2019 NAIA Indoor T&F National Award Winners

NEW ORLEANS – National Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field season were announced Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

These awards were voted on by USTFCCCA member coaches based on performances at both the 2019 NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships this past weekend in Brookings, South Dakota, and throughout the season leading up to that point.

Information on each of the winners can be found below.

USTFCCCA National Awards are presented by Pro Form Sports.

National Athletes of the Year

Men’s Track – Tre Hinds, Wayland Baptist (Texas)

Hinds, a senior from Ashton Hall, Barbados, dazzled throughout the indoor season. Just this past weekend at the national meet, Hinds won the 600 in 1:17.42 and ran a leg of both of the winning 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams. During the regular season, Hinds broke the NAIA record in the 600 with his time of 1:15.78, which is also the fifth fastest time ever recorded by a collegian. He was also ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 800 at 1:50.20. This is the second year in a row that an athlete from WBU has been named National Men’s Track Athlete of the Year.

Women’s Track – Anna Shields, Point Park (Pa.)

Shields continues to rack up the honors. The senior from Torrington, Connecticut, captured two individual titles at the NAIA Championships as she won the 1000 in a meet record time of 1:33.76 and the mile in 4:37.73. Shields left her mark on the River State Conference Championships once again as she scored 42.5 points and took home MVP distinction. This is the second year in a row that Shields has been named National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.

Men’s Field – Jordan Downs, Bethel (Ind.)

Downs made his presence known throughout the season. The senior from Merrillville, Indiana, stood out at the NAIA Championships as he won the national title in the long jump with a mark of 7.86m (25-9½) and placed third in the pole vault at 5.00m (16-4¾). During the regular season, Downs was ranked first nationally in the pole vault and second nationally in the long jump and broke records in both at the NCCAA Championships.  This is the first time that an athlete from Bethel (Ind.) has been named National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year.

Women’s Field – Kamberlynn Lamer, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)

Lamer excelled across the board during the indoor season. It was at the NAIA Championships where she won the pentathlon with a near PR of 3678 points and placed fourth in the triple jump at 11.83m (38-9¾). During the regular season, Lamer was ranked first nationally in the pentathlon, second nationally in the triple jump and scored 32 of her team’s 58 points at the GPAC Championships. This is the first time that an athlete from Dakota Wesleyan has been named National Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.

National Coaches of the Year

Men’s Coach – Doug Edgar, Indiana Tech

Edgar, in his 10th year as head coach of the Warriors, led his team to the national title with 56 points. He had to get every last ounce of fight out of his team as they won by four points over Wayland Baptist (Texas), which was the slimmest margin of victory at the meet in the past eight years. Indiana Tech entered the meet ranked No. 1 in the nation, a spot it held down throughout the indoor season. This is the third time in the past four years that Edgar has been named National Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year.

Women’s Coach – Brian Whitlock, Wayland Baptist (Texas)

Whitlock, in his 15th year as head coach of the Pioneers, led his team to a dominant win at the NAIA Championships. WBU scored 83 points at the meet, 20 more than runner-up Southern-New Orleans (La.). The Pioneers captured event titles in the 60, 200, 4×800 and the triple jump. WBU entered the meet ranked No. 2 in the nation. This is the third time in the past four years that Whitlock has been named National Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year.

Men’s Assistant Coach – Malcolm Dias, William Carey (Miss.)

Dias, in his third year as an assistant coach at William Carey (Miss.) in charge of the sprints and relays, helped his team to a sixth-place finish at the NAIA Championships. His athletes amassed 14 of the Crusaders’ 32 points, including a runner-up finish in the 60 from Dante Brown. WCU athletes set four program records under his watch in 2019. This is the first time that Dias has been named National Men’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year.

Women’s Assistant Coach – Ed McLaughlin, Concordia (Neb.)

McLaughlin, in his 22nd year as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs in charge of the throwers, directed the group to the No. 1 spot in the NAIA #EventSquad Rankings in both the shot put and weight throw. Concordia (Neb.) qualified five women in the weight throw and four in the shot put at the national meet. McLaughlin’s athletes scored 33 points at the conference meet. This is the first time that McLaughlin has been named National Women’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year.