SEWARD, Neb. – Rachel Battershell and Allie Brooks continue to perform at an elite level – and the honors continue to pour in. On Wednesday (Feb. 12), the conference named Battershell the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week while Brooks collected the GPAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honor. Battershell has raked in four conference weekly honors this season while Brooks has reeled in two.
Also an NAIA National Track Athlete of the Week in January, Battershell (Wheatland, Wyo.) has raised her game as a sophomore. In action last week at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, Battershell competed in three events. Most notably, she clocked a personal best of 56.23 seconds in the 400 meters (12th place out of 47 runners) while going up against a field loaded with NCAA Division I runners. Battershell also joined her 4x400 meter relay teammates on a time of 3:53.56 (converted to 3:56.67 for the NAIA leaderboard). Currently, Battershell sports national rankings of first in the 400 and ninth in the 60 meter hurdles. The 4x4 has the NAIA’s No. 2 time.
Meanwhile, Brooks paces the NAIA in the women’s pole vault. In her own exploits at the Husker Invite, the Seward High School product increased her own school pole vault record by half an inch while clearing 13’ ¾.” She placed second in the competition at the Husker Invite. Brooks is a two-time GPAC champion and was a 2017 NAIA indoor All-American. She will be headed to nationals for the sixth time in her career.
Head coach Matt Beisel’s Bulldogs will return to action on Friday when they host the Concordia Invite inside the Fieldhouse. Action is set to get underway at 2 p.m. CT. View the meet schedule HERE.
2019-20 GPAC Athletes of the Week
Feb. 12 – Rachel Battershell (track), Allie Brooks (field)
Feb. 5 – Allie Brooks (field)
Jan. 29 – *Rachel Battershell (track), Xavier Ross (track), *Adrianna Shaw (field)
Jan. 22 – Rachel Battershell (track)
Dec. 18 – Rachel Battershell (track), Jacob Cornelio (field)
*NAIA National Athlete of the Week