Winners of 2014 Division II Outdoor Track and Field Regional Awards Announced

Winners of 2014 Division II Outdoor Track and Field Regional Awards Announced

NEW ORLEANS – Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2014 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field season were announced Friday 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 II 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.

Many of the honored athletes and coaches will be in competition at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships set for next weekend, May 22-24, in Allendale, Mich., at Grand Valley State. 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 ATHLETES

ATLANTIC REGION – Roxroy Cato, Saint Augustine’s
Cato, a senior from Jamaica, is undefeated in the 400-meter hurdles during the 2014 season, including titles at the Penn Relays, the CIAA Championships and the Flforida Relays. He won the Florida Relays title in 48.67, good for the collegiate lead and the No. 2 time in the world. He will contest the 400-meter hurdles and run a leg of the top-seeded 4×400 relay team.

CENTRAL REGION – Williams Shell, Southwest Baptist
Shell, a senior from Cape Girardeau, Mo., earned MIAA Champion titles both at 200 and 400 meters. His 46.31 to win the 400 meters title put him at No. 1 in DII, while his 21.05 at 200 meters was No. 16. He will run both the 400 meters and the 4×400 relay at NCAAs.

EAST REGION – Logan Sharpe, Southern Connecticut
Sharpe, a senior from Esperance, N.Y., claimed individual titles both at 400 meters and in the 400-meter hurdles to help SCSU to a Northeast-10 Championships title, along with running legs of three top-four relays. His undefeated season in the 400-meter hurdles, the event he will contest at NCAAs, includes a 51.71 that ranks No. 9 in the nation.

MIDWEST REGION – Drew Windle, Ashland
Windle, a junior from New Albany, Ohio, ran the Division’s fastest 800 meters of the year – and the 10th-fastest in Division II history – in 1:46.91 and DII’s second-best 1500 meters time in 3:44.92. He claimed the GLIAC title in the latter and was runner-up at 800 meters. He is entered into the NCAA Championships at 800 meters.

SOUTH REGION – Kyran Stewart, Albany State (Ga.)
Stewart, a junior from Camilla, Ga., claimed SIAC titles both at 100 and 200 meters. He ranks in the top-10 nationally in both events with a 10.38 at 100 meters and a 20.93 at 200 meters for the No. 8 and 9 times in DII, respectively. He will contest both events at NCAAs, in addition to the 4×100 relay.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Tabor Stevens, Adams State
Stevens, a junior from Canon City, Colo., is the Division II leader in the 3000-meter steeplechase following an 8:38.46 win at the Stanford Invitational. He won the RMAC title at 1500 meters and is ranked No. 3 at 5000 meters in 13:49.40. Both the steeplechase and 5000 meters are on his schedule for NCAAs.

SOUTHEAST REGION – Dylan Lafond, Mount Olive
Lafond, a sophomore from Manchester, N.H., scored 40 points en route to leading Mount Olive to a team title at the Conference Carolinas Championships behind wins at 1500, 5000 and 10,000 meters and in the 3000-meter steeplechase. He will contest the steeplechase at the NCAA Championships.

WEST REGION – Jordan Edwards, Academy of Art
Edwards, a junior from Denver, Colo., is ranked in the top-10 in all three short sprints events: No. 2 at 400 meters (46.36), No. 5 at 100 meters (10.32) and No. 7 at 200 meters (20.89). He won all three events at the PacWest Championships in addition to running legs of both winning relays. He will run both at 200 and 400 meters at the NCAA Championships, in addition to both relays.

MEN’S FIELD ATHLETES

ATLANTIC REGION – Dejon Wilkinson, Saint Augustine’s
Wilkinson, a senior from Summerville, S.C., finished the regular season as the Division II leader both in the long jump and the triple jump. He won both titles at the CIAA Championships, and finished runner-up in the triple jump at the Penn Relays. He will compete in both horizontal jumps events at the NCAA Championships.

CENTRAL REGION – Christopher Reed, Minnesota State
Reed, a senior from Omaha, Neb., won NSAC Championship titles in the hammer throw, shot put and discus events. His 215-11 (65.81m) hammer throw NSIC record ranked him No. 3 in Division II in that event, while he was No. 4 in the shot put and No. 12 in the discus. He will compete in all three events at NCAAs.

EAST REGION – Nick Lebron, Southern Connecticut
Lebron, a junior from Newington, Conn., is undefeated in the decathlon in 2014 with Penn Relays and New England Championships titles to his name. His 7178 at the New England Championships was a meet record and put him fifth on the Division II list for 2014. He will contest the event at the NCAA Championships.

MIDWEST REGION – Justin Welch, Findlay
Welch, a junior from Luckey, Ohio, became the No. 2 hammer thrower in Division II history with a mark of 239-3 (72.93m) at the Toledo Invitational. He owns the top 22 marks of the Division II season with titles at the Penn Relays, GLIAC Championships, Raleigh Relays and All-Ohio Championships. He will throw both the hammer and the discus at the NCAA Championships.

SOUTH REGION – Alex May, Alabama-Huntsville
May, a first-year collegian from Hoover, Ala., won both the long jump and triple jump titles at the Peach Belt Championships to earn Field Athlete of the Year honors. His 48-11¾ (14.92m) mark in the triple jump is No. 17 in the nation. He will compete in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Jeron Robinson, Texas A&M-Kingsville
Robinson, a sophomore from Houston, Texas, is just a centimeter shy of the all-time Division II high jump record and the 2014 collegiate lead with a leap of 7-6 (2.29m) at the Cactus Cup. He is No. 10 in the world and is undefeated against Division II competition this season, including a Lone Star Conference title. He will contest the event at the NCAA Championships.

SOUTHEAST REGION – Bryce Rauhof, Clayton State
Rauhof, a senior from Peachtree City, Ga., claimed the hammer throw and shot put titles at the Peach Belt Championships en route to earning Field Athlete of the Year honors. He is the No. 1 hammer thrower in the Southeast Region and is No. 2 and No. 7 in the shot put and discus, respectively.

WEST REGION – J Patrick Smith, Chico State
Smith, a senior from Santa Barbara, Calif., is Division II’s top decathlete after the conclusion of the regular season with a score of 7351 at the Sam Adams Multi Events. He scored 33½ team points at the CCAA Championships, including a win in the long jump, to lead Chico State to the team title. He will contest the decathlon and the long jump at the NCAA Championships. 

WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETES

ATLANTIC REGION – Danielle Williams, Johnson C. Smith
Williams, a senior from St. Andrew, Jamaica, claimed individual CIAA crowns both at 100 and 200 meters and in the 100-meter hurdles, as well as part of the winning 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. Her Penn Relays runner-up finish in 13.07 put her atop the Division II list in the 100-meter hurdles, and she is also No. 2 at 200 meters in 23.49 and No. 3 at 100 meters in 11.52. She will contest each of those three individual events and the 4×100 relays at the NCAA Championships.

CENTRAL REGION – Samantha Rivard, Minnesota Duluth
Rivard, a first-year collegian from Oak Grove, Minn., won both the 5000 and 10,000 meters titles at the NSIC Championships and finished third at 1500 meters to claim Newcomer of the Meet honors. Her 16:29.73 at 5000 meters is No. 2 in the nation, and she is ranked No. 17 at 1500 meters and No. 19 at 10,000. She will compete both at 5000 and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Championships.

EAST REGION – Ada Udaya, New Haven
Udaya, a junior from West Haven, Conn., swept the 100 and 200 meters titles at both the Northeast-10 Conference Championships and the New England Championships. She finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in both events with an 11.34 win at 100 meters at the New England Championships and a 23.22 win in the Shamrock Invitational 200 meters race. She will compete in both events, along with the 4×100 relay, at the NCAA Championships.

MIDWEST REGION – Kalena Franklin, Grand Valley State
Franklin, a senior from West Branch, Mich., won GLIAC titles at 200 meters and in the 100-meter hurdles and 4×400 relay. She is ranked No. 4 in the 100-meter hurdles with a 13.41 at the Mt. SAC Relays and is No. 16 at 200 meters and No. 18 at 400 meters. She will contest the hurdles and the 200 at the NCAA Championships, along with the 4×400 relay.

SOUTH REGION – Chamekea Davis, Benedict
Davis, a sophomore from Patterson, N.J., won SIAC titles both at 100 and 200 meters in 11.57 and 24.17, respectively, and is the top-ranked South Regioncompetitor in both events. Those times correlate to the No. 5 and No. 18 spots on the national Division II list, respectively. She will compete in both events at the NCAA Championships.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Kayon Robinson, Adams State
Robinson, a senior from Clarendon, Jamaica, won both the 200 and 400 meters titles at the RMAC Championships in meet-record fashion and ran legs of the winning 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. Her 400 win in 52.80 moved her to No. 2 on the Division II list, while her 23.37 put her at No. 3. She will contest both individual events at the NCAA Championships, along with the 4×400 relay.

SOUTHEAST REGION – Andrea Guerra, Queens (N.C.)
Guerra, a senior from Anaheim, Calif., won both the 5000 and 10,000 meters titles at the South Atlantic Conference Championships. Her 35:28.54, 16th-place finish at the Penn Relays moved her up to No. 12 on the Division II list for 2014. She will contest the event at the NCAA Championships.

WEST REGION – Courtney Anderson, Cal State Stanislaus
Anderson, a senior from Folsom, Calif., won the 1500 meters title at the CCAA Championships and finished runner-up at 5000 meters. She is the nation’s top-ranked runner at 1500 meters with a 4:20.65 at the West Coast Last Chance, is No. 2 in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 10:14.97 and No. 15 at 5000 meters. She will compete at 1500 and 5000 meters at the NCAA Championships.

WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETES

ATLANTIC REGION – Tabitha Bemis, Edinboro
Bemis, a senior from Fair Oaks, Pa., claimed individual PSAC titles in the long jump, the triple jump and the 100-meter hurdles in addition to running a leg of the runner-up 4×400 relay. She is ranked No. 4 in the triple jump with her PSAC-winning 41-10¾ (12.77m) and is ranked No. 12 in the long jump and No. 19 in the 100-meter hurdles – all three of which she will contest at the NCAA Championships.

CENTRAL REGION – Sara Wells, Wayne State (Neb.)
Wells, a junior from Albion, Neb., was the NSIC champion in the shot put in meet-record fashion and the discus, in addition to placing eighth in the hammer throw. With a mark of 52-4 (15.95m) in the shot put, she ranks No. 2 in Division II, while also checking in at No. 4 in the discus at 164-0 (49.99m). She will compete in both events at the NCAA Championships.

EAST REGION – Briana Conyers, New Haven
Conyers, a junior from Derby, Conn., won the heptathlon and the triple jump at the Northeast-10 Championships, and finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles, eighth in the long jump and ran a leg of the runner-up 4×100 relay. She is ranked 10th in the triple jump with a leap of 41-1 (12.52m), and will contest the event at the NCAA Championships.

MIDWEST REGION – Kristen Hixson, Grand Valley State
Hixson, a senior from Remus, Mich., won the GLIAC title in the pole vault and is the top-ranked vaulter in Division II. Her 14-4½ (4.28m) clearance at the GVSU Last Chance moved her up to No. 4 on the all-time Division II list and No. 6 on the all-college list for 2014. She has cleared heights of 14 feet or better four times, and has won seven of her eight competitions. She will compete in the event at the NCAA Championships.

SOUTH REGION – Euphemia Edem, Stillman
Edem, a junior from Murfreesboro, Tenn., won the SIAC long jump and triple jump titles – the former with a mark of 20-½ (6.11m) to move to No. 4 among DII competitors in 2014. Her SIAC meet also included a runner-up finish at 200 meters, fourth at 100 meters and a winning 4×100 performance. She finished the season ranked No. 2 in the triple jump with a mark of 42-2¼ (12.86m). She will contest both jumping events, along with the 4×100 relay, at the NCAA Championships.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Salcia Slack, New Mexico Highlands
Slack, a junior from Kingston, Jamaica, broke the Division II heptathlon record (current javelin) at the RMAC Championships with a score of 5833 points as part of a phenomenal weekend that saw her score 54 points for her team. She also won the javelin, the 100-meter hurdles, and the triple jump, and finished runner-up in the long jump and fifth in the shot put. She also ran a leg of the runner-up 4×400. She will compete in the heptathlon, long jump, triple jump and shot put at the NCAA Championships.

SOUTHEAST REGION – Shelby Kennard, Queens (N.C.)
Kennard, a senior from Rockwall, Texas, won the pole vault at the SAC Championships. Her vault of 12-11¾ (3.96m) at the Terrier Relays was the best in conference history and moved her to No. 1 in the region and No. 7 in the nation. She will contest the event at the NCAA Championships.

WEST REGION – Bethany Drake, Western Washington
Drake, a sophomore from Sandy, Ore., has controlled the javelin national descending order list for much of the season, predominantly with a mark of 169-6 (51.66m) at the Puget Sound Shotwell Invitational. The throw moved her up to No. 4 on the all-time Division II list and No. 14 on the all-college list for 2014. She will compete in the event at the NCAA Championships.

MEN’S HEAD COACHES

ATLANTIC REGION – George Williams, Saint Augustine’s|
Williams’ Falcons ran away with their 17th straight CIAA conference title this season and his squad is ranked No. 1 in the nation heading into the NCAA Championships. Williams is in his 26th year at the school.

CENTRAL REGION – Russ Jewett, Pittsburg State
Coach Jewett’s team won MIAA conference title by 28½ points this season for their third-consecutive title outdoors. The MIAA Men’s Coach of the Year is in his 26th year at the school. Pittsburg State is ranked eighth nationally.

EAST REGION – John Wallin, Southern Connecticut
In his fifth year at No. 16 Southern Connecticut, Wallin’s Alpha Owls won their 12th consecutive Northeast-10 Championship, and third All-Division New England title in four years. Wallin’s athlete, Nick Lebron, won the prestigious Penn Relays decathlon, as well as setting a New England meet record in the decathlon this spring. SCSU currently has five men ranked in the top 10 in Division II.

MIDWEST REGION – Jerry Baltes – Grand Valley State
Baltes led the No. 7-ranked Lakers to the GLIAC title. They finished the season ranked No. 1 in the region. Baltes is in his 14th year at the school.

SOUTH REGION – Ken Taylor, Sr., Albany State (Ga.)
Taylor’s squad was the SIAC team champions and he was named the league’s Coach of the Year. Taylor is in his 14th year at the school.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Ryan Dall, Texas A&M-Kingsville
The Javelina men won their first Lone Star Conference Championship since 1970 under Dall in his sixth year at the school. The team scored 175 points to win the meet by a 22-point margin while winning eight individual titles and a relay crown. The Javelinas are currently ranked fourth in the national team rankings. Team members Jeron Robinson, Jordan Yamoah and Tim Price are all currently ranked No. 1 in their respective events and six other athletes are ranked in the top ten of their events.

SOUTHEAST REGION – Matthew van Lierop, Mount Olive
Mount Olive claimed the Conference Carolinas title for the third time over a four year span for van Lierop in his sixth year. Dylan Lafond will represent the team at the NCAA Championships in the 5000 meters.

WEST REGION – Oliver Hanf, Chico State
Hanf, in his 17th year at Chico State, has the fourth-ranked team in the country. As the CCAA Men’s Coach of the Year, he led his squad to an 11th-consecutive conference crown with 266 team points and a 100-point victory margin. The team will have 10 entries into the NCAA Championships.

WOMEN’S HEAD COACHES

ATLANTIC REGION -Lennox Graham, Johnson C. Smith
Graham, in his seventh year at Johnson C. Smith, led his squad to the CIAA conference title and are ranked fourth in the country. Samantha Elliott leads the country in the 400 meter hurdles and is third nationally in the 100 meter hurdles. Danielle Williams is the top seed in the 100 meter hurdles heading into the NCAA Championships. In total, the squad has six qualified for the national meet.

CENTRAL REGION – Michael Thorson, U-Mary
Coach Mike Thorson led the Marauder women to their third consecutive NSIC crown and their sixth in the last eight years. Scoring 169.33 points and winning by more than 40 points, Thorson’s student-athletes won eight conference crowns. U-Mary has five qualified for the NCAA Championships.

EAST REGION – Karen Boen – Stonehill
Boen, in her 16th year as Stonehill coach, led her team to the Northeast-10 title for the first time in the history of the program. Four student-athletes won conference titles for her team and two qualified for the NCAA Championships.

MIDWEST REGION – Jerry Baltes, Grand Valley State
Baltes led his team to its 15th straight GLIAC crown in his 14th year at the helm. GVSU is ranked second nationally and has 28 entries to the national championships.

SOUTH REGION – Frank Hyland, Benedict
Hyland, in his 10th year at Benedict, has two competitors qualified for the NCAA Championships. His squad placed runner-up in the SIAC Championships.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Bob DeVries, New Mexico Highlands
DeVries, in his 22nd year with New Mexico Higlands, was named RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year after helping the Cowgirls finish second at the RMAC Championships with a school-record 170 points. He also oversaw Highlands rise to ninth in the country, its best outdoor school ranking in school history. Two different athletes lead the nation in their respective events, including Salcia Slack being more than 600 points better than her nearest competitor in the heptathlon. Slack is also entered in the long jump, triple jump, and shot put at the NCAA Championships. In total, NMHU has 11 entries to the NCAA Championships.

SOUTHEAST REGION – Jim Vahrenkamp, Queens (N.C.)
Vahrenkamp, in his second year at the helm, led his team in capturing the SAC conference championship, the first track and field championship in school history.  The team has two student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships

WEST REGION – Diljeet Taylor, Cal State Stanislaus
Taylor’s squad qualified eight into the NCAA Championships, including 1500 meter national leader Courtney Anderson. The team finished third at the CCAA Championships, the best in school history.

MEN’S ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Doug Knol, Shippensburg
Knol, Shippensburg’s sprints and hurdles coach in his 21st year, had squad members win six of seven sprint and hurdle titles in the PSAC, contributing 92 points to the team cause. The 4×400 squad set all-time PSAC record of 3:11.28.

CENTRAL REGION – Brian Mantooth, Pittsburg State
Under the guidance of Coach Mantooth, the throwers scored 62 of Pitt State’s 145 points at the MIAA Championship and were instrumental in the team’s victory. Pitt State qualified three student-athletes in the discus, two in the shot put, and one in the javelin for the upcoming NCAA Championships.

EAST REGION – William “Bill” Sutherland, Southern Connecticut
Sutherland’s throwers dominated the Northeast-10 this season, scoring 93 points to help the SCSU Alpha Owls win their 12th-consecutive crown. Athletes set NE-10 records in both the shot put and hammer for 23rd-year coach Sutherland. The squad qualified two in the hammer, one in the discus, and one in the shot put for the NCAA Championships.

MIDWEST REGION – David Smalley – Ashland
Smalley, in his 23rd year at Ashland as sprints, relays, and hurdles coach, qualified five student-athletes for the NCAA Championships – including both relays. Elijah Owens, the GLIAC Runner of the Year, is ranked in the national top 10 in both the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles.

SOUTH REGION – Fatimah Shabazz, Kentucky State
Shabazz, in her third year at Kentucky State as distance and throws coach, led three athletes that broke school records at this year’s SIAC Outdoor Championships. In addition, her event areas scored 65 of the school-record 116 points at the SIAC Championships.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Matt Gersick, Adams State
Coach Gersick, in his third year at Adams State, led his throwers to 71 points at the RMAC Outdoor Championships. Coach Gersick personally coached the RMAC Men’s Outdoor Athlete of the Meet, Wesley Lavong, who set a new RMAC and school record in the shot put. His throw at the RMAC Championships of 64-11½ (19.80m) ranks Lavong No. 1 in the nation in the shot put.

SOUTHEAST REGION – Travis LeFlore – Wingate
LeFlore, in his second year at Wingate coaching jumps and sprints, assisted in coaching the team as it won the inaugural South Atlantic Conference Championship.

WEST REGION – David Burnett, Western Washington
Burnett’s athletes accounted for 61 points in sprints, hurdles, relays, and mid-distance events to help the Viking men to the team title at the GNAC Conference Championships.

WOMEN’S ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR

ATLANTIC REGION – Larry Moore, Johnson C. Smith
Moore, in his seventh year with the team as throws assistant, helped the JCSU squad to a CIAA crown and No. 1 Atlantic Region ranking.

CENTRAL REGION – Brett Suckstorf, Wayne State (Neb.)
Athletes coached by Suckstorf, in his fourth year at the school, hit three NCAA automatic qualifying marks and eight NCAA provisional marks this season. His athletes scored 59 of the team’s 60 points at NSIC Championships. Throws account for seven of Wayne State’s entries into the NCAA Championships.

EAST REGION – Joseph Van Gilder, Southern Connecticut
Van Gilder, in his second year at SCSU, had two sprinters surpassing previous SCSU records in the 100, 200, 4×100, and 4×400. His sprint ladies helped SCSU to a runner-up finish at the NE-10 Championships, as well as a runner-up finish at the All New England Championships. His team also broke the New England meet record in the 4×100 relay. The team has six entries into the NCAA Championships in the sprints, including both relays.

MIDWEST REGION – Nick Polk, Grand Valley State
Polk, in his fourth year as assistant distance coach at GVSU, had athletes score 37 points at the GLIAC Championships. The Lakers have nine entries into the NCAA Championships in distance events.

SOUTH REGION – Soyini Thompson, Alabama-Huntsville
Thompson, in her 11th year, helped coach her team team to the top ranking in the region, and to a team championship in the Peach Belt Conference. Coached national provisional qualifiers at 100 meters and in both the 400-meter hurdles, and the 4×100 relay.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Yuriy Litvinski, Angelo State
In his first year as the assistant track and field coach for Angelo State, Litvinski assisted the Rams to a runner-up finish at the Lone Star Championships, where his student-athletes captured two event titles. Eight of his student-athletes in the horizontal and high jumps, sprints, hurdles and multi-events qualified into the NCAA Championships.

SOUTHEAST REGION – Tsehaye Baney, Queens (N.C.)
Baney, in the second year as distance coach at Queens, coached the top-ranked athletes in the region in the steeplechase, 5000 meters, and 10,000 meters. Her athletes accounted for 46 points at the SAC Championships, assisting the squad to its first conference crown. Andrea Guerra will represent the Queens’ distance crew at the NCAA Championships.

WEST REGION – Manny Trevino, Chico State
Trevino, in his 12th year as sprints coach at Chico State, led the women’s 4×100 team to a school record time of 46.50. The same crew won the CCAA title for the first time in school history and qualified for the NCAA Championships.