Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week (May 1)

5.8.18

INDIANAPOLIS – Ursuline and Walsh shared the final selection of Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week as announced on Tuesday.
 
Women’s Track Athlete of the Week
Janelle Perry
Ursuline
Junior
Akron, OH (Firestone HS)
 
It is surprising to see Perry run in only one event, but that’s what she did at the Penn Relays and she put up the best performance in all of Division II of the season in that event.
 
She dominated in the 100 meter hurdles. She started off with a strong time in the prelims with a 13.69.
 
That time would have been good enough for the eighth best time in Division II, but her finals time was her personal best, which for the defending NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Champion in the event is saying a lot.
 
She delivered a time of 13.23 in the finals, which was good enough to win the event, set the conference record, and become the first automatic qualifier in the event this season of anyone in Division II while becoming the leader in that event in the nation.
 
Perry is also the only person in the conference provisionally qualified in the long jump as well and is building a resume that will be tough to match among conference track performers.
 
Women’s Field Athlete of the Week
Kaitlyn Barber
Walsh
Senior
Toledo, OH (Whitmer HS)
 
This is déjà vu for the senior as Barber wins Field Athlete of the Week for the second straight week and the third time this season after a strong performance at the Ashland Alumni Open.
 
This also marks her second consecutive week setting the conference record in the pole vault. This time she jumped a 4.00 meter high jump.
 
She and Hillsdale’s Alexandra Whitford have taken over the event in the outdoor season as the pair own every single mark in the top ten in the pole vault for the conference.
 
That jump was good enough for fifth best in Division II this season and Barber is coming off a season where she finished fourth in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the pole vault last season and won the conference championship in the indoor this season.