Frontier Conference

Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete-of-the-Week: Oliviyah Thornton, Dakota State (S.D.) Thornton, a junior from Garretson, S.D., was selected as the Field Athlete-of-the-Week.

Thornton had a monstrous home opener outdoor track & field meet for Dakota State (S.D.) in the Steinborn/Beacom Twilight, a dual meet with NCAA Division I South Dakota State. She produced a pair of NAIA 'A' automatic qualifying marks, Dan Beacom Track & Field facility track meet records, and shattered school records in both hammer throw and shot put.

Thornton threw her career best 56.04 meters (183 feet, 10 inches) to win the hammer throw title. Her hammer throw is ranked No. 1 in the NAIA.

Thornton produced another facility record in the shot put, winning the event after tossing 14.30 meters (46 feet, 11 inches). Her shot-put mark is No. 3 in the NAIA.

She was third in the discus behind two NCAA Division I throwers, hitting the mark of 41.10 meters (134 feet, 10 inches).

This is Thornton’s first career Erck Hotels/Frontier Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field weekly honor.