Honors College Fellow Lexi Weeks wins the NCAA outdoor championship in women’s pole vault.
Honors College Fellow Lexi Weeks accomplished a lot in her freshman year — winning both indoor and outdoor NCAA championships in the women’s pole vault, for starters, while starting work on her pre-med biology degree. Now, she’s headed for Rio. Amy Schlesing reports.
University of Arkansas student Lexi Weeks knows a thing or two about rising to the top. The Cabot native began her freshman year at the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2015 and continues to set records in pole vaulting. In 2016, she added the title of NCAA Indoor Champion in pole vault to her resume and was named the NCAA South Central Regional Field Athlete of the Year. She was also the only freshman in NCAA history to win two national titles in pole vault.
At the age of 19, Lexi celebrated the ultimate accomplishment when she qualified for the United States Olympic Team for the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro. She joined an impressive 17 other former and current Razorbacks who competed on behalf of countries around the world.
But her accomplishments aren’t limited to the field. Lexi is a pre-med major at the U of A and an Honors College Fellow to boot. She was also a National Merit Scholar before coming to the Hill. As a Razorback student-athlete, she has demonstrated a remarkable ability to juggle the demands of her athletic and academic careers.
“It takes a lot of time management,” she said. “But it helps when you have a twin sister to help you.”
Tori Weeks is also an Honors College Fellow, a chemistry major and First-Team All-American in the pole vault at the U of A. The two have made headlines for years and were even featured in a New York Times article during their senior year of high school.
While the sisters push each other to do better and support each other in academics and athletics, Lexi said the Honors College Fellowship is a key part of their successes. Both worked hard in high school and received perfect grades, which helped to earn them the fellowships that are paying for their educations.
“It’s such a relief,” Lexi said. “If I didn’t have that fellowship, it would be difficult to pay for school Now I can focus on school and [track] practice without having to worry about balancing a job, too.”
Good luck Lexi!