BEREA, OHIO -- Two Baldwin-Wallace Indoor Track and Field student-athletes, senior thrower Leslie Purnell (Springfield/Catholic Central) and sophomore sprinter Nicole Smith (Geneva) have been named as Ohio Athletic Conference Athletes-of-the-Week today (Monday, February 20 2012). This marks the first career weekly honor for all two student-athletes.

Purnell earned her award after winning the shot put and finishing second in the weight throw at the Greater Cleveland Championship Meet on Friday, February at the Harrison Dillard Track inside the Lou Higgins Center.  She had a winning and season-best throw of 42'6.25" in the shot put and had a mark of 51'11.25".  Pernell also placed eighth in the shot put  and the weight throw at the Kent State Open Meet on Saturday, February 18. She threw a distance of 41' 9.25'' in the shot and 55'2.75'' in the weight throw.

Smith brought home her first weekly honor after winning both the 200 and 500-meter runs at the Greater Cleveland Championships.   She won the 200 in a season-best time of 27.14 and crossed the finish line in the 500 in a season-best time of 1:20.10.

The Yellow Jackets will compete in the 2012 OAC Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday, February 24-25 inside the Clements Recreation Center on the campus of Otterbein University.  The meet is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.  The OAC Championships website cab be viewed by going to http://otterbeincardinals.com/sports/2012/1/3/MTRACK_0103124743.aspx?path=mtrack.

FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu. or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.