Three Eutectics Named AMC Athletes of the Week
ST. LOUIS, MO. – The American Midwest Conference (AMC) has announced three Eutectic track and field athletes as the Athletes of the Week for Jan. 12-18, 2026. It is the first time in history that the Eutectics have claimed three of the four Conference Athletes of the Week for track and field. The UHSP athletes shone at their first competition of 2026: the John Craft Invitational hosted by Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill., on Saturday. Evan McVey and Leah Macon-Ford and were named the men's and women's track athletes of the week, and Taylor Shobe (Washington) is the women's field athlete of the week.
EVAN MCVEY, MEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Freshman sprinter Evan McVey is receiving his second AMC track athlete of the week honor in as many competitions, having earned the title in December for his performances at the Titan First Chance Meet hosted by Illinois Wesleyan University.
On Saturday, McVey excelled in the 60m and 200m dashes. He finished second in his 60m heat, just missing qualification for finals, with the 10th-best overall time (of 40 sprinters) of 7.11 seconds in the 60m – .04 behind his Eutectic record-breaking time set in December. McVey also finished 12th of 38 sprinters in the 200m dash with a time of 24.05.
McVey currently tops the AMC performance lists in both races (tied for first in the 60m dash).
LEAH MACON-FORD, WOMEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Sophomore sprinter Leah Macon-Ford qualified for the 60m dash finals at the meet by running the second-fastest time of 24 sprinters competing in the preliminaries: 7.69 seconds. In the finals, she improved that time by .01 seconds to finish third of the eight qualifiers. That time of 7.68 is just .02 seconds off her own Eutectic record-time of 7.66 set last season and is the fastest time in the Conference so far this season by .38 seconds.
Macon-Ford finished third of 21 sprinters in the 200m dash at the John Craft Invitational with a time of 27.23. She currently holds the top time in the AMC for the 200m distance, as well.
Macon-Ford will add the award to the four Track Athlete of the Week honors she received last season, along with her four Conference Champion titles in the indoor 60m and 200m and outdoor 100m and 200m.
TAYLOR SHOBE (WASHINGTON), WOMEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
With this Field Athlete of the Week honor, senior hurdler/jumper Taylor Shobe (Washington) now has 10 such honors in her much-decorated career. To earn her first Athlete of the Week honor this season, among 20 60m hurdlers in the prelims, Shobe won her heat with a time of 9.64 to qualify for the finals. Of the eight finalists, she finished fourth with a time of 9.83.
Shobe also finished in a four-way tie for seventh place in the high jump at the meet, leaping 1.45m (4'9").
On the AMC performance lists, Shobe currently ranks second in the 60m hurdles and the high jump. She is the 2024 AMC champion in both events.
UP NEXT:
All three awardees and their teammates will be back in action this Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Snow Bird Open hosted by Illinois College in Jacksonville, Ill.