Date Posted: 2/7/2007

Macon, Ga. -- Heading into the home stretch of the indoor track and field season, the Atlantic Sun has named a Bruin and a Buccaneer co-Athletes of the Week, league officials announced today, as Belmont's Lauren Williams and ETSU's Anna Marie Ricciardi split the award after generating league-best marks in their respective events over the weekend.

Williams, a junior from Nashville, Tenn., bested a field of 47 in the mile run at the Indiana Relays in Bloomington, Ind. Her first-place time of 4:56.92 broke a 2004 school record set by Lisa Crampton by over seven seconds.

Ricciardi, a senior from Canfield, Ohio, cleared a career-best 5-10 (1.78m) at the Carolina Invitational on Saturday for a third-place finish in the event. Her mark also established a new ETSU school record, breaking Kim Harrell's 27-year-old record of 5-9.

Along with the school record, Ricciardi's clearance provisionally qualified her to compete at the NCAA Regionals. Currently she is tied with 13 other jumpers with the 14th best height in the nation.

The award is the first of its kind of Williams and the second for Ricciardi. With the honor, Ricciardi becomes the third female to have been named AOTW more than once, joining Belmont's Lynette Rives (three times) and Jacksonville's Natasha Harvey (twice).

The Atlantic Sun Athlete of the Week is announced every Wednesday during the 2007 indoor track season.

The 12-member league headquartered in Macon, Ga., consists of Belmont, Campbell, ETSU, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Mercer, UNF and Stetson with Florida Gulf Coast and USC Upstate beginning competition in 2007-08.

Other Top Performers:

• Michele Milner, Gardner-Webb
[Sr. -- Aiken, S.C. -- Nursing]
Milner posted a personal-best time in the 3,000-meter run (10:29.45) for a fourth-place finish and finished 15th in the mile run with a time of 5:21.81 at the Carolina Invitational.

• Elizabeth Maxwell, Gardner-Webb
[So. -- Johnsonville, S.C. -- Biology]
Maxwell placed sixth in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 41-7 (12.67m).

Related Links:
 • A-Sun Women's Indoor Track & Field