Jakob Abrahamsen
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Eastern Kentucky University sophomore Jakob Abrahamsen has been named the OVC Male Track Athlete of the Week, while freshman Tequan Claitt has been named the OVC Male Field Athlete of the Week, the league office announced on Wednesday.
Abrahamsen – known primarily for his prowess in the steeplechase – proved he can run the 5,000 meters at an elite level on Saturday at the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville. The native of Aarhus, Denmark finished second and was the top collegiate finisher in the race, clocking a personal-best time of 13:52.2. That time is tops in the OVC by nearly 11 seconds, and it currently ranks No. 9 in the NCAA East Region and No. 19 in the country. It is also the fifth-fastest outdoor 5K in EKU history.
This is the second time this season Abrahamsen has been named OVC Male Track Athlete of the Week. He earned the honor on April 6 after running 8:47.5 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at Stanford. That time currently ranks No. 15 in the country.
Tequan Claitt
Claitt – the OVC indoor high jump champion – bested his previous personal-best of 6-11.75 in the high jump with a stellar 7-1 on Saturday at Louisville’s Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invitational. The Lexington native’s leap is the third-best in EKU history, and the best since Ken Wilson’s 7-2 in 1985. It also currently ranks No. 11 in the East Region and No. 24 in the country.
Claitt is the first Colonel to be named OVC Male Field Athlete of the Week since Randy Hopkins earned the honor in 2009 with a weight toss of 54-1.75.
Other winners this week included Tennessee Tech’s Na’Asha Robinson (Female Track) and Eastern Illinois’ Haleigh Knapp (Female Field).
Abrahamsen, Claitt and the rest of the track and field will compete at the OVC Outdoor Championships May 13-14 in Nashville.
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