Central College junior Ava Parkins, a graduate of Notre Dame High School, was named the American Rivers Conference Track and Field Events Performer of the Week.
Matt Levins- The Hawk Eye
PELLA— Recording a pair of top-10 national marks at two different competitions over the weekend yielded the American Rivers Conference Male Athlete of the Week honors for Gunner Meyer on Monday.
Meyer also was Men’s Track and Field Track Events Performer of the Week. Ava Parkins was tabbed as Women’s Track and Field Track Events Performer of the Week.
Meyer ran Division III’s fastest 60-meter hurdles time at the Jimmy Grant Alumni Invitational hosted by the University of Iowa at 7.92 seconds. It was also an American Rivers Conference record time. He also high jumped 6 feet, 7.5 inches at the Dutch Holiday Preview, the seventh-best mark in Division III this season.
In the women’s 60-meter prelims at the Jimmy Grant Invitational, Parkins clocked in at 7.70 seconds to share second place on the program’s all-time list. It also makes her No.8 nationally. She didn’t run the finals after qualifying in seventh. She also finished third in the 300 meters in 39.35 seconds.
“I am very grateful to have received ARC Female Track Athlete of the Week,” Parkins said. “Running at the University of Iowa against some great competition really helped get into a competitive mindset. I was not anticipating to start the season with a personal best, but it is fun to see the work put in this fall translated into the first race. Starting the season strong is exciting, but also comes with some pressure. I plan to continue to work hard over break and this season in order to be at my best at the Conference Meet. I am eager to see what the season brings, especially as a team.”
Next on the Dutch track and field schedule is the Dutch Athletics Classic on January 16.