ST. LOUIS — Southern Illinois thrower Ricky Hurley has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Field Athlete of the Week following his performance at the Jesse Owens Classic, the conference announced Tuesday.

Hurley set personal-bests in both the hammer throw and the shot put at Ohio State this past weekend and for the second-straight week is one of only two male throwers in the NCAA to rank in the top-20 regionally for the discus, shot put and hammer throw.

This marks the third time this season that Hurley has earned the honor and the 10th time in 12 tries (83%) during the 2017-18 season that a Saluki has been honored as the MVC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week. Overall, Hurley’s recognition marks the 17th time this season that a Saluki has earned an athlete of the week honor from the conference.

Ricky Hurley | So. | Fox River Grove, Ill.

Hurley’s stellar outdoor season continued at the Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by the Ohio State University. The Fox River Grove, Ill. native notched a pair of personal-best marks in the shot put and the hammer throw. The four-time All-MVC honoree set a lifetime-best in the hammer throw at 206′-6″ (62.94m) to finish fourth and followed with an outdoor PR in the shot put at 60′-0.5″ to place second. Hurley currently ranks in the top-20 in the NCAA West Region in the discus (12th), shot put (17th) and hammer throw (20th) and is one of two throwers in the NCAA, along with Georgia’s Denzel Comenentia, to rank in the top-20 regionally for all three events.