WHITEFISH, Mont. – University of Providence thrower Rico Pryor was named the Erck Hotels Frontier Conference Field Athlete of the Week, the conference announced on Monday.

Pryor, a sophomore from Long Beach, Calif., qualified for the NAIA National Championships on Saturday in the weight throw. He recorded a mark of 16.48 meters, good for the NAIA B standard and breaking the school record in the weight throw. He finished 5^th out of 19 entrants, which included a majority of NCAA athletes. He also finished 11^th out of 20^th in the shot put.

"I'm very happy for him," head coach Tony Arntson said. "He's worked very hard. He has a great focus, not just athletically, but academically as well. He's trained hard with [assistant coach] Alan. I was excited for him. He was real pumped."

The Argo indoor track and field team didn't get a chance to compete last season due to the pandemic. Arntson is pleased with the dedication that Pryor has had for the sport, despite the lack of competition.

"For him to stay committed to the work is impressive," Arntson said. "It's hard. It's frustrating. We've got to compete so little since he has been here. This is basically his second season since he got here three years ago. For him to stay focused and keep working, to reap the benefits of that is exciting for him."

Pryor is the second Argo to qualify for the NAIA National Indoor Championships; Jillian Sanchez qualified for the weight throw earlier in the year. The duo will continue to practice as the year rolls around, with the end goal of earning All-American status.

"He'd like to jump up to the A standard. That would mean he was in the guys. Both him and Jillian at this time, they just want to finetune things going into that National Meet. I think both of them have a chance to reach that All-American status once they get there which would be cool."