Graves Tabbed MAC Track Athlete of the Week
5/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 4, 2011
CLEVELAND - After a record-setting performance last weekend, Miami University junior Diona Graves has been named Mid-American Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday evening. The award is her first career MAC weekly honor.
Graves (Fenton, Mo.) had a stellar meet at the Gina Relays Friday and Saturday hosted by Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich. Saturday, she broke the school record in the 100m dash, clocking 11.68 seconds to win the race while besting Miami's record of 11.73 set in 2008. Her time is the fastest in the MAC so far this year by .15 of a second and ranks 48th in the East Region. She won her race by .13 of a second while improving her previous best time by a quarter of a second.
On Friday, the first day of the meet, Graves also captured first place in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 5.86m/19-2.75, which ranks her third in school history and third in the MAC so far this year despite competing in the event for the first time as a RedHawk. She won by over five inches while her mark ties for 67th in the East Region.
In addition on Saturday, Graves placed fifth out of 71 in the 200m dash in 24.55 and ran the anchor leg on Miami's runner-up 4x100m relay team that clocked 47.34, finishing ahead of MAC foes Toledo and Ohio.
Graves is the third RedHawk in the last four weeks to earn a weekly accolade from the conference as junior Rachel Patterson (Rochester, Mich.) won MAC Track Athlete of the Week April 19 after breaking the 5K school record while fellow junior Alexandra Roberts (Hilliard, Ohio) claimed MAC Field Athlete of the Week April 12 after shattering the school record in the shot put.
Miami returns to the track Friday as the RedHawks compete in the Billy Hayes Invitational in Bloomington, Ind., which serves as a final tune-up before the MAC Championships May 12-14.
--MURedHawks.com--
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