Men's Track & Field | 1/8/2019 11:57:00 AM

FAIRFAX, Va. – A successful opening weekend yielded a bevy of awards for the George Mason men's and women's track and field teams.

Five Patriots earned weekly honors from the Atlantic 10 Conference, the league announced on Tuesday. 

On the men's side, Kornelius Klah was named Track Performer of the Week, Benjamin Viau was tabbed Field Performer of the Week and Cason Gardner earned Rookie of the Week honors. For the women, Kiana Stallworth was named the Field Performer of the week and Jessica McRae was named Rookie of the Week.

Viau, a sophomore from Lititz, Pa., set a school record in the weight throw at the season-opening Father Diamond Invitational on Saturday at the Field House. He won the weight throw with a toss of 17.6 meters (57 feet, 9 inches) to surpass the previous school record of 16.35 meters set by Kirk Nguyen in 2012. 

The mark is also currently the best in the A-10 this season. He also took sixth in the shot put, with the second-best throw in the A-10 this season - 15.34 meters (50 feet, 4 inches). It also is the fifth-longest throw in school history.

Klah, a senior from Fairless Hills, Pa. finished first in the 60-meter hurdles. His time of 8.06 is the best in the Atlantic 10 this season and moved him up to seventh all-time at Mason. He also was a part of the 4x800-meter relay team that finished second with a time of 8:03.14.

Gardner finished second in the high jump in his first collegiate meet. The freshman from Mechanicsville, Va., cleared 2.07 meters for the ninth-highest leap in program history. It also stands as the best mark in the A-10 this season. Gardner also took fifth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.59 and 15th in the shot put with a throw of 11.16 meters.

Stallworth finished second in the long jump with a leap of 5.78 meters – the best in the Atlantic 10 this season. The sophomore from New Rochelle, N.Y., also finished fifth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.74, which is the fourth-best finish in the league this season.

McRae finished sixth and ninth in the shot put and discus, respectively, in her first collegiate meet. In the shot put, the freshman from Henrico County, Va., unleashed a throw of 11.91 meters for the fourth-best throw in the A-10 this season. In the weight throw, she had a toss of 13.43 meters.