NCAA & NJCAA ITF National Athletes of the Week (Jan. 26)

NEW ORLEANS – Another week means another collegiate record.
You better believe that performance was included among the eight athletes who were named National Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

• NCAA Division I Men – Tripp Piperi, Texas
• NCAA Division I Women – Athing Mu, Texas A&M
• NCAA Division II Men – Christian Noble, Lee (Tenn.)
• NCAA Division II Women – Nicole Sreenan, Grand Valley State
• NCAA Division III Men – Nick Hoffman, Hope
• NCAA Division III Women – Ana Tucker, Hope
• NJCAA Men – Tyrese Reid, Barton County CC
• NJCAA Women – Mercy Ntia-Obong, Cloud County CC

Find out more about each of these runners by clicking their names or scrolling below.
National Athlete of the Week is an award selected and presented by the USTFCCCA Communications Staff at the beginning of each week to eight collegiate indoor track & field athletes, when applicable (male and female for each of the three NCAA divisions and the NJCAA).
Nominations are open to the public. Coaches and sports information directors are encouraged to nominate their student-athletes; as are student-athletes, their families and friends, and fans of their programs. Nominated athletes are noticed before those athletes found through searching TFRRS.
The award seeks to highlight not only the very best times, marks and scores on a week-to-week basis, but also performances that were significant on the national landscape and/or the latest in a series of strong outings. Quality of competition, suspenseful finishes and other factors will also play a role in the decision.

NCAA DIVISION I MEN – Tripp Piperi, Texas

Senior | Throws
The Woodlands, Texas

Tripp Piperi just kept getting better at the Wooo Pig Classic.
Piperi opened the shot put with a heave of 20.16m (66-1¾) and improved to 20.49 (67-2¾) in Round 2 and 20.63m (67-8¼) in Round 3, respectively. That wasn’t even his final form.
The 2019 NCAA Outdoor SP champion topped 21.00m (68-10¾) in Round 4 and then unleashed a monster PR of 21.12m (69-3½) in Round 5.
Piperi currently sits as the 17th best performer in collegiate history. Should he eventually crack the 70-foot barrier indoors, he’d be knocking on the door of the top-10. (Speaking of top-10, Piperi also owns all of the top-10 marks from the current season so far.)
This is the first time that a Texas male athlete has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season since 2016. Guess who that individual was: None other than Ryan Crouser, who just broke the indoor world record in that same event this past weekend.

NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN – Athing Mu, Texas A&M

Freshman | Mid-Distance
Trenton, New Jersey

Two races. Two all-time marks.
Athing Mu is off to a torrid start to her collegiate career.
The Texas A&M freshman phenom broke a near 40-year-old collegiate record in the Women’s 600 Meters on Saturday, turning three laps in 1:25.80 at the Texas Aggie Invitational. Mu took 0.76 seconds off the previous record set by Delisa Walton of Tennessee in March of 1981.
Just last week, Mu set an American U20 record and nearly broke the World U20 record in the Women’s 800 Meters. Mu finished in 2:01.07. That’s not far off the collegiate record set by Jazmine Fray, a fellow Aggie back in 2017. Fray went 2:00.69 at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson.
Mu also split 50.94 in the 4×400 later in the meet.
This is the first time that a Texas A&M female athlete has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season since 2017. Lo and behold, Fray earned that nod after setting the current collegiate record in the event that Mu specializes.

NCAA DIVISION II MEN – Christian Noble, Lee (Tenn.)

Senior | Distance
Greenfield, Indiana
Christian Noble isn’t holding anything back this season.
A week after becoming the No. 4 performer in NCAA Division II history in the mile, the senior from Greenfield, Indiana, scorched the track in the 5000, running 13:37.39 at the Magic City Elite Meet. His time is the fastest in-season time ever run by a NCAA DII athlete at the distance.
Noble’s time of 13:37.39 was a collegiate PR by more than 24 seconds. His previous best was 14:01.61 at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic a year ago.
This is the second consecutive National Athlete of the Week honor for Noble and the third overall for Lee (Tenn.).

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN – Nicole Sreenan, Grand Valley State

Senior | Sprints
Elburn, Illinois
Nicole Sreenan is making the most of every opportunity during her senior year.
The native from Elburn, Illinois, turned in an impressive 200-400 double at the GVSU Mike Lints Alumni Open. Sreenan opened up her day with a blistering time of 53.47 in the 400 for the fastest time in NCAA Division II this season and the seventh-fastest all-conditions time. It also marked a collegiate best for Sreenan, as her previous PR of 53.80 set last year at the GVSU Big Meet.
She later returned to the track to run 24.01 in the 200 and extended her national lead. Her previous season best was 24.11.
In total, Sreenan owns three national leading times in her respective events: 60 (7.51), 200 (24.01) and 400 (53.47).
This is the first National Athlete of the Week honor for Sreenan and the seventh overall for Grand Valley State.

NCAA DIVISION III MEN – Nick Hoffman, Hope

Senior | Distance
Holland, Michigan

Nick Hoffman must like running around the 300-meter oval at Grand Valley State.
Whether it has been 51/3 laps or 10 laps, the senior from Holland, Michigan, is making the most of his opportunities this season.
Just this past weekend at the Mike Lints Alumni Open, Hoffman went 4:09.38 in the mile to break a 14-year-old school record. If Hoffman ran that mark last year, he would have ranked third among all NCAA Division III athletes.
Then two weeks earlier, Hoffman clocked 8:36.46 over 3000 meters to rank third nationally.
This is the first time in program history that a male athlete from Hope has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN – Ana Tucker, Hope

Sophomore | Distance
Midland, Michigan

Ana Tucker is having a field day on the track this season.
The sophomore from Midland, Michigan took 12 seconds off her lifetime PR in the 3000 this past weekend, clocking a time of 9:41.33 at the Mike Lints Alumni Open at Grand Valley State. Not only did that set a program record, it also moved her further up the NCAA Division III all-time chart, where she is within shouting distance of the top-25 performers right now.
This is the second week in a row that Tucker has been named National Athlete of the Week.

NJCAA Men – Tyrese Reid, Barton County CC

Sophomore | Long Sprints
St. James, Jamaica

Tyrese Reid doubled up on national-leading marks this past weekend.
Running at the Red Raider Invitational hosted by Texas Tech, Reid went PR 1:11.13 over 600 yards (converted up to 1:19.67 for 600 meters) to take the national lead in that event and then hit 2:37.62 (2:38.07A) in the 1000 meters for the double, which was just off his lifetime best.
This is the fourth year in a row that a male athlete from Barton County CC has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.

NJCAA Women – Mercy Ntia-Obong, Cloud County CC

Sophomore | Sprints
Nigeria

Mercy Ntia-Obong didn’t just want one national lead.
Ntia-Obong made sure her name would be on top of two events.
Competing at the All-Kansas Invitational hosted by Washburn, Ntia-Obong hit NJCAA-leading marks in the 60 (7.49) and the 200 (24.14). Ntia-Obong won the 60 by 0.23 seconds!
This marks the first time since 2018 that a female athlete from Cloud County CC has been named National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.