NEW ORLEANS – National Athletes of the Year for the 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field season were announced Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Winners were voted on by member coaches following the conclusion of the 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, which were held this past weekend in Birmingham, Alabama.
MEN'S NATIONAL FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Coy Blair – Tiffin
Blair played a crucial role in helping Tiffin claim its 2nd-consecutive NCAA Division II indoor title. The redshirt-senior won the weight throw title on the 2nd day of the meet with a mark of 21.44m (70-4¼) in his last throw, before capturing 1st place in the shot put with a throw of 18.91m (62-0½) on the final day of the competition. During the regular season, the redshirt-senior from Logan, Ohio, posted the 6th-best performance in Division II history in the shot put with a national-leading mark of 19.54m (64-1¼).
Blair also notched the 4th-best weight throw mark in Division II this year at 20.85m (68-4¾). He won the GLIAC Championship in both events, being named the Field Athlete of the Year for the conference. Blair joins Lamar Hargrove (Men's Track – 2016) as national award winners from Tiffin while becoming the first field athlete to do so.
TIFFIN'S CROY, ROBINSON NAMED USTFCCCA INDOOR NATIONAL COACHES OF THE YEAR
NEW ORLEANS – National Coaches of the Year for the 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field season were announced Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Winners were voted on by member coaches following the conclusion of the 2017 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships, which were held this past weekend in Birmingham, Alabama.
MEN'S NATIONAL HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR
Jeremy Croy – Tiffin
Croy's Dragons' men's program won their 2nd-straight NCAA Division II indoor title this past weekend, after heading into the competition ranked 3rd in the Pre-Championship USTFCCCA Computer Rankings. Winning by 11 points, Croy got event titles from Coy Blair (weight throw and shot put) and Marquise Corbett (long jump), in addition to Reginald Thomas and Jonte Baker finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively in the 60 meters.
James Ngandu came in 2nd in the 5000 meters and 3rd in the 3000 meters, while Cameron Burrows placed 5th in the high jump and Dylan Cornwell scored a single point in the pole vault. Croy truly received an all-around performance from his team. At the GLIAC Championships, Croy's Dragons placed 1st with five event titles.
MEN'S NATIONAL ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR
Raymond Robinson – Tiffin
Robinson's throwers were a big reason why the men's team walked away with a title. Coy Blair scored 20 points on his own in winning the weight throw and shot put competitions. In his 5th year with the program, his throwers played an integral role in Tiffin's GLIAC Championship, as they scored 24 team points.
His shot put squad ranked 1st in the Division II squad rankings with the 1st, 9th, 16th, 21st, 26th and 32nd best marks in Division II across the regular season. Blair posted the 6th-best performance in Division II history this season under Robinson's watch. Tiffin's weight throw squad also ranked 2nd in the squad rankings.
