Tuesday, January 18, 2022

NEW ORLEANS – Simon Fraser had not competed in a collegiate track and field meet in nearly two years but the team wasted no time in making noise on the Division II stage.

Alison Andrews-Paul was among those SFU athletes making noise, picking up a dominant win in the women’s 800 meters at Saturday’s UW Indoor Preview to earn selection as the U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II Women’s Athlete of the Week.

The junior from Ohope Beach, New Zealand, who is competing in her first indoor season for SFU, dominated the field with her winning time of 2:08.61. She was eight seconds better than the second-place competitor, Hannah Wilson of Stanford, and 12 seconds ahead of the third-place competitor. The performance places Andrews-Paul at No. 10 on the GNAC All-Time List.

The performance not only leads Division II this season but is also the No. 10 time this season across all college divisions. Once added, the time will rank among the top-25 in the world this season according to the lists compiled by World Athletics. It is the fastest time this season by a Canadian or a New Zealand athlete.

A dual citizen of Canada and New Zealand, Andrews-Paul transferred to Simon Fraser from Division I Baylor, where she was a five-time All-Big 12 Conference selection both indoors and outdoors. She competed for New Zealand at the 2016 World Athletics U-20 Championships, advancing to the semifinals in the 800 meters.

During the cross country season, Andrews-Paul placed seventh at the GNAC Championships to help lead SFU to the team title. She went on to place 27th at the NCAA West Regional, once again helping lead SFU to the championship.