Youngstown State's Grace, Milwaukee's Johnson, Laaro, and Hewett Claim #HLTF Honors

INDIANAPOLIS – Milwaukee junior Simbi Laaro (Appleton, Wis.) and sophomore Marquis Johnson (Lac du Flambeau, Wis.) have named Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Runners of the Week while Milwaukee junior Sherice Hewett (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Youngstown State senior Bobby Grace (Middleburgh Heights, Ohio) have been named Horizon League Athletes of the Week for the period of Apr. 8-14.

Laaro registered two individual first-place honors at the Billiken Invitational. In the 200-meter dash Laaro moved into third place in Milwaukee school history, crossing the finish line in 24.24 seconds. She followed that up by taking the top spot in the 100m with a time of 11.89 seconds, a personal best which ranks as the fifth best time in school history. Both times are second fastest in the League this season. Laaro also added a first-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay (46.91 seconds) and a second-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay (3:48.44).

Johnson posted victories in the 400-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay and also posted a fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash. In the 200-meter, the Lac du Flambeau, Wis., native registered the third-fastest time in school history at 21.35 seconds. That mark is nearly .30 seconds clear of the second best time in the League this season. Johnson also won the 400-meter dash in 48.42 seconds, which also ranks as the fastest time in the League this season. In the 4x400-meter relay, the team’s time of 3:16.82 was nearly four seconds ahead of the rest of the field and stands as the fastest time in the League this year.

Hewett registered the best mark in the League this season with a triple jump of 12.28 meters. The distance placed her second out of 15 competitors. She also placed third out of 15 competitors in the long jump with a mark of 5.45 meters, which stands as the fourth best mark in the League this season.

Grace extended his League best distance in the shot put at the Tennessee Relays. His distance of 19.36 meters is 2.43 meters ahead of the second best throw in the League. His mark placed him first out of 31 competitors and stands as a personal best distance.

Milwaukee is in action April 18-19 at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., and the Gateway Invite in Edwardsville, Ill., on April 19. Youngstown State competes next April 18-19 at the Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, Ohio.

Other Top Athletes of the Week (Apr. 8-14):
Alex Chollet, Milwaukeee (Jr., Aurora, Ill.) - Placed second in the hammer throw with a distance of 56.24 meters, second best in Milwaukee school history. 
Eric Lewis, Detroit (Sr., Eastpointe, Mich.) - Came in second place in the hammer throw, breaking his own school record and placing second overall at the Bison Outdoor Classic. His mark of 62.38 meters ranks second best in the League this season.
Seyi Ogunleye, UIC (Jr., Calumet City, Ill.) - Placed first and third in the long jump and triple jump, respectively, at the Chicagoland Championship. His long jump of 7.05 meters set a personal best.
Jacob Smutz, Valparaiso (So., West Lafayette, Ind.) - Posted a third-place finish in the hammer throw (50.97 meters) and seventh-place finish in the discus (38.97 meters) at the Chicagoland Championships.
Jessica Parham, Youngstown State (Sr., McMurray, Pa.) - Finished in seventh-place in the javelin with a mark of 41.24 meters.
Whitney Rogers, Detroit (Sr., Flint, Mich.) - Set a personal record in the triple jump with a mark of 12.03 meters, good for second best in Detroit school history.
Jazmin Taylor, Valparaiso (Jr., Rock Island, Ill.) - Broke her own school record in the high jump with a mark of 1.65 meters. The jump places her in a three-way tie for tops in the League this season.
LaTreesha Washington, UIC (So., South Holland, Ill.) - Washington turned in a pole vault of 3.35 meters, good for third-place.

Other Top Runners of the Week (Apr. 8-14):
Kyle Hauser, UIC (Fr., Palos Heights, Ill.) - Finished in first-place in the 1,500-meter with a time of 4:00.82.
Antwon Hatchett, Valparaiso (So., Indianapolis, Ind.) - Turned in a 400-meter hurdles time of 57.18 seconds, good for third-place. His time also tied his personal best and ranks as the fifth fastest time in Valparaiso school history.
Austin McLean, Youngstown State (Jr., West Jefferson, Ohio) - His time of 9:18.60 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase ranks as a personal best.
George O’Connor, Oakland (Sr., Croswell, Mich.) - Registered the third best steeplechase time of the year (9:48.95) at the Don Kleinow Invite.
Khalil Parris, Detroit (Fr., Windsor, Ont.) - Finished in first place in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.27 seconds, which ranks as the best freshman time in the League thus far.
Louisa Coppola, Detroit (Warren, Mich.) - Posted a personal best time in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:31.38.
Elizabeth Bloy, Valparaiso (Fr., Freedom, Wis.) - Dominated the field in the 1,500-meter run, crossing the finish line four seconds faster than the runner-up. Also placed third in the 800-meter run.
Imani Dixon, UIC (Santa Carlita, Calif.) - Took second in the 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 1:00.56.
Rachel Janson, Wright State (Sr., Dayton, Ohio) - Broke her own school record in the 3000 meter steeplechase as she won the event at the All-Ohio Championships with a time of 11:06.97.  That time is tops in the Horizon League this season.
Samantha Hamilton, Youngstown State (Sr., North Jackson, Ohio) - Hamilton registered a second-place finish in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:13.67. She was the only Penguin female runner to place in the top three at the meet.
Miranda Haas, Oakland (So., Pickney, Mich.) - Took home first-place honors in the steeplechase with a time of 11:31.43, which ranks as the second best time in Oakland school history.

Outdoor Athletes of the Week:
Mar. 25: Jacob Frey (Valparaiso); Jazmin Taylor (Valparaiso)
Apr. 1: Jay Jakovina (Youngstown State); Nina Grambling (Youngstown State)
Apr. 8: Nate Pozolinski (Milwaukee); Ariel Gibbs (UIC)
Apr. 15: Bobby Grace (Youngstown State); Sherice Hewett (Milwaukee)

Outdoor Runners of the Week:
Mar. 25: Marquis Johnson (Milwaukee); Elizabeth Bloy (Valparaiso)
Apr. 1: Eric Rupe (Youngstown State); Shannon Marchant (Detroit)
Apr. 8: Dexter Schleis (Milwaukee); Kacia Grant (Wright State)
Apr. 15: Marquis Johnson (Milwaukee); Simbi Laaro (Milwaukee)