T'Nia Riley of the Barton Community College women's track and field team has been named the NJCAA Division I National Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The Cougars opened up the indoor season this past weekend traveling to Lexington, Kentucky, for the inaugural Jim Green Invitational. Riley was one of many great performances over the two-days in leading the women's squad with two of the thirteen national qualifying times or marks.

Riley made a big splash in her collegiate debut as the freshman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, recorded the fastest times of the NJCAA early season in both of the 60 and 200 meter dashes.

The only athletes to better Riley's performances in Kentucky came from the NCAA Division I level as Riley's 7.41 60m meter time placed third while a 24.61 clocking in the 200m placed seventh.

Riley's honor joins all-around athlete Ayesha Champagnie's multi-event accomplishment in 2016 as the only other female Cougar to win the national weekly award. Two cross country runners, Lydia Mato and Mirena Goncalves, earned the award in the 2015 and 2016 seasons respectively.

Barton's next event comes this Friday and Saturday as the Cougars compete in Texas Tech University's Red Raider Open in Lubbock, Texas.