Welcome Earns USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week

NORMAN – University of Oklahoma track and field freshman Mikeisha Welcome was named the women's Division I National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the organization announced Tuesday morning.

The Toronto, Ontario, native had an OU debut for the record books, winning the women's triple jump title at the Kansas State Winter Invitational with a nation-leading leap of 43-9.75 (13.35m). She topped the second-place jumper at the meet by more than three feet.

"I'm very excited for Mikeisha," said OU interim head coach Tim Langford. "What I saw all fall was resiliency, and she's just a freshman. She came in and we explained to her that we have a plan for her success and her development. She embraced that plan and it's paying off for her."

The jump broke the OU school record of 43-3 (13.18m) set by Toni Smith in 2007 by more than 6.5 inches. Welcome is currently the national leader for indoor women's triple jump by over eight inches.

Per the USTFCCCA, Welcome's season-opening mark would have placed her sixth at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships and earned First-Team All-America honors.

The freshman's national honor is OU's first USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honor during the indoor season in program history.

"Just like the rest of the kids in our program, she has shown resiliency and the ability to adapt," continued Langford. "They've learned that if you put a plan of success in front of them and they buy in, these are some of the results that you can get. I'm excited about the future for Mikeisha. She's extremely talented but she's put in the hard work that goes with it."