USATF-MN Athletes of the Month: Alena Brooks Big Ten Athlete of Week; Dunne gets HM

The Minnesota Association of USA Track & Field ihas named  Jon Lehman and Ladia Albertson-Junkans as USATF Minnesota’s Athletes of the Month for January 2013.

Lehman, a junior at the University of Minnesota (Coon Rapids High School) currently sits fourth in NCAA Division-I rankings in the weight throw at 20.74 meters (68 feet, 0.5 inches). He achieved this throw en route to winning the Northwest Open at the University of Minnesota January 12. Lehman also won the event at the University of Minnesota’s Jack Johnson Invitational January 19 with a throw of 20.26 meters (66 feet, 5.5 inches).

Albertson-Junkans, of Team USA Minnesota, finished seventh at the Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country Meet January 5, covering the 6-kilometer course in 21:08. The former state cross-country champion from Stillwater was the top finisher of five Minnesotans who represented the United States in Scotland, and was the second finisher on the United States’ contingent that finished second at the meet.

Alena Brooks. Photo courtesy
of University of MN

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Alena Brooks has been named Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete of the Week.. Brooks finished second in the 800 meters at the Meyo Invitational this past weekend  behind Olympian Geena Gall with a personal record time of 2:06.24. Brooks now ranks second on Minnesota’s womens' all-time performers list, behind Heather Kampf. Brooks also ran on the Gophers’ winning distance medley relay team at Meyo.

She is the first Gopher honored as Big Ten Indoor Athlete of the Week  since Samantha Sonnenberg was named Indoor Field Athlete of the Week in February 2011. The last Minnesota runner to earn Indoor Track Athlete of the Week was Kampf in January 2009.
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Maxwell Dunne. Photo courtesy of St. Thomas

Maxwell Dunne, a multi event performer for St. Thomas was selected as Honorable Mention for this week's USTFCCCA  NCAA Division III national athletes of the week.