??GOLETA, Calif. (Apr. 28) – Maddie Conte and Matt Staples of UC Santa Barbara Track and Field have been awarded Big West Athlete of the Week for their standout performances at the UCSB Invitational this past weekend.

Conte delivered a breakout performance in the 100m hurdles, clocking in a personal best of 13.51 to secure her victory. This time ranks second all-time in program history for the event, and positions her third in the conference heading into the Big West Championships. Conte followed with a second place finish in the 400m hurdles in 1:00.23 to finish out a strong hurdles double. 

Staples took second in the 100m, with a wind-legal personal record of 10.37. With this time, Staples takes the number two spot in program history for the event, and sits fifth in the conference heading into the postseason. Staples followed this performance with a first place finish in the 100m, with a time of 20.99. 

Conte and Staples will return to the track for the Big West Championships, which is set to take place May 15th and 16th in Long Beach. With both Conte and Staples sitting in the conference top 10, this meet will provide Conte and Staples the opportunity to take Big West titles back to Santa Barbara.