WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A pair of Boilermakers was honored by the Big Ten on Monday afternoon for their achievements at Friday's IU Earlybird Invitational. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi was named the men's Field Athlete of the Week, while Obokhare Ikpefan was tabbed the co-Track Athlete of the Week by the conference.
Enekwechi's award is the fifth of his career, while Ikpefan's is his first.
Enekwechi won the weight throw and took fourth in the shot put on Friday. His weight throw distance is the best in the country this season with a mark of 23.01m (75-6.00). That distance is one foot, five and three quarter inches better than anyone else in the country so far this season. Enekwechi is the only Boilermaker to ever record a throw of 23m or better, though Friday's mark was two feet less than his personal best and school record.
In the shot put, he finished fourth with a mark of 18.28m (59-11.75). That distance is the seventh-best in the country this season and the best in the Big Ten.
Ikpefan was the top collegiate finisher in the 300-meter dash at the meet. He ran a time of 34.32 in the first time competing at the distance, which was just 0.30 seconds behind the winner, three-time Olympian Rondell Sorrillo. Ikpefan was also part of the men's 4x400m relay team that took first with a meet record. Ikpefan, Chris Arvia, Kendal Frederick and Nicholas Parks posted a time of 3:15.00 to edge Indiana's top team by 0.08 of a second.
The Boilermakers are off through the semester break and will resume the season on Jan. 10 with the home opener, the Gene Edmonds Cup.