JONESBORO, Ark. (2/12/20) – After a tremendous weekend at the hotly-contested New Mexico Collegiate Classic, a pair of Arkansas State track and field athletes earned Sun Belt Athlete of the Week honors on Wednesday.
Camryn Newton-Smith and Jermie Walker were tabbed this week's Women's Field and Men's Track Athletes of the Week after career- and season-best performances in Albuquerque.
Newton-Smith moved into the top five in A-State indoor history in a pair of events over the weekend, as she posted personal-best marks in both the long jump and the 60m hurdles. On Friday, the Greenbank, Australia, product leaped an impressive 6.01m (19-8.75) to place third in the long jump and move into fourth in A-State history in the event. That mark was the sixth-best jump of the week in Division I.
She then capped off her standout meet performance by running a lifetime-best 8.59 in the qualifying round of the 60m hurdles, while also doing so a second time in the prelims. That time is good enough to rank fifth all-time in program history. Newton-Smith now owns top-five marks in three events – 60m hurdles (No. 5), long jump (No. 4) and pentathlon (No. 5 – 3,701 points), with all three being set in the 2019-20 indoor campaign.
With her performance in New Mexico, the sophomore enters the week ranked fourth in the Sun Belt in the 60m hurdles, second in the long jump and first in the pentathlon.
Walker continued his stellar sophomore season with another excellent showing in New Mexico, posting a personal-best along with a season-best performance. On Friday, the Metairie, Louisiana, native moved closer to Jaylon Bacon's school-record 200m mark, running 21.15 to place second overall and move him back into first place in the conference in the event. His time was also good enough to rank as the 10th-fastest of the week in Division I.
On Saturday, Walker shined again, running a season-best 47.85 in the 400m, where he earned a sixth-place overall finish. That mark moved him back into first in the league in the event. In the conference performance lists, Walker ranks seventh in the 60m while leading the league in both the 200m and 400m.
Wednesday's honors give the Red Wolves five total conference weekly honors in the indoor season and marks the second time this season that more than one athletes achieved the accolades.
One meet separates the Red Wolves from the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, as A-State returns to Pittsburg, Kansas, for the Gorilla Indoor Classic hosted by Pitt State on Friday and Saturday. The Scarlet and Black will then turn their focus to the conference meet, held Feb. 24-25 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.
A-State Track & Field SBC Weekly Honors In 2020:
Osereme Erewele (W Track) – Jan. 15
Grace Flowers (W Field) – Jan. 15
Bennett Pascoe (M Track) – Jan. 22
Camryn Newton-Smith (W Field) – Feb. 12
Jermie Walker (M Track) – Feb. 12
For the latest on the A-State track and field program, follow @AStateTrack on Twitter and @Arkansas_State_Track on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.
