Cox, Johnson Voted SBC Athletes of the Week

Middle Tennessee's Brittany Cox and Lee Johnson were both named Sun Belt Athletes of the Week by the conference office after their performances at the Rod McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky. (MT)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee's Brittany Cox and Lee Johnson were both named Sun Belt Athletes of the Week by the conference office after their performances at the Rod McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Ky.

Cox broke her own school-record in the weight throw and posted the best mark this year in the Sun Belt at the meet in Lexington over the weekend. The Antioch, Tenn., native finished fifth in the weight throw with a school-record mark of 59-0.25, besting last year's record by more than two feet.

She also posted a mark of 46-8.25 in the shot put at UK. The sophomore owns the best mark in the SBC this season in the weight throw and also has the third best mark in the shot put.

Cox earned just the seventh Sun Belt Female Indoor Field Performer of the Week honor for Middle Tennessee since joining the league. Stephanie Tamgho won the last four accolades for the Blue Raiders. Cox is the first person besides Tamgho to be named Female Field Performer of the Week since Kim Freeman on February 13, 2002. Johnson posted a personal-best mark in the long jump the Rod McCravy. He finished seventh with a mark of 23-2.5, a team-best this season and the third best mark in the SBC as well. It was just the second meet of the season for the junior college transfer and Arlington, Tenn., native, who missed the early part of the year with injuries.

It is only the sixth time a Middle Tennessee male has earned Field Performer of the Week honors since joining the Sun Belt before the 2000-01 season.

Middle Tennessee's track teams hosts the MT Valentine Invitational this Saturday at Murphy Center starting at 10 a.m. Teams participating include men's and women's teams from Western Kentucky, Arkansas State, Tennessee State, Chattanooga, Milligan College and Morehead State, as well as men's teams from Belmont and Kentucky State.

It is the final tuneup for the Blue Raiders before hosting the Sun Belt Championships February 23-24 at Murphy Center.