Pac-12 announces Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week

The Pac-12 Conference outdoor track and field athlete of the week honors for the week of April 23-29:

Men's Track Athlete of the Week
Carlos Villarreal, ARIZONA
R-Sophomore
Rio Rico, Ariz.

Villarreal fared extremely well in an collegiate record-setting 800-meter run at the Desert Heat Classic. He clocked a time of 1:46.70, good for a personal-best and second-place finish to UTEP's Michael Saruni, who set the NCAA record at the meet (1:43.25). Villarreal's mark is good for No. 2 in the Pac-12 and No. 5 on the NCAA list so far this season.

ALSO NOMINATED: Garrett Corcoran, CALIFORNIA; Adam Peterman, COLORADO; Cravon Gillespie, OREGON; George Gleason, UCLA; Alexander Barnum, USC; Zach Smith, WASHINGTON STATE.

Women's Track Athlete of the Week
Alissa Brooks-Johnson, WASHINGTON STATE
R-Senior
Doty, Wash.

Brooks-Johnson almost single-handedly lifted Washington State to its first dual meet victory over Apple Cup rival Washington since 2014. The two-time Pac-12 heptathlon champion was solely responsible for 18 points and contributed to another five points to the Cougars' 88 points in the dual win over the Huskies (75 pts.).

Brooks-Johnson won the 100- (13.73) and 400-meter (58.05) hurdles and the high jump (1.66m/5-5.25), setting personal-bests in the 100 hurdles, and was on the victorious 4x100 relay team which turned in a season-best time (45.28). The WSU team captain also set a PR in the long jump (5.88m/19-3.5) and helped the 4x400 relay record a season-best time (3:41.43).

ALSO NOMINATED: Tatum Waggoner, ARIZONA; Erin Clark, COLORADO; Lauren Rain Williams, OREGON; Olivia Baker, STANFORD; Christina Rice, UCLA.

Men's Field Athlete of the Week
Jordan Geist, ARIZONA
Freshman
Saxonburg, Pa.

Geist earns his third Pac-12 weekly award in the last four weeks, joining USC's Michael Norman in capturing three honors this spring. Geist is also the first men's field athlete to win three times in a season since UCLA's Julian Wruck in 2013.

Geist competed in the shot put at the Desert Heat Classic, taking first place in the competition with a mark of 20.41 meters (66-11.5). The freshman's mark is good for an outdoor PR, the No. 2 mark on Arizona's all-time list and the No. 1 spot on the Pac-12 and NCAA lists. Geist also finished second in the discus with a mark of 55.99m (183-8), good for a new PR in the event and No. 2 mark in the Pac-12 this season.

ALSO NOMINATED: McKay Johnson, CALIFORNIA; Duane McClurkin Jr., COLORADO; Ben Milligan, OREGON; Justin Stafford, UCLA; Nick Ponzio, USC; Jonah Wilson, WASHINGTON.

Women's Field Athlete of the Week
Maggie Ewen, ARIZONA STATE
Senior
St. Francis, Minn.

Ewen's remarkable season and career continues as The Bowerman candidate collects her third Pac-12 weekly award of the season, equaling her total from a breakout 2017 campaign. It is Ewen's seventh career weekly honor which, according to available records, matches the most-ever for a Conference athlete along with a trio of former UCLA throwers in Dawn Dumble, Suzy Powell and Seilala Sua. Ewen was also named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week for the third time this season and fifth time in her career.

Ewen set another collegiate record last weekend, this time in the shot put as she recorded a mark of 19.46 meters (63-10.25). It's her second NCAA all-time leading mark along with last year's record in the hammer, and she is one of just two women with NCAA records in multiple events (Jenny Simpson) and the only thrower - male or female - to hold two collegiate records.

ALSO NOMINATED: Camryn Rogers, CALIFORNIA; Mariah Walker, COLORADO; Kaitlyn Merritt, STANFORD; Alyssa Wilson, UCLA; Gina Flint, WASHINGTON.

Pac-12 in the USTFCCCA National Rankings (April 30)

Men's Top 25: #9 USC, #11 Oregon, #18 Stanford, #22 Arizona

Arizona joined the national rankings for the first time this season with its highest ranking since checking in at No. 12 in the Week 9 poll in 2014. Stanford climbed two spots to No. 18, just one position shy of where it began in the preseason.

Women's Top 25: #2 Oregon, #3 USC, #9 Stanford, #13 Arizona State, #23 Colorado, #25 UCLA

The Pac-12 added a fifth and sixth team to the national rankings this week with Colorado and UCLA checking in at No. 23 and No. 25, respectively. The six ranked teams are the second-most in the nation. The Buffaloes re-enter the top 25 after a one-week hiatus, while the Bruins are in the top 25 for the first time since Week 3 of 2015. Oregon slides back in front of USC just a week after the Trojans moved ahead of the Ducks for the first time all season.

Pac-12 on The Bowerman Watch List

Men's Mid-Outdoor: Michael Norman, USC.

Women's Mid-Outdoor: Kendall Ellis, USC; Maggie Ewen, ARIZONA STATE.

2018 Pac-12 Track & Field Athletes of the Week