Milwaukee's Johnson, Valparaiso's Bloy, Frey and Taylor Garner #HLTF Honors

INDIANAPOLIS – Milwaukee sophomore Marquis Johnson (Lac du Flambeau, Wis.) and Valparaiso freshman Elizabeth Bloy (Freedom, Wis.) have named Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Runners of the Week while Valparaiso junior Jacob Frey (St. Paul, Minn.) and junior Jazmin Taylor (Rock Island, Ill.) have been named Horizon League Athletes of the Week for the period Mar. 18-24.

Johnson led the Panthers to a season-opening victory at the Cougar Classic. The sophomore placed first and second in the 400-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, respectively.  Johnson registered the first Panther win of the day in the 400m with a time of 49.02, besting a field of 12 runners. In the 200m, he crossed the finish line in 22.07 to place second, .30 seconds off first-place.

Bloy registered a pair of first-place finishes in the 800-meter run and the 1,500-meter run at the Gene and Rose Edmonds Invitational. In the 800m, she finished in 2:23.21; nearly four seconds ahead of second-place.
In the 1,500-meter run, the freshman dominated the field, clocking in at 4:54.93. Bloy’s time topped the runner-up by over ten seconds.

Frey took the top spot in the hammer throw at the Gene and Rose Edmonds Invitational, registering a mark of 50.21m. In the discus, the junior finished fourth with a mark of 41.06m. Prior to Frey, the last Valparaiso male to win an outdoor weekly honor was Julian Smith on April 30, 2012.

Taylor placed in a tie for first in the high jump at the Gene and Rose Edmonds Invitational. The junior, who finish second at the 2014 Horizon League Indoor Track & Field Championships, broke her own school record with a height of 1.63m.

Valparaiso returns to action March 26-29 at the Texas Relay in Austin, Texas, while Milwaukee continues its season March 28-29 at the Bill Cornel Classic in Carbondale, Ill.

Other Top Athletes of the Week (Mar. 18-24):
Alex Chollet, Milwaukee (Jr., Aurora, Ill.) - Placed sixth at the Cougar Classic in the hammer throw with a mark of 48.48m.
Seyi Ogunleye, UIC (Jr., Calumet City, Ill.) - Ran away with the triple jump at the Butler Invite, placing first by nearly 1.40m (13.73m).
Nancy Harmon, Milwaukee (Sr., Skokie, Ill.) - Took second in the hammer throw (51.96m) and seven in the discus (37.50m) at the Cougar Classic.

Other Top Runners of the Week (Mar. 18-24):
Adam Bruno, Valparaiso (Fr., Bloomington, Ill.) - Placed first in the 1,500-meter run (4:15.01) and fourth in the 800-meter run (2:09.59) at the Gene and Rose Edmonds Invitational.
Martin Hunter, UIC (So., Wilmette, Ill.) - At the Butler Invite, crossed the finish line first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.30 and second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.39.
Michelle Garner, Milwaukee (So., Greenfield, Wis.) - At the Cougar Classic, took home first-place honors in the 400-meter hurdles, clocking in at 1:04.94.
Rachel Janson, Wright State (Sr., Kalida, Ohio) - Finished first in the 5,000-meter run (19:12.2) and seventh in the 1,500-meter run (5:04.72) at the Amy Adams Memorial.
Lauren Lindholm, UIC (So., Aurora, Ill.) - Placed 18th in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:56.66 at the Butler Invite.

Outdoor Athletes of the Week:
Mar. 25: Jacob Frey (Valparaiso); Jazmin Taylor (Valparaiso)

Outdoor Runners of the Week:
Mar. 25: Marquis Johnson (Milwaukee); Elizabeth Bloy (Valparaiso)