MEDFORD, MA (March 9, 2026) – Junior
Simisola Lawal of the Tufts University women's track & field team has continually lowered her PR in the 60-meter dash throughout the 2026 indoor season. On Saturday at the Tufts Final Qualifier meet, she lowered it so much that the performance has earned her the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA DIII Women's National Athlete of the Week award.
In the 60-meter final on Saturday, Lawal put down a time of 7.48 seconds that broke Tufts' 10-year old school record and tied for the #2 Division III time in the nation this season. Ranked 10th nationally in the event entering last weekend, Lawal solidified her NCAA qualifying with the 7.48 time. She will race in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend.
Lawal's mark replaced the previous Tufts record of 7.55 seconds by Alexis Harrison in 2016. The 7.48 mark is also the #6 time in Division III history.
This is Tufts Women's Track & Field's first National Athlete of the Week Award since Brittany Bowman was selected during the outdoor season on April 17, 2018. Lawal is the first Jumbo to earn the honor during the indoor season since Harrison on February 23, 2016.
At Tufts' Branwen Smith-King Invitational on January 17, Lawal ran a PR of 7.76 in the finals. She then proceeded to lower it to 7.70 at the Harvard Invitational, and then to 7.69 at Boston University's David Hemery Valentine Invitational, and then again t o7.58 at the New England Division III Championships.
Lawal will compete for a national title in the event this weekend, with preliminaries scheduled for Friday at 1:30 PM CST (2:30 PM EST) and the final set for Saturday at 10:30 AM CST (11:30 AM EST). She also qualified to compete in the 200 at the NCAA meet, where her 24.53 PR is the #12 seed.
--JUMBOS--
