KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After turning in dominant performances against NCAA Division I competition at the Jesse Owens Classic, Lincoln hurdlers Maria Diamond and Troy Whyte have been named as MIAA Athletes of the Week. Diamond was named the MIAA Women's Track Athlete of the Week while Whyte was selected as the MIAA Men's Track Athlete of the Week.

This is the second time this month that Diamond and Whyte have earned the accolades in the same week, as the pair accomplished the feat on April 11. The league office announced the honors, which were voted upon by a select panel of conference sports information personnel, on Tuesday (April 25).

Diamond won the 400-meter hurdles against a field consisting almost entirely of NCAA Division I athletes at the Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by The Ohio State University this past weekend (April 21-22). Her winning time of 57.88 is now the fastest 400-meter hurdle time Division II. Diamond also teamed with Chrissani May, Shantae George and Shevanae Thomas to help Lincoln's 4x400 meter relay team take second in 3:46.28.

Whyte swept the hurdle events at the Jesse Owens Classic, posting the fastest times in fields consisting mainly of Division I athletes. Whyte won the 400-meter hurdles in 50.58, the second-fastest time in the country and the quickest in the MIAA. He also won both the preliminary and final of the 100-meter hurdles. His victorious time of 14.02 in the preliminaries rates fourth in the MIAA and 11th nationally, and both times are also provisional qualifiers.

This is the fourth MIAA Women's Track Athlete of the Week award for Diamond, who also earned the recognition on March 29, 2022 and April 12, 2022. This is the second MIAA Men's Track Athlete of the Week award for Whyte.

Lincoln's men's and women's outdoor track & field teams will split time at two meets this weekend, with some athletes going to Des Moines, Iowa for the Drake Relays on April 28-29, and others heading to Lawrence, Kan. for the Rock Chalk Classic on April 29.