COLUMBUS — Mississippi University for Women track standout Keegan Strong was named player of the week for track and field by the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Monday.
Strong, a freshman, was one of several standouts for the Owls at the Birmingham Indoor Icebreaker event last week. In his first collegiate meet, Strong set a new Owls team record in the men’s 60-meter dash, clocking a time of 7.03 seconds, as well as a new record in the men’s 200-meter event later in the day, posting a time of 22.61 seconds.
“I want to first congratulate Keegan again on this achievement, there will be many more accolades to follow,” MUW track and field coach Dedrick Burnett said of Strong’s strong start to life with the Owls. “Keegan was a late find on the recruiting trail for me this past spring. When I first saw him run, I told myself, ‘This kid is special.’ There are times I pull him to the side and tell him he’s going to help put this university and team on notice.”
Burnett’s high praise extended to the rest of the freshman class with three other newcomers posting program-best numbers for the men’s and women’s teams.
In total, Burnett recruited 25 players in the current freshman class, the largest of his tenure as head coach, and he is happy with the growing level of competition he is seeing. He expressed his hope to raise that number going forward as the Owls begin to make a name for themselves in Division III. Strong in particular is a runner he sees that sort of potential for.
“I’m excited for this young man,” he said. “He has so much upside. Keegan has a bright future here at The W. This is just the beginning of a great college career.”
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