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Terrapins’ Cooper, Gophers’ Nabwe and Ducks’ Ayyildiz earn weekly awards 

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week for the week of December 4-11, 2024.  

Track Athlete of the Week  

Silan Ayyildiz, Oregon 

Junior – Distance – Istanbul, Turkey – Major: Business Administration 

• Set the Oregon school record in the 3,000 meters (8:46.33)  
• No. 10 performer on the all-time collegiate list – No. 1 in the Big Ten, No. 4 in the NCAA this season – Took nearly four seconds off the previous school record 
• She lowered lifetime best by more than seven seconds 
• Earns her and Oregon’s first ever Indoor Track Athlete of the Week award 

Field Athlete of the Week 

Anthonett Nabwe, Minnesota 

Junior – Throws – Jamestown, N.D. – Major: Kinesiology 

• Opened up the indoor season with the No. 1 weight throw mark in the nation to win the M City Classic, claiming the victory with a toss of 22.45m (73-8) 
• Her mark of 22.45m (73-8) is the top mark in the country by nearly an entire meter (second is 21.50m | 70-6 1/2) 
• Additionally, Nabwe won the M City Classic shot put with a mark of 15.95m (52-4), which sits at No. 6 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten as of Dec. 10 
• Last Minnesota Indoor Field Athlete of the Week: Shelby Frank (Feb. 2, 2024) 

Freshman of the Week 

Simone Cooper, Maryland 

Freshman – Throws – Middletown, D.E. – Major: Agricultural & Veterinary Medicine 

• Opened her collegiate career by winning the shot put at the Navy Invitational 
• Posted a mark of 13.30 meters on her first attempt 
• The only competitor at the meet to surpass the 13-meter mark and won the event by nearly half a meter 
• First Indoor Freshman of the Week honors for Cooper and Maryland 

2024-25 Women’s Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Week 

Dec. 11

Track: Silan Ayyildiz, Oregon 

Field: Anthonett Nabwe, Minnesota 

Freshman:  Simone Cooper, Maryland 

The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The Big Ten Conference sponsors 28 official sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, and the broad-based programs of the 18 Big Ten institutions provide direct financial support for more than 14,000 student-athletes. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.