JONESBORO, Ark. (2/4/21) – For the second time in as many weeks, the Arkansas State track and field athletes earned a pair of Sun Belt Conference Athlete of the Week honors, as Lauren Beauchamp and Carter Shell were tabbed Women's and Men's Field Athletes of the Week on Thursday.
Beauchamp and Shell are the third and fourth athletes to earn conference weekly honors so far this season, as Jermie Walker (Men's Track) and Camryn Newton-Smith (Women's Field) garnered laurels in the first weekly awards of the season on Jan. 28. Beauchamp's award is the second weekly honor of her career, doing so on Feb. 19, 2020. Thursday marks the second weekly honor for Shell, who earned Men's Field Athlete of the Week as a freshman on April 11, 2018.
The reigning conference champion Beauchamp did something that no other Sun Belt athlete had done indoors since 2017, clearing 13 feet in the pole vault. She cleared a personal-best 3.97m (13-0.25) to win the women's pole vault on Sunday at the Scarlet and Black Invitational. Her mark moved her up to fourth all-time in A-State indoor history and also made her the first Red Wolf over 13 feet indoors since 2013 and overall since 2015.
Beauchamp's jump was the highest in the Sun Belt (indoors or outdoors) since May 2018 and she is just one of four athletes in program indoor history to jump 13 feet or better.
Shell took the lead in the conference in the men's long jump on Sunday, leaping an indoor-best 7.56m (24-9.75). His mark also moved him into the top 20 in the NCAA this season. Shell's jump matches the league's best from last season and makes him the first Sun Belt athlete to just 24 feet or more this season.
The Red Wolves will be back in action Sunday, Feb. 7, traveling to Birmingham, Alabama, for the Jaguar Invitational. The meet, hosted by South Alabama, will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex – the site of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships, held Feb. 22-23.
A-State Track and Field SBC Weekly Honors in 2021:
Camryn Newton-Smith (W Field) – Jan. 28
Jermie Walker (M Track) – Jan. 28
Lauren Beauchamp (W Field) – Feb. 4
Carter Shell (M Field) – Feb. 4
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.
