Award History
NCAA DI ITF National Awards2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Awards
NEW ORLEANS – National Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field season were announced on Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Member coaches voted on these honors following the conclusion of 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships two weeks ago in Birmingham, Alabama, but considered performances at the meet and throughout the regular season when voting on these honors.
National Men's Track Athlete of the Year
Abdihamid Nur was named the National Men’s Track Athlete of the Year. Nur, who hails from Phoenix, Arizona, by way of Mogadishu, Somalia, capped a strong season at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, where he completed the distance double. He won the 5000 meters on Friday in a meet-record 13:19.01 and kicked home to win a tactical 3000 on Saturday, a race where the top-8 athletes all finished with one second of each other. That mark in the 5000 also put him ninth on the all-time collegiate chart and improved his PR from 13:22.24 that he ran in December. Back in mid-February, Nur covered 3000m in 7:40.66, which is the fifth-fastest all-conditions mark in collegiate history and the fastest on an oversized track. Nur also PR’d in the mile this year at 3:55.94.
National Women's Track Athlete of the Year
Abby Steiner was named the National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year. Steiner, who hails from Dublin, Ohio, set the American and collegiate indoor record in the 200 meters (22.09) at the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships. She also shattered Merlene Ottey’s 40-year-old collegiate record in the 300 meters with her 35.80 clocking at the Louisville Cardinal Classic to open the season. At the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, Steiner scored 19.5 points, winning the 200, finishing second in the 60 and helping Kentucky to a third-place finish in the 4×400 relay. Steiner went undefeated in 200-meter finals, winning all four meet in which she competed with all-time marks just about each time out.
National Men's Field Athlete of the Year
Ayden Owens was named the National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year. Owens, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, starred in the heptathlon this season. He notched a pair of all-time top-5 performances this season, both in come-from-behind victories over Kyle Garland of Georgia, who is the fifth-best performer on the all-time chart himself. Owens’ most recent brush with drama came at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, where he went from fourth to first in the span of 2 minutes, 31.55 seconds, a mark that he used to cross the finish line first in the 1000 meters. Owens had to beat Garland by at least 13.5 seconds to win the NCAA title and did just that with a four-second PR over 1000m. That gave Owens the fifth-best total in collegiate history, which was only topped by his PR of 6272 from the Razorback Team Invitational that put him second on the all-time chart behind 2010 The Bowerman winner Ashton Eaton.
National Women's Field Athlete of the Year
Jasmine Moore was named the National Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. Moore, who hails from Grand Prairie, Texas, ruled the runway during the indoor season. She became the only female athlete in NCAA DI history to sweep the horizontal jumps at the conference and NCAA level. Not only that, but Moore notched the two best marks in collegiate history in the process in the triple jump: her collegiate record of 14.57m (47-9¾) to win the NCAA title and her 14.55m (47-9) effort in late January that originally took down 2018 The Bowerman winner Keturah Orji’s all-time indoor best. Moore also led the nation in the long jump at 6.75m (22-1¾), a mark that she used to capture the event title at the SEC Indoor Championships.
National Men's Coach of the Year
Edrick Floréal was named the National Men’s Coach of the Year. Floréal, in his fourth year at Texas, led the Longhorns to their first national track & field team title in program history. Texas scored 47 points at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships thanks to winning the distance medley relay and runner-up efforts in both the 800 meters and shot put, among other sterling performances that garnered the team 10 combined First-Team All-America honors. During the regular season, the Longhorns won the team title at the Big 12 Indoor Championships behind five event titles.
National Women's Coach of the Year
Mike Holloway was named the National Women’s Coach of the Year. Holloway, in his 20th year at Florida, guided the Gators to the team title at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships with 68 points. It was the program’s first national indoor team title since 1992. Holloway coached five NCAA champions and 10 All-Americans out of their 12 entries in Birmingham, Alabama. During the regular season, the Gators finished second at the SEC Indoor Championships with four event champions. Holloway’s athletes left their names all over the school record book, as well as the all-time collegiate charts.
National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year
Pete Watson was named the National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Watson, in his fourth year as assistant coach at Texas, coached the winning distance medley relay team at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships. In addition to that, Watson’s athletes finished second and fourth in the 800 meters and seventh in the mile. Watson-coached harriers also won four event titles at the Big 12 Indoor Championships to help lead the Longhorns to victory.
National Women's Assistant Coach of the Year
Nic Petersen was named the National Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Petersen, in his ninth year as associate head coach at Florida, led the Gators’ jumpers to 30 points at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, which included 20 from Jasmine Moore thanks to a sweep of the horizontal jumps, a runner-up finish from Natricia Hooper in the triple jump and a seventh-place effort from Claire Bryant in the long jump. Moore had a record-breaking season, notching the two best marks in collegiate history in the triple jump: her collegiate record of 14.57m (47-9¾) from the NCAA Championships and the 14.55m (47-9) effort that originally took down 2018 The Bowerman winner Keturah Orji’s all-time best.