
Lehotay is part of an elite mile pack in the Great Midwest in the same company as teammate Sarah Berger and Hillsdale’s Hannah McIntyre.
 
Similar to how deep the contingent of weight throw competitors are on the men’s side, the same applies to the women’s distance runners.
 
She finished second in the mile run in a time of 4:48.24 at the GVSU Big Meet, one of seven different provisional marks recorded in the event.
 
Lehotay was also part of the Cavaliers’ distance medley relay unit that clocked the fourth-fastest time in conference history at 11:37.75. Walsh placed first in the event as a team.
 
Lehotay was a second-team all-conference honoree in the sport of women’s cross country during the fall.
 
 
Field Athlete of the Week
Olga Branney
Malone
Sophomore
Green, OH (Green HS)
 
The reigning Great Midwest indoor high jump champion, Branney is raising the bar that much higher as a sophomore with the competition gunning for her top height.  
 
This weekend at the Tiffin Dragon Grand Prix, Branney’s conference record was matched by Ohio Dominican’s Megan Tamasovich at the GVSU Big Meet with 1.68 meters cleared.
 
But Branney had a new PR of 1.70m (5’ 7”) on her seventh and final attempt in the high jump to split a tie for the conference all-time best standard with Tamasovich.
 
She provisionally qualified for nationals and is currently tied for ninth in all of NCAA Division II on the national qualifying list.