Jan. 14, 2002

DALLAS -- Junior Christian Cantwell, along with Kansas' Scott Russell and Oklahoma's Leslie Dunlap, were named Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week for their performances Jan. 11-13, the league office announced Monday. Russell and Cantwell, both throwers, shared the conference male athlete of the week title, while Dunlap received the female athlete of the week honor.

Cantwell recorded a personal best 66-5.75 throw in the shot put at the Missouri Triangular to win the event and broke the Hearnes Fieldhouse and Big 12 records. Cantwell currently has the second best mark in the nation in the shot put. The Eldon, Mo., junior automatically qualified in the shot put with his performance last Friday, and has also provisionally qualified in the weight throw with a mark of 69-8 at the same meet.

Russell, a senior from Ontario, Canada, won the weight throw Jan. 11 at the Missouri Triangular with a throw of 77 feet, 9.5 inches, a mark which automatically qualifies Russell for the NCAA Indoor Championships. The Jayhawk now holds the Canadian, Big 12 and Kansas record in the event. According to the marks on the 2002 NCAA Men's Indoor Performance List, Russell also has the best weight throw in the nation so far this season with the mark he recorded at the meet.

Both Russell and Cantwell are reigning conference indoor champions in the weight throw and shot put, respectively - Russell also won the weight throw in 1999 at the indoor conference championship.

Dunlap, a Choctaw, Okla., native, placed fourth after clearing an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 13-1.5 in the women's collegiate elite division at the USA Track and Field Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev., Jan. 11-12. The Sooner sophomore's mark currently ranks second in the country. Dunlap improved her indoor career best by more than two inches, and it was also six inches better than her previous season best of 12-6.25, which also was a provisional qualifying height. She becomes the second OU student-athlete to receive athlete of the week this season - her teammate Jason Stanley was named male athlete of the week for his performances Dec. 1 - Jan. 6.

The Tigers will host their second meet in a row, the Missouri Invitational, on Friday.