University of North Texas Athletics
Mean Green Claim Two American Conference Awards
4/28/2026 1:00:00 PM | Track & Field/XC
IRVING, Texas — UNT sophomore Anthony Ward and junior Aariyana Williams both claimed America Conference Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors following strong showings at the Michael Johnson Invitational in Waco, the league announced on Tuesday.
Ward won Men's Field Athlete of the Week after his leap of 7.72 meters in the men's long jump, which earned him a third-place finish and puts his name in the program record books with the third-longest jump in Mean Green history. It's also the second-best mark in The American this year and is 32nd nationally.
Williams continued her assault on the program record book by setting two new program benchmarks in Waco. She set a new record in the 200, when she finished fourth in 23.43 and then broke another record in the 400 with a blazing 52.26. Her 200 time is the second-fastest in The American this year and her 400 time is the fastest in the conference and 44th nationally.
"I'm so proud of Ant and Aari," UNT director of track and field Doug Marshall said. "I think both are very deserving after their performances this weekend. They both bring a positive energy that our entire group feeds off of every day."
The Mean Green will return to competition at the SMU Invitational in Dallas, which will run Friday and Saturday, and will serve as a final tuneup opportunity before the American Outdoor Championships, which will be hosted by UNT at Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium on May 14-16.
Ward won Men's Field Athlete of the Week after his leap of 7.72 meters in the men's long jump, which earned him a third-place finish and puts his name in the program record books with the third-longest jump in Mean Green history. It's also the second-best mark in The American this year and is 32nd nationally.
Williams continued her assault on the program record book by setting two new program benchmarks in Waco. She set a new record in the 200, when she finished fourth in 23.43 and then broke another record in the 400 with a blazing 52.26. Her 200 time is the second-fastest in The American this year and her 400 time is the fastest in the conference and 44th nationally.
"I'm so proud of Ant and Aari," UNT director of track and field Doug Marshall said. "I think both are very deserving after their performances this weekend. They both bring a positive energy that our entire group feeds off of every day."
The Mean Green will return to competition at the SMU Invitational in Dallas, which will run Friday and Saturday, and will serve as a final tuneup opportunity before the American Outdoor Championships, which will be hosted by UNT at Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium on May 14-16.
Players Mentioned
Jumps
/ Track & Field/XC
Sprints
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