DALLAS – After the fifth week of 2021 outdoor track competition, UTEP’s Maribel Caicedo (Women’s Track), Rice’s Tara Simpson-Sullivan (Women’s Field), UTSA’s Bashiru Abdullahi (Men’s Track) and North Texas’ Zion Hill (Men’s Field) were selected as the April 21 C-USA Athlete of the Week honorees, presented by Surf & Turf Golf.
 
C-USA Female Track Athlete of the Week – Maribel Caicedo, UTEP, So., Guayaquil, Ecuador
Caicedo won her first 100m hurdles event of the season at the Roadrunner Invitational in San Antonio with a time of 13.51, tops in C-USA. It was her second career win, and the first since her freshman season in 2019. The sophomore from Guayaquil, Ecuador was also part of the first-place 4x100 relay team, which posted a time of 46.32. It was the second 4x100 victory this season for UTEP.
 
C-USA Female Field Athlete of the Week – Tara Simpson-Sullivan, Rice, Fr., Penrith, England
Simpson-Sullivan broke her own school record in the hammer throw with a winning mark of 67.67m (222’-00”) Roadrunner Invitational in San Antonio. The freshman from Penrith, England bested her previous school record of 65.53m, set just two weeks ago, with the NCAA's No. 5 ranked throw. It also ranks as the top mark in the hammer throw by a freshman in the nation this season. The gold medal in the event was her sixth of the outdoor season.
 
C-USA Male Track Athlete of the Week – Bashiru Abdullahi, UTSA, So., Benin City, Nigeria
Abdullahi raced to a wind-aided time of 13.61 seconds in cruising to victory in the men's 110-meter hurdles at the Roadrunner Invitational in San Antonio. His second win in as many races this outdoor season also marked the fastest time recorded under any conditions in school and meet history. The sophomore from Benin City, Nigeria currently tops the C-USA list in the event by more than three-tenths of a second, and his time would rank 10th nationally if it was wind legal.
 
C-USA Male Field Athlete of the Week – Zion Hill, North Texas, Jr., Bridgetown, Barbados
Hill captured first place in the javelin event at the Michael Johnson Invitational hosted by Baylor on April 16. The junior from Bridgetown, Barbados recorded a mark of 67.89 meters, a season-best mark that is second in Conference USA this outdoor season.
 
2021 C-USA Outdoor Female Track Athletes of the Week
M24     Eusila Chepkemei, Middle Tennessee
M31      Faith Roberson, UTSA
A7        Grace Forbes, Rice
A14      Faith Roberson, UTSA
A21      Maribel Caicedo, UTEP
 
2021 C-USA Outdoor Female Field Athletes of the Week
M24     Rhema Otabor, FIU
M31      Ameion Hamlet, Florida Atlantic
A7        Jaleisa Shaffer, North Texas
A14      Michelle Fokam, Rice
A21      Tara Simpson-Sullivan, Rice
 
2021 C-USA Outdoor Male Track Athletes of the Week
M24     Andrew Pirog, UTSA
M31      Sean Bailey, UTEP
A7        Trey Johnson, Southern Miss
A14      Karlington Anunagba, North Texas
A21      Bashiru Abdullahi, UTSA
 
2021 C-USA Outdoor Male Field Athletes of the Week
M24     Ishmel Williams, UTEP
M31      Corvell Todd, Southern Miss
A7        Terrell Adams, Charlotte
A14      Keon Howe, Charlotte
A21      Zion Hill, North Texas