LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Wesleyan men's track and field team earned its second outdoor weekly conference honor of the season on Monday afternoon, as it was announced by the American Rivers Conference office that senior Eli Etherton was named the A-R-C Men's Track Athlete of the Week and the overall A-R-C Male Athlete of the Week for the voting period of April 13-19. Etherton's award marks the fifth time the Prairie Wolves have claimed an A-R-C Athlete of the Week honor when including the indoor season, and for the outdoor men's track award specifically, he is the first Nebraska Wesleyan athlete to win it since now-assistant coach Kyle Dickinson accomplished the feat back in 2019.

Etherton earned the honor off the strength of the best race of his collegiate outdoor career at the Loper Invitational in Kearney, where the Lincoln native did something no Prairie Wolf had ever done before. Competing in the 110-meter hurdles, Etherton crossed the finish line in 13.94 seconds to claim first place out of 11 competitors and shatter a school record that had stood for 30 years. The previous mark of 14.01 was set by Adam Decker back in 1996, making Etherton the first athlete in program history to break the 14-second barrier in the event. His time currently ranks fifth nationally in NCAA Division III.

The Prairie Wolves will now get back in action this week, heading east to Des Moines, Iowa to take part in the Drake Relays, hosted by Drake University, while also hosting the Prairie Wolf Invite on Thursday.