KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new men’s Track and Field Athletes of the Week from week four of the 2026 outdoor season, presented by
Beynon – the official track surface of the MIAA. Missouri Southern’s Phillip Jefferson claimed the Lions’ first Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week honor and Pittsburg State’s Jack Haukap was crowned the Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week after becoming the Division II leader in the men’s hammer throw.
OUTDOOR TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Phillip Jefferson, Missouri Southern
Phillip Jefferson won the 400-meter hurdles in a personal-best 51.24 at Harding’s Bryan Phillips Open. The mark matched a MSSU program record for the event and is an NCAA qualifying mark. The time is also good for the third-fastest 400-meter hurdle time in NCAA Division II this season. Jefferson also helped the Lions’ 4x100 meter relay (40.80) and 4x400 meter relay (3:16.70) squads to third-place finishes.
OUTDOOR FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jack Haukap, Pittsburg State
Jack Haukap was selected as the NCAA Division II National Athlete of the Week on Monday by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for his record-breaking performance in the hammer throw at the UCM Kip & Kirk Mule Relays last week. The senior thrower from Garden Plain, Kan., recorded a winning mark of 230 feet, 6 inches (70.26 meters) in the meet — the ninth-best mark in NCAA Division II history and the furthest mark in Division II since 2022. Haukap's mark, the Pitt State and MIAA record setter, sits in the top-10 for all collegians this season.
NOTABLE TRACK PERFORMANCES:
Danny Jantzen, Northwest Missouri
Danny Jantzen gained two NCAA provisional qualifying times at the Arkansas Spring Invite (Fayetteville, Ark.) in the 400-meter hurdles and 4x100-meter relay. Jantzen posted a time of 52.35 in the open 400-meter hurdles to earn an NCAA provisional time. It ranks as the 14th-best time in the country and the second-best time in the MIAA. Jantzen also teamed up with Logan Arellano, Christian Lanphier and Truman Hare for a clocking of 3:09.19 in the 4x400-meter relay, which ranks as the sixth-best time in Division II and the best mark in the MIAA this spring.
Woyn Chatman, Pittsburg State
Woyn Chatman picked up a pair of NCAA qualifying marks at the University of Arkansas Spring Invitational last Saturday (Apr. 11). The Little Rock, Ark., native clocked a season-best time of 46.94 seconds in the 400 meters. He also ran the opening leg for the Gorillas' 4x400-meter relay that clocked the 12th fastest time in NCAA Division II this season (3:10.63).
Nathaneal Gibson, Rogers State
Nathaneal Gibson set a new Rogers State school record in the 1500 meters at the Arkansas Spring Invitational last Saturday. The senior won the race with a time of 3:53.70, ahead of multiple NCAA Division I competitors.
NOTABLE FIELD PERFORMANCES:
Cedric Pearson, Missouri Southern
Cedric Pearson, the defending MIAA Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week, won both the men’s shot put and discus throw at Central Missouri’s Mule Relays. Both marks were NCAA qualifying distances. He captured the shot put title with a mark of 18.85 meters (61-10.25) — the second-best shot put mark in Division II. Pearson also won the discus with a personal-best distance of 56.55 meters (185-6) — the fourth-best discus distance in Division II. He ranks fourth all-time in MSSU program history for discus. The titles marked his second-straight double championship weekend and his fifth outdoor title of the 2026 season.
Drew Tolar, Fort Hays State
Drew Tolar had a big week at the Jo Meaker Classic and Multis last week in Canyon, Texas, becoming just the second Tiger in history to surpass 7,000 points in the decathlon. The sophomore currently ranks fifth in Division II and second in the MIAA with his point total of 7,096 points across the 10 events. He earned 800-plus points three times and added 798 points in a fourth event. His top events were the 100-meter dash (10.61, 949 points), the long jump (24-0.75, 893 points), the 400-meter dash (49.92, 818 points) and the 110-meter hurdles (15.43, 798 points).
ALSO NOMINATED:
Track Nominations: Jayden Michaelis [Fort Hays State], Emmanuel Dukpe [Emporia State], Nolan Vancauwemberghe [Central Missouri], Carter Hohlen [Nebraska Kearney], Jake Muller [Washburn]
Field Nominations: Connor Deters [Emporia State], David Parker II [Northwest Missouri]
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Beynon Sports, a Tarkett Sports company, is a leading North American company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and installing high-performance synthetic athletic surfaces, particularly for track and field, but also for tennis, pickleball, and indoor courts, known for their speed, durability, and focus on sustainability using innovative materials like cashew oil. They provide surfaces for elite venues and community facilities, and meet strict International Association of Athletics Federations standards.
INDOOR WEEK ONE TRACK: Nolan Vancauwemberghe, Central Missouri
INDOOR WEEK ONE FIELD: Drew Wilhite, Pittsburg State
INDOOR WEEK TWO TRACK: Aziz Mohammed, Northwest Missouri
INDOOR WEEK TWO FIELD: Adam Wooldridge, Washburn
INDOOR WEEK THREE TRACK: Caden Williams, Pittsburg State
INDOOR WEEK THREE FIELD: Xavier Byers, Pittsburg State
INDOOR WEEK FOUR TRACK: Ilias Garcia, Pittsburg State
INDOOR WEEK FOUR FIELD: Justin Forde, Washburn
INDOOR WEEK FIVE TRACK: Ilias Garcia, Pittsburg State
INDOOR WEEK FIVE FIELD: Justin Forde, Washburn
INDOOR WEEK SIX TRACK: Riley Witt, Northwest Missouri
INDOOR WEEK SIX FIELD: Drake Stapleton, Pittsburg State
INDOOR WEEK SEVEN TRACK: Tyrone Jackson, Pittsburg State
INDOOR WEEK SEVEN FIELD: Grayson Smith, Pittsburg State
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OUTDOOR WEEK ONE TRACK: Tyrone Jackson, Pittsburg State
OUTDOOR WEEK ONE FIELD: Grayson Smith, Pittsburg State
OUTDOOR WEEK TWO TRACK: Drew Atkins, Northwest Missouri
OUTDOOR WEEK TWO FIELD: Nolan Studley, Nebraska Kearney
OUTDOOR WEEK THREE TRACK: Nolan Vancauwemberghe, Central Missouri
OUTDOOR WEEK THREE FIELD: Cedric Pearson, Missouri Southern
OUTDOOR WEEK FOUR TRACK: Phillip Jefferson, Missouri Southern
OUTDOOR WEEK FOUR FIELD: Jack Haukap, Pittsburg State