NEWARK, N.J. — For the first time since joining the America East, NJIT Track and Field has earned a conference weekly award - or in this week's case, three.

Sophomore Maddie Stevens (Female Track), freshman Maria Owens (Female Field), and freshman Jaden Johnson (Male Track) earned three of this week's four America East Performer of the Week awards, the league announced Tuesday afternoon. 

Stevens, a transfer from Upper Iowa and native of Nashua, N.H., currently sits in third place on the America East performance list in the 200 meters after a third-place finish in the event at the Wagner Invitational on January 6 (25.38). She also ran on the 4x400 Relay that was runner-up at the meet (4:00.13 with a 57.17 split) and sits fourth in the conference. Stevens already owns school records in the 300 meters (39.40) and the Sprint Medley Relay (4:20.06) that she set in her first NJIT meet, the Seahawk Shootout on December 9, 2022.

Owens, a native of New Castle, Pa., already ranks in the top five in the conference in the triple jump (2nd) and long jump (5th) after three college meets. She set the school record and was runner up in the triple jump (11.51m / 37-9.25) at last week's Spartan Invitational and won the long jump the week prior (5.55m / 18-2.50) at the Wagner Invitational. Along with a second place long jump effort at the Seahawk Shootout, Owens has finished in the top two of at least one event in her first three college meets.

Johnson, a native of Sicklerville, leads the America East in the triple jump (school record 14.60m / 47-11.00) after winning the event at the Spartan Invitational and sits in the top ten in the long jump (6.82m / 22-4.50 at Seahawk Shootout; 5th) and high jump (1.88m / 6-2.00 at Spartan Invitational, 8th). Johnson has a pair of top two showings to start his career - the triple jump win and a runner up finsih in the triple at the Wagner Invitational (14.42m / 47-3.75).

The trio's weekly awards are the first for NJIT in either track and field or cross country as America East members, the first honors for student-athletes under second-year head coach Jason Munsch, and the first track and field conference weekly accolades since teammate Jacob Leigh and former Highlander Miku Okada combined for three ASUN awards on the same day on January 15, 2020: Men's Indoor Field Athlete and Freshman of the Week for Leigh and Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for Okada.

UMBC's Shavar Staats earned this week's Male Track Performer of the Week award.

The Highlanders will make the last of their four straight season-opening trips to Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex next week (Friday, January 20) for the NYC Gotham Cup.