Award History
NCAA DII TF Athlete HOFClass of 2024 for USTFCCCA NCAA DII Athlete Hall of Fame Announced
NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced eight 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 2024 includes Aaron Braun of Adams State, Rosalyn Bryant of Cal State Los Angeles, Marquita Davis of Saint Augustine’s, Samantha Lockhart of Grand Valley State, Jennifer Michel of Western Colorado, Neely Spence of Shippensburg, Kirt Thompson of Ashland and Camille Vandendriessche of Abilene Christian.
Neely Spence
Winning became a habit for Neely Spence. When she graduated from Shippensburg in 2012, Spence collected eight NCAA titles and 17 PSAC crowns between cross country and track & field. Six national titles came on the oval, where she topped four 5000-meter podiums and two as a member of the Raiders’ distance medley relay. Spence made headlines in 2011 when she became the first – and still, only – woman in NCAA DII history to win three consecutive outdoor national titles in the 5000 meters. Interspersed amongst that success on the track were back-to-back individual titles at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships in 2010 and 2011. Spence was also named PSAC Athlete of the Year following the conclusion of every season in which she competed for Shippensburg.
Samantha Lockhart
Samantha Lockhart saved her best throws for the biggest stages. When Lockhart wrapped up her legendary career at Grand Valley State in 2013, she owned two NCAA DII records and sat second on two other all-time charts – all with marks from various postseason meets. Lockhart went on an absolute tear between 2012 and 2013, starting with her meet-record heave in the weight throw of 20.57m (67-6) at the 2012 NCAA DII Indoor Championships that won her the first of five NCAA titles. From there, Lockhart rewrote the record books even more: she set the event’s overall division record of 21.50m (70-6½) at the 2013 GLIAC Indoor Championships; swept the throws at the 2013 NCAA DII Indoor Championships, highlighted by a 16.86m (55-3¼) effort in the shot put; and then established a divisional record in the discus of 58.87m (193-2) and took over the No. 2 spot on the all-time shot put chart at 16.80m (55-1½) at the 2013 GLIAC Outdoor Championships.
Rosalyn Bryant
Rosalyn Bryant won five individual AIAW Outdoor Championship titles – the 200 meters in 1974 while competing for Chicago State (1974) before three years (1976-78) at Cal State Los Angeles in winning the 100 and 200 in 1976 and the 400 in 1977 and 1978. She scored 64 total points in individual events at the AIAW as a collegian. Her 400 best of 50.62 while finishing fifth at the 1976 Olympics lasted as an American record until 1984, and her in-season collegiate best of 50.93 from the 1978 AIAW remained the collegiate record until 1987 (and is still the best by an athlete from an NCAA Division II program). She also earned an Olympic silver medal, anchoring the U.S. 4×400 team with a 49.7 split as the squad ran 3:22.81 that lasted as the AR until 1984.
Kirt Thompson
Kirt Thompson left his mark on the NCAA DII record book. That is easy to do when you are throwing the javelin and even easier when you throw it like Thompson. The former Ashland standout did his best work at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, where he won three consecutive national titles from 1994 to 1996 and notched two legendary efforts. Thompson’s second NCAA crown came after an incredible competition that saw three men surpass the old divisional record. The following year, Thompson left no doubt with a resounding victory where he won by more than 20 feet and bettered his record to 78.06m (256-1). Thompson would top the NCAA DII all-time chart for the next 27 years until his record eventually fell in 2023.
Jennifer Michel
When the NCAA first offered women the chance to compete in the steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Jennifer Michel jumped at the opportunity to clear some barriers. As her career progressed, Michel continued to do so. Michel captured the first steeplechase title ever awarded at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2001 when she stopped the clock at 10:22.06 to beat the runner-up by nearly seven seconds. Her reputation over 3000 meters preceded her, as she topped the podium the previous year in that event. Those were two of the three NCAA titles Michel won in her career: Michel also won the indoor mile in 2001. Michel is now a coach at Western Colorado and continues to make history, becoming the first woman in any sport at the NCAA level to earn a National Coach of the Year honor for a men’s sport with her being named the USTFCCCA National Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2007.
Marquita Davis
Falcons aren’t known to soar inside – but don’t tell that to Marquita Davis. The former Saint Augustine’s standout etched her name into NCAA DII history on the indoor circuit, winning back-to-back national titles in the 60-meter hurdles and finishing runner-up the year before her first. Davis (now known as Marquita Carter) didn’t need much time to leave her mark on the record book. She set an NCAA DII Indoor Championships record of 8.44 in 2006 and then equaled the standard the following year. Davis ended her legendary career as a two-time NCAA champion, eight-time All-American and seven-time conference champion. She won CIAA 100-meter-hurdling titles each of her four years and snagged three 60-meter crowns.
Camille Vandendriessche
Camille Vandendriessche of Abilene Christian won NCAA DII combined events titles all four times he entered – the decathlon outdoors from 2007-09 and the inaugural indoor heptathlon in 2009. His decathlon wins made him the first DII athlete to win three consecutive combined event titles, and all four of his victories helped ACU finish high as a team – national titles outdoors in 2007 and 2008 (the Wildcats were second outdoors and third indoors in 2009). A strong second-day performer in the decathlon, he scored in four of those events individually as a sophomore at the 2007 Lone Star Conference Championships. In 2008 and 2009, he swept a trio of awards: USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year, Lone Star Conference Male Field Athlete of the Year and LSC Male Academic Athlete of the Year in both 2008 and 2009.
Aaron Braun
Aaron Braun graduated from Adams State in 2010 as one of the most accomplished athletes in program history. Braun was a six-time NCAA champion, five-time NCAA runner-up and captured 16 All-America honors between cross country and track & field. All six of his NCAA titles came on the track, including back-to-back 1500-meter crowns in 2007 and 2008. Braun’s 1500-meter prowess carried over to the mile, where he snagged consecutive event titles in 2009 and 2010, and served as the anchor on two winning distance medley relay teams. He excelled on the grass circuit, too, placing top-5 at three different NCAA DII Cross Country Championships with runner-up finishes in both 2007 and 2008. Braun swept USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year honors in 2009 and was a four-time USTFCCCA Regional Track Athlete of the Year.