LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – After a successful trip to the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta last weekend, the UNLV track & field team earned recognition as part of the Mountain West Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors, the league announced on Tuesday. 
 
The Rebels were honored with two different weekly awards for their performance over the weekend, Chinyere Okoro earning the Mountain West Track Athlete of the Week honor and Kaelin Gowdy picking up the conference's Freshman of the Week award. The slate of honors marks the first of the outdoor season for the Scarlet & Gray and the first for both Rebels honored on Tuesday. 
 
Okoro slotted herself as the highest placing Rebel in the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta, picking up the runner-up spot on a 11.64 time in the women's 100m. Her mark also registered the fastest time in the Mountain West for the outdoor season in the 100m, outdoing all other competitors in the conference by .13 seconds in the event. Okoro's time in the event also topped all times set by the program in the 2023 outdoor season. The graduate student also acted as the leadoff in the 4x100m relay, helping the squad earn the fifth-fastest time in the event in program history. That same relay also was slotted as the fastest time in the Mountain West so far this outdoor season by almost a full second.
 
Gowdy's first-career honor comes her way after picking up two best times in both of the individual events she ran during the Arizona Spring Break Fiesta, while also punching in the team's top relay time of the season as well. The local native ran a career-low 56.31 final time in the 400m, recording the third-fastest time in the Mountain West so far this season. Her other solo performance registered a top-10 time overall in the conference this season in the 200m, running a career-best mark of 24.94.
 
UNLV will look to continue their success next weekend at the Aztec Invitational, hosted by San Diego State University as a three-day meet. They'll start on Thursday, March 21 and run through Saturday, March 23. You can catch updates on all things Rebels at UNLVrebel.com.