Regional Award Winners for 2015 NCAA Division III Indoor T&F Season Announced

Courtesy: Dennis Young & Kyle Terwillegar, USTFCCCA

March 11, 2015

NEW ORLEANS – Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2015 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field season were announced Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Each of the regions, which are the same as those used during the Division III cross country season, honored both genders’ top track athletes and field athletes and the top men’s and women’s head coaches and assistant coaches. Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches.

QUICK LINKS TO AWARDS
Men	Women
Track Athletes of the Year	Track Athletes of the Year
Field Athletes of the Year	Field Athletes of the Year
Head Coaches of the Year	Head Coaches of the Year
Assistant Coaches of the Year	Assistant Coaches of the Year

Many of the honored athletes and coaches will be in competition at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships set for this weekend, March 13-14, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, at the JDL Fast Track.
The meet can be streamed online live at NCAA.org, and more information can be found at the USTFCCCA’s National Championships Central page.

MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Matthew Giannino, RIT
Giannino has the nation’s fastest time in the 5k and second fastest in the 3k, and hasn’t lost to a DIII runner this year in a race longer than 800 meters.  He’s a fifth-year senior from Syracuse, New York.
CENTRAL REGION – Eli Horton, Central (Iowa)
Horton won the IIAC mile, 3k, and DMR and will contest the mile and DMR at indoor nationals.  He’s part of the third-fastest DMR squad of 2015, and is a senior from Runnells, Iowa.
GREAT LAKES REGION– Tyler Mettille, Mount Union
Mettille, a senior from Canfield, Ohio, won two individual events and two relays at the OAC championship meet.  His 48.76 400 is tied for the second fastest in DIII this year.
MIDEAST REGION – Charlie Marquardt, Haverford
His 4:04.76 is the fastest mile in DIII this winter, though he’s only contesting the 3k at indoor nationals.  Marquardt, a junior from Pasadena, California, won the 800, mile, and 4×800 at the Centennial Conference meet.
MIDWEST REGION – David Voland, Augustana (Ill.)
Voland won the CCIW track athlete of the meet after winning the 400 and 4×4 and scoring in the 55 hurdles. He has the nation’s second fastest 400 time and is a senior from Batavia, Illinois.
NEW ENGLAND REGION – Mitchell Black, Tufts
Black has run over a second faster than everyone else in DIII in the 800 this year.  The junior from Brunswick, Maine will contest the 800 and 4×4 at the NCAA meet.
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST REGION – Kevonte Shaw, UT-Tyler
Shaw, a sophomore from Shepherd, Texas, ran 21.68 for 200 meters, which is the fastest time in Division III this year. It’s indexed down to sixth on the descending order list; Shaw will race the event at nationals this weekend.
WEST REGION – Will Lawrence, George Fox
Lawrence twice broke his school record in the 800, most recently with time of 1:51.40 at the Husky Classic.  He’s a junior from St. Helen’s, Oregon.

WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Amy Regan, Stevens
Stevens, a junior from Green Brook, New Jersey, won the 5000m at The Armory Collegiate Invitational against all DI athletes in 16:40.84. She’s ranked No. 1 at 5000m and is the fifth fastest all-time in NCAA DIII history. She won Empire 8 conference titles in the mile and 5000m setting conference records in both. At 9:41.17, she is ranked No. 3 in the nation at 3000 meters.
CENTRAL REGION – Abrah Masterson, Cornell College
Masterson, a sophomore from Granby, Colorado, is ranked No. 4 in the country at 3000 meters (9:46), No. 6 at 5000 meters (17:04), and No. 16 in the mile (4:59), and is the top-ranked Central Region runner in each of those events. She went undefeated in eight races this season, including Midwest Conference titles at 3000 and 5000 meters.
GREAT LAKES REGION – Melanie Winters, Baldwin Wallace
Winters, a junior from Stow, Ohio, scored 50 points at the All-Ohio Championships, winning titles at 60 meters and in the 60-meter hurdles. She also scored 46 points at the OAC Championships, including a win in the 60-meter hurdles and runner-up finishes at both 60 and 200 meters. Nationally, she is ranked No. 5 in the 60-meter hurdles, No. 8 at 200 meters, and No. 12 at 60 meters. Throughout the season she broke school records seven times.
MIDEAST REGION – Frances Loeb, Johns Hopkins
Loeb, a senior from Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, is the top-ranked ranked performer in the Region in the mile, 3000, and 5000. Nationally, she is ranked No. 2 both at 3000 (9:37.81) and 5000 meters (16:42.57) and is No. 3 in the mile (4:55.28). She has won five big invitationals/championship races including the Navy Invitational 5k, Penn State National 5k, Maryland Terrapin Invite Mile, Ramapo Mile, Centennial Conference Championship Mile. She is ranked in the top 10 all-time in Division III at 5000 meters.
MIDWEST REGION – Claire Gordee, UW-La Crosse
Gordee, a junior from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, was the WIAC Track Athlete of the WIAC Championships. At the meet she helped her team win by scoring thirty points in four events, including winning the 60m hurdles with a facility and conference record. Her time of 8.66 ranks her #10 on the all-time NCAA DIII list. She was part of the winning 4×200 relay breaking the facility, conference, and school records. Gordee also finished fifth at both 200 and 400 meters. She is currently ranked No. 2 in the hurdles and is part of the No. 1 4×400.
NEW ENGLAND REGION – Maryann Gong, MIT
Gong, a sophomore from Livermore, California, turned in historic performances in both the mile and at 3000 meters to top the DIII descending order list in both events. Her 9:33.49 at 3000 meters is the fourth-fastest in DIII history, and her 4:49.61 to win the NEICAAA mile is the 10th-fastest in history. She also anchored the year’s fastest DMR at 11:36.78 for the No. 7 spot in DIII history.
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST REGION- Hannah Chappell-Dick, Eastern Mennonite
Chappell-Dick, a junior from Bluffton, Ohio, is the fastest woman in the region both at 800 meters and in the mile. Her 4:56.37 in the mile is No. 5 in the country and was the ODAC record, while her 800 time of 2:13.43 ranks her No. 6. She won ODAC titles in both of those events, as well as the distance medley relay, and was named Athlete of the Meet. She broke school records at 800 and 1000 meters, as well as in the mile and the distance medley relay.
WEST REGION – Allanah Whitehall, Puget Sound
Whitehall, a junior from Seattle, Washington, is the nation’s fastest sprinter at 60 meters. Her 7.56 at the SPU Final Qualifier is the best in DIII this year by more than a tenth of a second, and it ties her for the No. 6 spot on the all-time DIII performers list.

MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Samuel Taft, Brockport
Taft is a national qualifer in the heptathlon, and a school record holder in the 60 meter hurdles.  The senior from Schenectady, New York is ranked fifth in the nation with his score of 5032 points.
CENTRAL REGION – Eric Larson, Central (Iowa)
Larson’s 5399 heptathlon score is the second best in DIII history, and the best in DIII this year. He’s a junior from Waverly, Iowa.
GREAT LAKES REGION – Sean Donnelly, Mount Union
Donnelly is the national leader in the weight with a throw of 20.98m, the second best in DIII history. The senior from Willoughby, Ohio, will contest the weight and shot at nationals this weekend.
MIDEAST REGION – Andrew Bartnett, Johns Hopkins
Bartnett, a sophomore from St. Louis, Missouri, has the nation’s second best height in the pole vault. He’s the Centennial Conference champ in the vault and will vault at nationals this weekend.
MIDWEST REGION – Dominique Neloms, UW-La Crosse
Neloms is the national leader in the high jump and long jump and the WIAC conference champion in both events. The WIAC Field Performer of the Meet is a senior from Joliet, Illinois.
NEW ENGLAND REGION – Sean Enos, Bates
With throws of 17.78m in the shot and 20.17m in the weight, Enos is on the all-time top ten lists in both throws.  The senior from Lynnfield, Massachusetts, has not lost to a Division III athlete this season.
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST REGION – Dominique Torres, Christopher Newport
Torres is a national qualifier in the triple jump with a season best of 14.49 meters.  The junior from Chesapeake, Virginia, won the CAC in the triple and took third in the long jump there.
WEST REGION – Joseph Green, Whitworth
Green, a senior from Cashmere, Washington, is ranked in the top 30 in DIII in the pole vault.  His season best is a West Region-best 4.76 meters.

WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Gladys Njoku, Stevens
Njoku, a junior from Cedar Grove, New Jersey, is ranked No. 4 all-time in Division III history in the high jump with a mark of 1.80m (5-10¾). She leads the nation by seven centimeters, and has won five of her seven high jump competitions in 2015, clearing at least 1.70m in each of them. She is undefeated against DIII athletes in the high jump for 2015.
CENTRAL REGION – Kayla Hemann, Wartburg
Hemann, a senior from Stacyville, Iowa, battled through tendonitis in her hand to become the IIAC champ in both the shot put and weight throw, earning her IIAC Field Athlete of the Meet honors. Ranked ninth on the final TFRRS list in the shot put (14.20m/46-7¼) and 11th (17.15m/56-3¼) in the weight throw.
GREAT LAKES REGION – Melanie Winters, Baldwin Wallace
Winters, a junior from Stow, Ohio, scored 50 points at All Ohio Championships. She was the All-Ohio Champion in the high jump at 1.63m (5-4¼), the long jump at 5.89m (19-4), and the pentathlon with 3589 points. She scored 46 points at OAC Championships, including titles in the long jump and high jump. She finished the season ranked No. 1 in the long jump and the pentathlon, and No. 15 in the high jump.
MIDEAST REGION – Cassidy Shepherd – Westminster (Penn.)
Shepherd, a sophomore from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is ranked No. 4 nationally in the pole vault at 3.81m. She was the PAC Women’s Field Most Valuable Performer at the championships, winning the long jump at 4.87m and finishing runner-up in pole vault at 3.59m.
MIDWEST REGION – Amber Williams, UW-Platteville
Williams, a sophomore from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the WIAC Field Athlete of the Meet for her performances in the triple jump, high jump and long jump at the WIAC Conference Championships. She broke her own school record in the triple jump on her way to a conference title, with a winning and collegiate-leading jump of 11.98m. Her winning performance in the long jump of 5.81m broke her school record and moved her to No. 2 on the national list.
NEW ENGLAND REGION – Cimran Virdi – MIT
Virdi, a junior from Walnut Creek, California, is the Division III leader in the pole vault with season best 13-1¾ (4.01m). She has won five meets this year, including a win at the New England Division III Women’s Indoor Championships. She was third at the NEICAAA Championships.
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST REGION – Enuma Ezenwa, Christopher Newport
Ezenwa, a senior from Herndon, Virginia, is Division III’s No. 2 pentathlete in 2015 with a school record 3,574 points to move her to No. 11 in DIII history. At 5-5¼ (1.66m), she is the region’s top high jumper and is equal to No. 26 on the national DIII list.
WEST REGION – Maddie Smith, Redlands
Smith, a senior from Hoquiam, Washington, is tied for the No. 4 spot on the national DIII list in the high jump with a clearance of 1.70m. She is the first University of Redlands athlete to qualify for Indoor Nationals.

MEN’S HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Angelo Posillico, SUNY Oneonta
Posillico’s Red Dragons won the SUNYAC meet with 152 points; their squad is ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic Region.  The second-year head coach leads the distance and throws groups and has three athletes entered in four events at nationals.
CENTRAL REGION – Joe Dunham, Central (Iowa)
Dunham specializes in distance, and has four national qualifers (5k, 2x mile, DMR) in those events.  His Dutch team is the IIAC winner and ranked No. 1 in the Central Region.
GREAT LAKES REGION – Kevin Lucas, Mount Union
Lucas has athletes qualified in a whopping ten events at the national meet.  His Purple Raiders won the OAC and All-Ohio Championships this season.
MIDEAST REGION – Gary Aldrich, Carnegie Mellon
Aldrich oversees all event groups at CMU, where two athletes have qualified for nationals in three events.  In his first season as head coach, two school records went down.
MIDWEST REGION – Josh Buchholtz, UW-La Crosse
Buchholtz’s event group is the 400 meters, for which he has two men qualified.  His entire team is ranked No. 1 in the nation and region and is the WIAC champion.
NEW ENGLAND REGION – Thomas Smith, Bridgewater State
Smith’s Bridgewater State squad finished the regular season ranked seventh in the nation.  His distance charges were major contributors to this squad’s third-ever indoor MASCAC team title.
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST REGION – Tyler Wingard, Christopher Newport
Wingard coaches the No. 1-ranked team in the South/Southeast, and the Capital Conference runners-up.  In charge of the sprints/hurdles, vertical jumps, and multis, one of his athletes (triple jumper Dominique Torres) qualified for nationals.
WEST REGION – John Smith, George Fox
Smith’s regionally No. 1-ranked squad has three athletes among the top fifty in the nation in their respective events.  He specializes in coaching the multis and jumps.

WOMEN’S HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Mary Kate Curran, St. Lawrence
Curran, in her seventh year at the helm of the St. Lawrence program, led her team to its highest-ever national team ranking of No. 5 in late February. St. Lawrence captured the Liberty League title by 28 points behind eight individual champions who set three conference meet records. Throughout the season her athletes achieved six top-10 national rankings in their events and broke four school records. Her team will have six entries in the NCAA Championships this weekend.
CENTRAL REGION – Marcus Newsom, Wartburg
Newsom, in his 21st year guiding the Wartburg program, led the women to another IIAC championship with nine event champions and 32 All Conference athletes. Despite graduating many of his top athletes last year, he coached this team to No. 18 in nation and will send five entries to the NCAA Championships
GREAT LAKES REGION – Kevin Lucas, Mount Union
Guided by Lucas in his sixth year as head coach, the Mount Union women captured their fourth consecutive OAC Title. His staff was voted OAC Staff of the Year by the Coaches. The Raiders also won the All-Ohio Championship. At this weekend’s NCAA Championships, he will have three entries competing. He also has a 4×400 meter relay team that finished the season ranked 16th.
MIDEAST REGION – Christopher Wadas, Misericordia
Led by Wadas in his 10th season as head coach, Misericordia won its first-ever indoor MAC championship. En route to the title, his team broke three conference records in the 400, 4 x 400 and weight throw. Misericordia received their first ever national ranking at No. 24, and will send two qualifiers to the NCAA Championships – the most in school history.
MIDWEST REGION – Chris Schumacher, Illinois Wesleyan
Schumacher, in his 17th year coaching at Illinois Wesleyan, guided IWU to the CCIW title. Athletes coached by Schumacher won eight event titles and accounted for 160 of the teams’ 190 points, including a 1-2-3-6-7 finish in the triple jump. His Titans enter the NCAA Championships at No. 3 in the country with 13 national qualifiers, tied for second-most in the country. Of those 13 entries, four are ranked top-three and eight are top-10.
NEW ENGLAND REGION – Halston Taylor, MIT
Taylor, in his eighth year at the helm at MIT, guided his Engineers to a decisive team victory at the New England Division III Championship, outscoring runner-up Williams, 151-86, behind six individual titles. His team is ranked No. 4 in the country entering NCAAs with nine entries. Of those nine, four are the DIII leaders in the pole vault, mile, 3000 and distance medley relay.
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST REGION – Tyler Wingard, Christopher Newport
Wingard, in his ninth year as the head coach at Christopher Newport, has had his team ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the region all season. He led his team to the Capital Athletic Conference Championship with 125 points, winning by 29 points. His pentathletes have stood out nationally, with three ranked among the nation’s top 16 including the No. 11 score in DIII history by Enuma Ezenwa. He has three qualifiers to the NCAA Championships.
WEST REGION – John Smith, George Fox
Smith, in his ninth year in charge of the George Fox program, has developed three athletes to national level caliber this season: national No. 7 long jumper Asia Mayo, No. 18 pentathlete Charity Arn, and No. 19 hurdler Rachael Kraske. Mayo and Kraske will compete at the NCAA Championships.

MEN’S ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR

Atlantic – Jay Petsch, Rochester
Petsch, the jumps and multis coach at Rochester, helped the Yellowjackets to a NYSCTC team title with major points in the long and triple jump, heptathlon, and pole vault. His athletes broke two school records this year.
Central – Melissa Norton, Wartburg
Norton’s throwers went 1-2 in the shot put and weight throw at the IIAC championship, and Colt Feltes is ranked second in the nation in the shot.  Feltes is qualified for nationals in both throws.
Great Lakes – Keith Reiter, Mount Union
Reiter, the jumps and multis coach at Mount Union, has two athletes qualified for nationals in three events. Andrew Milhoan is ranked in the DIII top ten in the heptathlon and hurdles, and Zach Wukotich is tenth in the high jump.
Mideast – Norman Ayen, Johns Hopkins
Ayen’s vaulters scored 33 out of 39 possible points at the Centennial Conference meet, and have one man headed to nationals.  He’s also responsible for coaching the jumps.
Midwest – Jeremy Deterville, UW-Eau Claire
Deterville coaches the Blugolds’ sprinters, who have broken school standards in the 60, 200, 4×200, and 4×400 this year.  Thurgood Dennis and Cody Prince are the national leaders in the 60 and 400, respectively.
New England – Michael Hulme, Bridgewater State
Hulme’s jumpers won conference titles in the long and triple jumps, and three of them are in the national top fifteen in those two events.  In his first year as the Bridgewater State jumps coach, he’s coached Chris Perry to national qualifers in the long and triple.
South/Southeast – Micheal Hanks, Christopher Newport
Hanks’s jumpers went 1-2 in the long and triple at the Capital Athletic Conference meet.  Triple jumper Dominique Torres is a national qualifier in the triple jump with a mark of 6.92 meters.
West- Randy Dalzell, George Fox
Dalzell is in his third year as the distance and mid-distance coach at George Fox.  He led Will Lawrence to a national qualifier and school record in the 800 meters this year.

WOMEN’S ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Markus Allen, Buffalo State
In his ninth year guiding the sprints, hurdles and relays at Buffalo State, Allen guided his athletes to 78 points of the total 115½ scored by Buffalo State at the SUNYAC Championships and all 61 of its team points at ECACs. Buffalo State will send six sprinters to the NCAA Championships, tied for the most in the country with No. 1 UW-La Crosse, four of whom are ranked among the top-10 in the nation.
CENTRAL REGION – Rich Maleniak, St. Thomas (Minn.)
Maleniak, in his third year coaching the distance and mid-distance runners at St. Thomas (Minn.), had a big role to play his team’s MIAC title this year as his athletes scored 105 of the team’s 199.7 points – more than any other entire team in the meet. That impressive total was boosted by five event wins. He will send three athletes to the NCAA Championships.
GREAT LAKES REGION – Ashley Shaffer, Denison
Shaffer, the jumps and combined events coach at Denison for the past four years, coached four NCAC Champions in the pentathlon, the triple jump, the long jump and the high jump for 41 of the team’s 74½ points at the meet. Each of those wins resulted in school records, as well as an NCAC record in the pentathlon. Denison will send two athletes to the NCAA Championships, both coached by Shaffer.
MIDEAST REGION – Kimberly Lewnes, Johns Hopkins
Lewnes, in her third year at Hopkins, handles the training of the middle distance runners at Johns Hopkins and assists with the entire distance team. Her athletes scored 77 points at the Centennial Conference championships out of the team’s 163. She helped guide Francis Loeb to No. 2 national ranks at both 3000 and 5000 meters and a No. 3 spot in the mile, as well as three more top-15 marks for other athletes. The Blue Jays will send seven entries to NCAAs –fifth-most in the country – all of which come from the distance or middle-distances.
MIDWEST REGION – Katie Wagner, UW-La Crosse
In her sixth year coaching the jumps, hurdles and multi-events at La Crosse, her athletes scored 73 points of the team’s 207 winning total at the WIAC Championships. This included a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th in the 60m hurdles and 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the triple jump. She will be coaching six athletes in four events at the national championships. Her athletes are ranked 2nd, 5th and 10th in the 60m hurdles. She has the No. 2 and No. 14 triple jumpers, the No. 6 long jumper, as well as the No. 10 pentathlete.
NEW ENGLAND REGION – Nicole Wilkerson, Middlebury
Wilkerson, in her 13th year as the Middlebury mid-distance and distance coach, has coached four of the top 20 milers in Division III this year, including No. 2 Allison Maxwell, and another top-20 performer at 5000 meters. She also coached the Middlebury distance medley relay to the No. 6 spot on the descending order list with the second-fastest unconverted time of the season. She will send five entries to the NCAA Championships.
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST REGION – Denver Davis, Bridgewater (Va.)
Davis, in his fifth year coaching the jumps, multi-events and sprints at Bridgewater (Va.), qualified his first athlete to the NCAA Championships as Kristen Trice finished the regular season tied for the No. 13 spot in the country in the triple jump. She is the top-ranked triple jumper in the region with an ODAC regord 38-2¼ (11.64m), and is also the region’s no. 1 high jumper. In total, his athletes scored 61 of the team’s ODAC-winning 116 points and won three event titles.
WEST REGION – Adam Haldorson, George Fox
Haldorson, coaching the sprints and hurdles at George Fox for the fifth year, has helped develop the program in the sprints, hurdles, and multis. He guided Raechael Kraske to the NCAA Championships in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.95, good for 19th in the country during the regular season.