MVC Track & Field Weekly Honors (Feb. 4)

ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Valley Conference revealed the men’s and women’s track and field weekly honors on Wednesday. Northern Iowa's Colin Lille was named Men’s Track Athlete of the Week, Indiana State’s Jake Ottersbach earned Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honors, Northern Iowa’s Amelia Hill was selected Women’s Track Athlete of the Week, and Indiana State’s Olivia Marshall received Women’s Field Athlete of the Week recognition.

MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Colin Lillie, Northern Iowa, Soph., Council Bluffs, IA

The Council Bluffs, Iowa native broke UNI’s 22-year-old program record in the men’s 5,000 meters with a time of 14:20.39 at Notre Dame’s Meyo Classic, previously set in 2004 by Velibor Radojevic. A redshirt sophomore distance runner, Lillie’s performance marked a significant milestone in his collegiate career, as his time now ranks third-best in the MVC this indoor season and places him among the top performers in the conference.

 

MEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Jake Ottersbach, Indiana State, Jr., Charlestown, IN

Jake Ottersbach recorded the best heptathlon performance of his career at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational, placing second in the field with 5,217 points. Ottersbach tallied personal-best marks in four of the seven events over the course of the weekend, those being the 60m hurdles (8.26), 1000m (2:52.77), shot put (11.59m/38-0.25), and pole vault (4.20m/13-9.25). In addition, he also added season-best marks in the long jump (6.84m/22-5.25) and high jump (1.91m/6-3.25). Ottersbach’s performance moved him to second in program history in the heptathlon and was the best by a Sycamore in the event since 2014. He ranks second in the MVC, fifth in the Great Lakes Region, and 49th nationally in the event. Ottersbach also ranks in the top 10 in the MVC in the 60m hurdles (10th) and owns top-15 MVC marks in the long jump (13th) and high jump (15th), all of which were recorded over the past weekend.

 

WOMEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Amelia Hill, Northern IA, Sr., Ankeny, IA

The Ankeny, Iowa native broke UNI’s 10-year-old program record in the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 16:38.92 at Notre Dame’s Meyo Classic, shattering the previous mark by 14 seconds. The record had stood since 2016 and was set by Kelsey Kirchoff. A redshirt senior distance runner, Hill’s time leads the MVC in the event this year.

 

WOMEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Olivia Marshall, Indiana State, Soph., Geneseo, Ill

Olivia Marshall recorded career-best marks in both throws events at the Rose-Hulman Classic, with the sophomore also earning a first-place finish in the shot put Saturday. Marshall opened her day with a career-best mark of 14.72m (48-3.5) to take the top spot in the event and followed up with her best-ever weight throw mark of 18.37m (60-3.25) to place second, as Indiana State claimed the top four spots in both throws events. Marshall owns top-three MVC marks in both events with Saturday’s performance, ranking second in the shot put and third in the weight throw. In addition, she ranks in the top 20 in the Great Lakes Region in both events (13th in the shot put, 17th in the weight throw), while also ranking 95th nationally in the shot put.