NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans thrower
Shanell Atkins was named the 2021 Southland Conference Women's Indoor Track & Field Newcomer of the Year after a historic season that ended with a record-setting performance at the conference's indoor championships, per the Southland's release on Thursday.
Heading into the 2021 Southland Indoor Championships, Atkins set the school record in the weight throw in back-to-back meets at the LSU Louisiana Invite and the Samford Bulldog Invite with tosses of 18.40m (60-04.50) and 19.05m (62-06.00). She made it three record-setting meets in a row with a new personal best of 19.21m (63-00.25) at the conference championships to claim the title.
Atkins also finished fifth in the shot put at the meet with a best heave of 13.98m (45-10.50). In total, she was responsible for 14 points as an individual.
To continue the trends of first, Atkins is the first student-athlete in UNO history to earn the Newcomer of the Year award since the Privateers joined the Southland.
New Orleans also had seven events that earned all-conference honors. The standout Privateers included Atkins (First Team – Women's Weight Throw),
Arina Kleshchukova (First – Women's 5000),
Shamarah Shannon (Second – Women's 200),
Jaden Forester (Second – Men's Mile) and
Vojislav Gvero (Third – Men's Weight Throw). The men's DMR of Forester,
Harrison Coleman,
Cade Litolff and
Alec Snell, and the women's DMR squad that consisted of Kleshchukova, Shannon,
Anna Dohmen and
Jantrell Drakes each earned second team honors, respectively.
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