INDIANAPOLIS – The first indoor event of the season was completed on Friday as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week awards started for 2020-21.
 
The Tiffin University Challenge included Findlay, Hillsdale, incoming league member Ashland and the host Dragons in the Heminger Center.
 
This was the first indoor competition in the sport for Great Midwest student-athletes since the NCAA Championships were canceled before getting underway back in March.  Cedarville is slated to host the indoor conference championships in the new calendar year on Feb. 26-27.
 
Men’s Track Athlete of the Week
Xavier Marable
Findlay
Sprints
Junior
Clayton, OH (Northmont HS)
 
Marable was one of just five in Division II to auto qualify last year in the 400-meter dash, making him a national championship contender before the meet was halted.
 
The junior won his first attempt in the 400 at the Tiffin Challenge, clocking a 48.23 for a provisional mark to start 2020-21. He also helped the Oilers to a runner-up finish in the 4x400-meter relay.
 
Marable holds seven of the conference’s top 10 times in the 400, including the overall record of 46.91 at the Penn State National Open back in January.
 
He also owns the indoor conference championships record that was set back in February.
 
Marable was named Great Midwest Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in both 2019 and 2020 and is now a three-time indoor conference track athlete of the week.
 
Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Nikolas Curtiss
Tiffin
Throws
Senior
Lancaster, OH (Lancaster HS)
 
Curtiss approached his PR in the shot put at the Tiffin Challenge while auto qualifying for nationals over the weekend.
 
The senior launched 19.31m (63’ 4.25”) and is officially fifth all-time in the conference record books for the event.
 
Curtiss was one of six from Division II to auto qualify for the national championships in 2019-20. He was ranked second among all throwers while teammate Jabari Bennett was third going into the meet prior to cancellation.
 
Bennett also auto qualified and another Dragon thrower, senior Benedict Draghi, was a provisional qualifier in the event as well.
 
Curtiss’ top throw in the Great Midwest was a heave of 19.40m at last year’s Dragon Grand Prix.
 
Curtiss is now five-time winner of the conference field athlete of the week honors.