Two completely faultless rounds have earned Jeffery Welles, the show jumper from Ridgefield, Conn., recognition from USA Today. The national newspaper named Welles, 43, its athlete of the week for the performance that propelled the U.S. team to a tie for second In last weekend\’s Samsung Nations Cup Final, a finish that put the U.S. team atop the year-long series standings.

Welles rode Armani, a 10-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by Bill Kimmel, Sandy Yeager, Kimmel-Yeager Equine LLC, and Triton Ventures. In July, Welles and Armani won the King George V Cup at Hickstead (England).