MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) released its Kwik Trip Athletes of the Week for the week of Dec. 1-7, with Jacob Balcome and Lauryn Schutz representing UW-River Falls as the Field Athlete(s) of the Week. Both athletes delivered top performances at the M City Classic, setting early-season benchmarks for the Falcons.

Balcome delivered a strong season opener at the M City Classic. He won the heptathlon with 5,240 points, setting a new meet record. Across the two-day competition, Balcome picked up event wins in the high jump (1.97m), long jump (6.65m), pole vault (4.45m), and the 1,000-meter run, where he ran a personal-best 2:48.14. He added top three marks in the 60-meter dash (7.29 seconds), 60-meter hurdles (8.60 seconds), and shot put (11.62m) for top score in the field.

Schutz opened her indoor season with a major milestone at the M City Classic, launching a personal-best 56-11 1/4 (17.35m) in the weight throw to set an indoor school record, surpassing the previous mark from 2007. Schutz placed fifth in the event, finishing only behind Gopher athletes.