SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Summit League) – South Dakota’s Brithton Senior and North Dakota State’s Alex Talley alongside NDSU’s Jennie Baragar-Petrash and Akealy Moton were named The Summit League Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year Wednesday in a vote by the league’s head coaches for their respective performances throughout the 2020-21 indoor season.
Senior is the first student-athlete to earn the Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year award in back-to-back years since the award split into recognizing both a track and a field athlete following the 2008-09 season. Talley claimed the title of Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after claiming the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year accolade earlier this month.
On the women’s side, Baragar-Petrash, this year’s Summit League Track Championship MVP, took home the Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honor while teammate Akealy Moton earned the Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year accolade. Baragar-Petrash becomes the first Bison to take home the track honor since Erin Teschuk in 2015-16. Moton, this year’s USTFCCCA Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year for the women, is the third consecutive Bison to take home the women’s indoor field athlete of the year honor.
In his first season as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, overseeing both the men’s and women’s programs for North Dakota State, Stevie Keller claimed his first Men’s Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year honor and seventh-straight for the women’s accolade. Keller guided the men’s program to their fifth league indoor team championships title in the past six years and helped the women claim their 14th-consecutive league crown.
Below is a more thorough breakdown of each student-athletes’ 2020-21 indoor season.
Brithton Senior, South Dakota
Sophomore | Hanover, Jamaica
- Notched his second-straight Summit League Track Athlete of the Year accolade
- One of four Coyotes that had qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
- Defended his 2019 60m hurdles title at the league indoor championships with a winning time of 7.99
- Clocked a season-best time of 7.77 in the semifinals of the league championships to advance to NCAAs
- Was one of two league athletes to clock under eight seconds in the event this season
- Ran the 10th-fastest time in the 60m hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships
- Garnered All-America second-team honors for his performance
Alex Talley, North Dakota State
Senior | West Fargo, N.D.
- Named the USTFCCCA’s Men’s Midwest Indoor Field Athlete of the Year
- Defended his 2019 indoor weight throw title at the league championships with a winning mark of 72-00.25 (21.95m)
- Won the shot put at the league indoor championships after launching a mark of 65-08.25 (20.02m) to claim the crown
- Named the 2021 Indoor Summit League Championships Field MVP after winning both events at the league meet
- Was the only man in the nation this season to rank in the NCAA’s Top 25 for both indoor throwing events
- Entered the NCAA Indoor Championships ranked third in the weight throw and tied for fifth in the shot put
- Claimed first-team All-America accolades in the shot put at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships taking third place with a mark of 65-01.50 (19.85m)
- Earned first-team All-America honors in the weight throw at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 73-00.00 (22.25m) to earn sixth place
Jennie Baragar-Petrash, North Dakota State
Senior | Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Totaled 30 team points at the league indoor championships after running away with the 3,000m, mile and 5,000m titles
- Won the 5,000m at the league championships with a meet record time of 16:25.16
- Named the 2021 Summit League Championships Track MVP for her performances
- Earned a trip to her first NCAA Indoor Championships in the 3,000m
- Clocked a career-best 9:10.51 in the 3,000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships trimming nearly seven seconds off her previous best time
- Earned second-team All-America honors after finishing 10th in the event
Akealy Moton, North Dakota State
Junior | West Fargo, N.D.
- Named the USTFCCCA’s Women’s Midwest Indoor Field Athlete of the Year
- Claimed the shot put gold medal at the league championships with a league record mark of 56-11.25 (17.35m)
- Earned her second straight appearance to the NCAA Indoor Championships
- Entered the NCAA Championships ranked third in the nation and 23rd in the world with a season-best and school-record mark of 59-03.00 (18.06m)
- Threw a mark of 56-09.50 (17.31m) at the NCAA Indoor Championships to take fifth place and earn first-time All-America honors
- It was the third All-America accolade of her career
