Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Valparaiso senior Jarrett Mickens (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) and freshman Julian Smith (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) swept the Horizon League weekly awards, as they were named Male Field and Track Athlete of the Week, respectively, for their performances at the Chicagoland Championships last weekend.

Mickens earned his sixth career weekly honor from the league office after breaking the program outdoor record for the long jump Saturday.  The senior leapt 24'2 1/4” to win the long jump, outpacing Jeff Thomas' 1976 record by a quarter-inch.  Mickens also finished on the podium in the triple jump with a mark of 46'8”, good for third place.

Smith picks up his first career weekly honor from the Horizon League after breaking into a pair of Valpo's all-time top-fives on Saturday.  The freshman won the 200m dash with a time of 21.92 seconds, fourth-best in Crusader history.  Smith also narrowly missed a win in the 100m dash after qualifying with the fastest time in the prelims, crossing the line in second place with a time of 10.84 seconds, third-fastest all-time by a Crusader and the swiftest in the last 25 years.

Mickens, Smith and the rest of the Crusaders return to action this weekend at the Dave Rankin Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind.  The two-day meet begins Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. CDT.