BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Webster University senior
Jacob Ridenhour (Jerseyville, Ill./Jerseyville) has been named this week's St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Track Athlete of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
Ridenhour is the first Gorloks this season to earn a SLIAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week accolade and this week's honor is his second of his career as he was honored during the outdoor season in 2019.
The two-time All-American earned this week's SLIAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week honor after having dominant performances in both the 60 and 200-meter dashes as last weekend's Principia Invitational (TRX Timing Meet). At Friday's event, Ridenhour took home first place in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.88 seconds, which is tied for the second-best time in NCAA Division III this season. Along with winning first place honors in the 60-meter dash, Ridenhour also placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.32 seconds, which is ranked seventh-best in Division III this season.
Ridenhour's performance helped the Gorloks to a third place finish out of 11 teams at the event that was hosted by Principia College.
As a junior in 2019-20, Ridenhour qualified for the NCAA Division III National Indoor Championships in both the 60 and 200-meter dashes, but the championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to his indoor success, Ridenhour also qualified in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the 2019 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships and finished as the national runner-up in the 200-meter dash.
Along with Ridenhour, the league named Greenville's Hunter Matthews as the SLIAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week. Matthews earns this week's honor after placing in the Top 5 in two events at last weekend's Illinois College Open. At the event, he won the high jump with a mark of 6'4.75", which is ranked 17th in Division III this season, while he was fifth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.45 seconds.
Ridenhour and the rest of his Gorlok teammates will return to action this weekend (Feb. 27) as they return to Elsah, Ill., to compete in the 2021 SLIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Gorloks finished as runners-up at last season's inaugural SLIAC Championship Meet.
