Freshmen Jeremiah Patton and Brianna Brinkley received Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) weekly honors after their performances at the Little Rock Invitational, according to an April 22 announcement. Patton was named OVC Male Track Athlete and Freshman of the Week, while Brinkley earned OVC Female Freshman of the Week.
The recognition highlights the impact both athletes have made during their first year with the team. For Patton, this marks his fifth OVC weekly award across indoor and outdoor seasons, while Brinkley has now received her second outdoor honor.
Both athletes competed at the Coleman Sports Complex last weekend. Patton participated in three events: he won first place in both the 100 meters (10.56 seconds) and 200 meters (20.57 seconds), and also ran as part of the winning 4×100-meter relay team that finished with a time of 41.63 seconds.
“I’m thankful for the recognition. All glory to God, and I appreciate my coaches and teammates for believing in me,” said Patton.
Brinkley secured first place in her main event, posting a time of 1:00.80 in the 400-meter hurdles—a result that ranks second in school history.
Head coach J.P. Behnke said, “Jeremiah and Brianna are two of the most dedicated and hardest-working Trojans on the team, so it’s not surprising to see them performing at such a high level.” He added, “Both were within hundredths of a second of breaking school records last weekend, something I expect we’ll see by the end of the season.”
Patton, Brinkley, and their teammates are scheduled to compete next at the SMU Invite in Dallas on May 1–2—the final regular-season meet for Little Rock Trojans track & field.
