Fletcher, Grenyion win NAIA national awards
Former Kingston College thrower Chevaughn Fletcher and ex-Mount Alvernia High sprinter Soyinne Grenyion were on Tuesday named National Athletes of the week by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) after the United States college indoors track and field season started last weekend.
Fletcher of Point Park University and Grenyion of Indiana Tech were outstanding in their respective meets as the US college indoor track and field season got underway.
Former Herbert Morrison Technical sprinter Mark Daley of the University of South Dakota was named among the outstanding performers in the Summit League, which is in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1.
Fletcher smashed his previous lifetime best and Point Park record in the men’s weight throw at the Youngstown State Icebreaker meet with a big 19.65-m effort, more than four metres better than his previous best of 15.18m set last year.
He broke the record on his first effort when he threw 17.61m, and then added another two metres on his next throw to establish the leading mark in the NAIA.
The former Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association Athletics Championships javelin throw finalist is the first male athlete from Point Park to be named Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
Grenyion is the second female from Indiana Tech to be named Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season after she won the women’s 200m and 400m double at the Notre Dame’s Blue & Gold Invitational.
Grenyion clocked 23.80 seconds to win the 200m after she won the 400m in 54.50, both leading marks in the NAIA.
Daley, a 4x100m relay silver medal winner at last year’s World Athletics Under-20 Championships, was one of four ‘Coyotes’ who were recognised by the conference as Performers of the Week.
He won the men’s 200m event at Friday’s South Dakota State University’s Holiday Open in 21.77, the 10th best mark in the event in the nation so far.