BATON ROUGE – For the third time this season, a member of LSU’s No. 3-ranked women’s recruiting class has earned SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week honors as Nickolette Dunbar was recognized by the league office Tuesday afternoon after winning the shot put title at the LSU Twilight with a seasonal-best throw.
Dunbar’s selection marks the second-straight week in which an LSU has been named the SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week after 800-meter runner Ruby Stauber earned the title for a second time on Feb. 14.
Dunbar took a big step toward NCAA Championship qualification last Friday night as she raised her seasonal best in the shot put by nearly two feet to win the event title at the Carl Maddox Field House. She opened the meet with a previous seasonal best of 52 feet, 6 ½ inches from the Auburn Indoor Invitational on Jan. 21, but threw a series-best of 54-1 ¾ on her fifth attempt to catapult herself up the national rankings.
That mark moved the Whippany, New Jersey, native 13 spots up the national rankings into the NCAA’s No. 17 position this season in the women’s shot put. Dunbar also became the No. 2-ranked freshman nationally in the event for 2017, as well as the No. 5-ranked performer in the SEC rankings ahead of the SEC Indoor Championships this weekend.
She actually set three seasonal bests in her series at the LSU Twilight as she threw 52-6 ¾ in the third round and 53-0 ¼ in the fourth round ahead of her top throw of the season at 54-1 ¾ in the fifth round of the event. Her performance solidified her hold on the No. 4 spot on LSU’s all-time indoor performance list in the women’s shot put.
One of the top throws recruits in the country to join the collegiate ranks this season, Dunbar ended the LSU Twilight just off of her lifetime best of 54-7 ½ she set while being crowned the New Balance Indoor Nationals Champion as a high school senior at Whippany Park High School during the 2016 season.
LSU’S SEC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK FOR 2017
SEC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week
Jan. 24 – Johnnie Jackson
SEC Women’s Freshman of the Week
Jan. 17 – Ruby Stauber
Feb. 14 – Ruby Stauber
Feb. 21 – Nickolette Dunbar