ANNVILLE Pa. (Apr. 19, 2021) – Sophomore
Laura Mathews of the Stevens Institute of Technology women's outdoor track and field team was named the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week, the league office announced Monday.
The recognition is the first for the Denville, New Jersey native during the outdoor season and the second weekly award of her career. Mathews earned the conference's weekly honor during the indoor season in 2019, collecting the first award for the program as a member of the MAC.
"Laura was quite an accomplished hurdler in high school, yet she bought into Coach
John Kolibab's vision of completely overhauling her technique in the interest of her long-term development," said head coach
Lance Harden. "She has been incredibly patient and unwavering in her dedication to perfecting her form. It is rewarding to see her commitment pay off in the form of another school record!"
"Laura is an exceptional athlete," assistant coach
John Kolibab added. "From the moment we saw her first practice, we knew she had the potential to do some very special things on the track. Since then, she's broken five of our school records. She's been an absolute joy to work with and it's wonderful to see someone so talented striving to improve everyday. It's a safe bet to expect more success in the near and distant future."
Mathews broke the school record in the 100-meter hurdles Saturday at the annual Bill Fritz Invitational. After finishing the preliminary heat in 15.13 seconds, the second-year runner then trimmed nearly two-tenths-of-a-second off her time to finish the championship race in 14.94 seconds to eclipse the previous record of 15.02 seconds, set by
Tiffany Evangelou at the 2014 ECAC Division III Championships. Mathews currently holds the 20th-fastest time in Division III and the top time in the MAC.
The weekly award is the second for women's outdoor track and field this season.
Up Next: Women's Track & Field heads to Center Valley, Pennsylvania on Apr. 24 for the DeSales University Invitational.
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