Portions of this release courtesy of Tom Lewis,
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association,
Communications Manager
NEW ORLEANS – Grand Valley State University senior Sam Lockhart (Lansing, Mich.) and Ashland University sophomore Drew Windle (New Albany, Ohio) have been chosen as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Indoor Track & Field "Athletes of the Year."
Click here for complete USTFCCCA "Athletes of the Year" release
Grand Valley State senior Sam Lockhart (Lansing,
Mich.), took home NCAA DII individual titles in both the
weight throw and the shot put. She was the first NCAA individual
champion crowned this season, regardless of division, when she
broke the DII Indoor Championships record in the weight throw with
a mark of 69-¾ (21.05m) to defend her 2012 title by more
than three feet. All but one of her five successful attempts would
have won the title. Lockhart qualified for the Championships as the
No. 1 seed with a DII all-time record heave of 70-6½
(21.50m), and recorded the top seven throws in the division for
2013.
She followed her weight throw title with a shot put crown the next day, tossing a 2013 DII-best mark of 55-3¾ (16.86m) on her final attempt to win by nearly five feet. As was the case in the weight throw, all but one of her five successful attempts could have won the championship. She qualified as the No. 1 seed in the event, and recorded the division’s top 16 throws for 2013. She won 15 of her 16 shot put and weight throw events this season against DII competition.
Ashland sophomore Drew Windle (New Albany, Ohio),
claimed two titles at the Division II Indoor Championships at 800
meters and as a leg of the 4×400 relay. His 1:48.75 in the
finals at 800 meters was not only the fastest time of the season,
it was the second-fastest in NCAA DII Indoor Championships history
and the fifth-fastest all-time in DII history.
With a 1:48.82 to claim the GLIAC title at 800 meters, Windle is just the second student-athlete in division history to record multiple sub-1:49.00 times, joining Southern Connecticut’s Salasi Lumax. Windle now owns three of the top eight times in division history. He won four of his six races at 800 meters this season, including both finals and prelims.