Award History
NCAA DII ITF National Awards2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Awards
NEW ORLEANS – National Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field season were announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Member coaches voted on these honors following the conclusion of 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships two weeks ago in Virginia Beach, Virginia, but considered performances throughout the season when voting on these honors.
National Men's Track Athlete of the Year
Cordell Tinch was named the National Men’s Track Athlete of the Year for the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season. Tinch, who hails from Green Bay, Wisconsin, rewrote the NCAA DII record book – and then some – under a roof. He shattered the divisional record in the 60-meter hurdles when he ran 7.50 at the Gorilla Classic in mid-February. That also made Tinch the seventh-fastest performer in collegiate history. Tinch wasn’t done there, as he ran 7.52 or faster three different times, including a 7.51 winner at the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Championships. All told, Tinch owns seven of the top-10 marks in NCAA DII history.
National Women's Track Athlete of the Year
Stephanie Cotter was named the National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year for the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season. Cotter, who hails from Cork, Ireland, capped an undefeated season and scored 22 points at the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Championships thanks to winning both the mile and 3000 meters, and carrying the baton first on the runner-up distance medley relay. She broke the NCAA DII record in the 3000 when she stopped the clock in 9:06.03 and led five women under the previous best of 9:11.41. Cotter traversed the mile distance in 4:49.86 and split 3:26.16 on the Grizzlies’ DMR the previous day.
National Men's Field Athlete of the Year
L.J. Kiner was named the National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year for the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season. Kiner, who hails from Humble, Texas, won the long jump at the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Championships with a meet-record leap of 8.04m (26-4½) that made him the No. 3 performer in divisional history. Just a few weeks earlier, Kiner topped the podium in the same event at the MIAA Indoor Championships and placed third in the triple jump.
National Women's Field Athlete of the Year
Taylor Nelloms was named the National Women’s Field Athlete of the Year for the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season. Nelloms, who hails from Humble, Texas, earned First-Team All-America honors in three jumping events at the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Championships: second place in both the high jump and triple jump; and seventh place in the long jump. She set a season best in the triple jump of 12.95m (42-6) and surpassed her pre-meet projection to finish seventh in the long jump in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Scoring big points wasn’t new territory for Nelloms, as she amassed 28 points at the Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships after winning both the high jump and triple jump, in addition to a runner-up effort in the long jump.
National Men's Coach of the Year
Kyle Rutledge was named the National Men’s Coach of the Year for the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season. Rutledge, in his second year as head coach at Pittsburg State, led the Gorillas to the team title at the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Championships with 86 points – more than double the total of the runner-up – in tallying five event winners and 12 First Team All-America awards. His hurdlers are now three of the four fastest in DII history, led by Cordell Tinch’s record of 7.50. The Gorillas also won the team title at the MIAA Indoor Championships with a meet record of 208.5 points. This is the first time that Rutledge has earned this honor.
National Women's Coach of the Year
Damon Martin was named the National Women’s Coach of the Year for the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season. Martin, in his 24th year at Adams State, led the Grizzlies to the team title at the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Championships with 52 points. Martin’s prized pupil Stephanie Cotter scored 22 points by herself with a sweep of the mile and 3000-meter crowns and a leg on the runner-up distance medley relay. Cotter demolished both the NCAA DII record and the meet record with her winning effort in the 3000 of 9:06.03. Adams State had nine First-Team All-America athletes and four Second-Team honorees in Virginia Beach, Virginia. This is the third time that Martin has earned this honor – first since 2019.
National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year
Jesse Miller was named the National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season. Miller, in his first year as assistant coach at Pittsburg State, coached Gorilla jumpers to three titles at the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Championships: Cordell Tinch in the high jump; Henry Kiner in the long jump; and Treyvon Ferguson in the triple jump. That trio accounted for 30 of the team’s title-winning 86 points in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His jumpers also dominated the MIAA Indoor Championships, sweeping the HJ/LJ/TJ in scoring 37 points.
National Women's Assistant Coach of the Year
Andrea Blackett was named the National Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field season. Blackett, in her sixth year as associate head coach at Azusa Pacific, coached Cougar athletes to five scoring positions at the 2023 NCAA DII Indoor Championships to help the Cougars finish fourth in the team standings. Her sprinters and hurdlers claimed third in the 60 hurdles, fifth in the 4×400 relay and sixth in the 400, and she assisted Cougar pentathletes Nicole Warwick and Alysa Henry, who went 1-3.