Class of 2023 for USTFCCCA NCAA DII Athlete Hall of Fame Announced

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced six inductees into the NCAA Division II Athlete Hall of Fame inductees on Thursday afternoon.

SEE MORE: USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Track & Field Athlete Hall of Fame

The Class of 2023 includes Drew Frizzell of Central Missouri, Vince Matthews of Johnson C. Smith, Nikkisha Maynard of Lincoln (Mo.), Alicia Nelson of Adams State, Tabor Stevens of Adams State, and Moya Thompson of Lincoln (Mo.).

Tabor Stevens, a former student-athlete at Adams State University from 2010 to 2014, won an NCAA title every year between 2013 and 2015 (seven in total), compiled 17 All-America honors and was named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year four times. He won three consecutive steeplechase titles at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships and set a division record of 8:26.81 in that event as well. In 2015, Stevens became just the second male athlete in NCAA DII history to win both the steeplechase and the 5000 meters at the same Championships. Stevens was a force at the conference level, winning seven RMAC titles and earning 13 All-RMAC plaudits.

Nikkisha Maynard, a former student-athlete at Lincoln University in Missouri from 2001 to 2005, came into her own as a sophomore and junior. Between 2003 and 2004, Maynard captured three NCAA titles and finished runner-up four other times. Maynard forever left her name among the NCAA DII annals in 2003 when she became the first – and still, only – athlete to win both the heptathlon and 100-meter hurdles at the same Championships. Those 20 points from Maynard went a long way in helping the Tigers win their first of five consecutive national titles. Maynard also stood out in the classroom, being named to the National Dean’s List four times.

Drew Frizzell, a former student-athlete at the University of Central Missouri from 2008 to 2011, is one of the most decorated throwers in NCAA DII history. Frizzell, who threw everything but the javelin for the Mules, won two NCAA titles and hauled in 17 All-America honors during his legendary career. He was equally as dominant on the conference level, winning seven MIAA titles and earning 18 All-MIAA honors. Frizzell was a three-time USTFCCCA Regional Athlete of the Year and had a personal best in the weight throw of 21.86m (71-9) that made him the No. 3 performer in NCAA DII history at the time of his graduation.

Moya Thompson, an exceptional track and field athlete at Lincoln University in Missouri from 2002 to 2005, garnered an impressive nine NCAA titles (three individual, six relay) and snagged 14 All-America honors between the NCAA DII Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships during her legendary career. All three of Thompson’s individual titles came in the 400 meters, an event in which she won back-to-back outdoor crowns in 2003 and 2004, and then added the indoor version in 2005. The Tigers thrived with Thompson on the anchor of their sprint relays: Lincoln (Mo.) won three consecutive 4×100 relay titles between 2002 and 2004, in addition to three 4×400 relay crowns outdoors in 2003 and 2004 and one indoors in 2005.

Alicia Nelson, a former student-athlete at Adams State University between 2009 and 2014, amassed a staggering nine individual national championships and 17 All-America honors during her illustrious career. Nelson topped the podium at every NCAA Championship in which she competed between 2013 and 2014. She made headlines in back-to-back years at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, where she swept the steeplechase and 5000 meters, becoming the first female athlete in NCAA DII history to do so. Nelson set a meet record in the steeplechase at the 2014 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships with her 9:54.02 winner.

Vince Matthews, who attended Johnson C. Smith University from 1967 to 1970, established himself as a formidable collegiate sprinter, earning multiple All-CIAA honors. Matthews’ most significant achievements came at the international level, where he secured two Olympic gold medals – one while he was a collegian. He was part of the United States 4×400 meter relay team that won the gold medal and set a new world record at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Matthews returned to the spotlight at the 1972 Munich Olympics, claiming another gold medal in the 400-meter race, clocking an impressive time of 44.66 seconds.