Award History
NCAA DI OTF Regional Awards2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Regional Awards
NEW ORLEANS – Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field season were announced on Friday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) following the conclusion of the season.
Members coaches voted on these honors after the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships this past weekend in Eugene, Oregon, and considered performances throughout the season. Only USTFCCCA member schools are eligible for awards.
Information on each of the winners can be found below.
Men’s Track Athlete of the Year
GREAT LAKES REGION – Adam Spencer – Wisconsin
Spencer, who hails from Melbourne, Australia, finished third in the 1500 meters at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, Spencer won the 1500-meter title at the 2024 Australian Outdoor Championships with a PR 3:37.68 and later topped the 800-meter podium at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION – Cheickna Traore – Penn State
Traore, who hails from Linden, New Jersey, won the 200-meter title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Just a few weeks earlier, Traore set PRs in both the 100 and 200 meters of 10.15 and 19.93, respectively, at the NCAA DI East First Round. Traore also finished runner-up in the 200 meters at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
MIDWEST REGION – Darius Luff – Nebraska
Luff, who hails from Lincoln, Nebraska, won the 110-meter hurdle title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a PR 13.19. He is now ranked ninth in collegiate history with that mark. Earlier in the season, Luff won 110H crowns at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, the Drake Relays, the Michael Johnson Invitational and the Jim Click Shootout.
MOUNTAIN REGION – Caleb Dean – Texas Tech
Dean, who hails from Hyattsville, Maryland, won the 400-meter hurdle title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 47.23, which is the second fastest mark in collegiate history. Earlier in the season, Dean clocked two identical 48.05 marks, which added to the 47.23 he ran at the NCAA Championships, made him the only athlete in collegiate history with three 48.05 or faster clockings in a single season.
NORTHEAST REGION – Graham Blanks – Harvard
Blanks, who hails from Athens, Georgia, finished fifth in the 5000 meters at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, Blanks won the 5000 meters at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships and clocked his 13:37.34 seasonal best at the Wake Forest Invitational.
SOUTH REGION – Christopher Morales Williams – Georgia
Morales Williams, who hails from Vaughn, Ontario, won the 400-meter title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, CMW set a multitude of records in that event at the SEC Outdoor Championships with his 44.05 winner that made him the sixth fastest performer in collegiate history.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Sam Whitmarsh – Texas A&M
Whitmarsh, who hails from Lake Jackson, Texas, finished runner-up in the 800 meters at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, Whitmarsh won the 800-meter title at the SEC Outdoor Championships and clocked his collegiate-leading mark of 1:44.46 at the Battle on the Bayou that made him the seventh fastest performer in collegiate history. He also anchored Texas A&M’s 4×800 relay to victory at the Penn Relays.
SOUTHEAST REGION – Parker Wolfe – North Carolina
Wolfe, who hails from Denver, Colorado, won the 5000-meter title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, Wolfe doubled up on first-place efforts at the ACC Outdoor Championships with victories in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters – the former of which was a 13:19.38 meet record.
WEST REGION – Joe Waskom – Washington
Waskom, who hails from Snoqualmie, Washington, won the 1500-meter title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, Waskom took top honors in the steeplechase at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships to help Washington win the team title.
Men’s Field Athlete of the Year
GREAT LAKES REGION – Heath Baldwin – Michigan State
Baldwin, who hails from Kalamazoo, Michigan, amassed 8470 points in the decathlon at the Mt. SAC Relays to move up to seventh on the all-time collegiate chart. Later in the season, Baldwin finished top-6 in three different field events at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION – Salif Mane – Fairleigh Dickinson
Mane, who hails from Bronx, New York, won the triple jump title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a PR of 17.14m (56-3). Earlier in the season, Mane swept the horizontal jumps at both IC4A Outdoor Championships and the Northeast Conference Outdoor Championships, the latter of which included a long jump PR of 7.62m (25-0).
MIDWEST REGION – Tyus Wilson – Nebraska
Wilson, who hails from Sterling, Kansas, finished runner-up in the high jump at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, Wilson won the high jump crown at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with a PR clearance of 2.29m (7-6) that was the best collegiate mark outdoors. Wilson also topped the podium at the Drake Relays.
MOUNTAIN REGION – Texas Tanner – Air Force
Tanner, who hails from Sheridan, Wyoming, qualified for the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in three throwing events (discus throw, hammer throw and shot put). He scored 24 points at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships with victories in both the discus and hammer, plus a fifth place finish in the shot put, and led Air Force to the team title.
NORTHEAST REGION – Kenneth Ikeji – Harvard
Ikeji, who hails from London, United Kingdom, finished runner-up in the hammer throw at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a season best of 77.12m (253-0). Earlier in the season, Ikeji won the hammer crown at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships and was summarily named Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet.
SOUTH REGION – Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan – Ole Miss
Robinson-O’Hagan, who hails from Woonsocket, Rhode Island, won the shot put title – and finished seventh in the hammer – at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, Robinson-O’Hagan won both the hammer and shot put at the SEC Outdoor Championships, making him just one of three to do so in meet history.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Leo Neugebauer – Texas
Neugebauer, who hails from Leinfeldene-Echterdingen, Germany, set a collegiate record and moved up to sixth in world history in the decathlon with his 8961-point total at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. His ten-event masterpiece, which included all-time collegiate bests for Day 1 and Day 2 totals, was highlighted by a decathlon discus world record of 57.70m (189-4). Earlier in the season, Neugebauer amassed 8708 points in the decathlon at the Texas Relays for another all-time top-5 mark in the collegiate record book.
SOUTHEAST REGION – Keaton Daniel – Kentucky
Daniel, who hails from Henderson, Nevada, won the pole vault crown at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, Daniel vaulted to top individual honors at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
WEST REGION – Rowan Hamilton – California
Hamilton, who hails from Chilliwack, British Columbia, won the hammer throw title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a PR 77.18m (253-2) that made him the eighth best performer in collegiate history. Earlier in the season, Hamilton was named the Pac-12 Men’s Field Athlete of the Year and won the conference title in that event.
Men’s Coach of the Year
GREAT LAKES REGION – Angela Martin – Indiana State
Martin, in her eighth year as Program Director and head coach at Indiana State, led the Sycamores to the team title at the MVC Outdoor Championships with a program-record 221.5 points, winning eight events. Indiana State, which compiled 17 All-Conference honorees, set 18 program top-10 marks this season and had 10 entries to the NCAA DI East First Round.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION – Jason Vigilante – Princeton
Vigilante, in his first year as head coach at Princeton, led the Tigers to the team title at the Ivy League Outdoor Championships with 204.5 points, winning nine events. Princeton sent 20 athletes to the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships, led by Jackson Shorten (10th in the steeplechase) and Casey Helm (12th in the discus).
MIDWEST REGION – Justin St. Clair – Nebraska
St. Clair, in his second year as head coach at Nebraska, led the Cornhuskers to the team title at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, winning two events as the team won by 50 points. Nebraska also tied for 13th at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships and had three First-Team All-Americans and three Second-Team All-Americans.
MOUNTAIN REGION – Lyle Weese – Montana State
Weese, in his sixth year as Director of Track and Field at Montana State, led the Bobcats to the team title at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships, winning six events that included the 4×400 relay that gave them a one-point advantage in the team standings after trailing by five points. Montana State qualified a program-record 23 athletes to the NCAA DI West First Round, advancing three in the steeplechase.
NORTHEAST REGION – Beth Alford-Sullivan – Connecticut
Alford-Sullivan, in her second year as Director of Track & Field at Connecticut, led the Huskies to the team title at the Big East Outdoor Championships with 287.5 points, winning seven events. Connecticut, which had 21 medalists at the Big East Championships, had eight athletes in the NCAA DI East First Round in addition to Diarmuid O’Connor, who earned Second-Team All-American honors in the decathlon.
SOUTH REGION – Mike Holloway – Florida
Holloway, in his 22nd year as head coach at Florida, led the Gators to the team title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships as the program collected 17 First-Team All-American honors, 13 in an event area (sprints/relays) with which he works most directly. Two of his athletes finished top-3 individually at the NCAA DI Championships – Robert Gregory (second in the 200) and Jevaughn Powell (third in the 400). Florida also amassed 12 All-SEC honors.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Pat Henry – Texas A&M
Henry, in his 20th year as head coach at Texas A&M, led the Aggies to a fifth-place team finish at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 31 points. His 4×400 relay team won the national title, recording the fifth-fastest time (2:58.37) in collegiate history. Texas A&M also finished third at the SEC Outdoor Championships, winning two events.
SOUTHEAST REGION – Vin Lananna – Virginia
Lananna, in his fifth year as Director of Track and Field and Cross Country/Associate Athletics Director at Virginia, led the Cavaliers to the team title at the ACC Outdoor Championships, earning 10 medals and with his distance runners scoring 69 of the team’s 107 points. Virginia also finished eighth at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 26 points with eight athletes qualifying in six events.
WEST REGION – Quincy Watts – Southern California
Watts, in his third year as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Southern California, led the Trojans to a third-place team finish at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 33 points. USC also finished second in the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships, winning six events as Johnnie Blockburger (Track Athlete of the Year) and Racquil Broderick (Freshman of the Year) earned individual awards.
Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year
GREAT LAKES REGION – Dave Astrauskas – Wisconsin
Astrauskas, in his 15th year as assistant coach at Wisconsin, coached the Badgers’ throwers to be the only program in the Great Lakes Region with representation in all four throwing events at the NCAA DI West First Round. His leading athlete, Jason Swarens, was runner-up in the shot put at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION – Brandon Rizzo – Penn State
Rizzo, in his second year as assistant coach at Penn State, coached Cheickna Traore to the 200-meter title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also guided the Penn State’s 4×400 relay team, which reached the final of the NCAA DI Championships, to a seasonal best of 3:03.15.
MIDWEST REGION – Brenton Emanuel – Nebraska
Emanuel, in his third year as assistant coach at Nebraska, coached Darius Luff to the 110-meter hurdles title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a program-record 13.19, tying for No. 9 all-time collegiately. He also guided Garrett Kaalund to Second-Team All-America honors in the 200 meters.
MOUNTAIN REGION – Calvin Robinson – Texas Tech
Robinson, in his ninth year as Associate head coach at Texas Tech, coached Caleb Dean to the 400-meter hurdles title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a program-record 47.23, the No. 2 performance in collegiate history. He also guided Oskar Edlund to a fifth-place finish in the 400 hurdles and Texas Tech’s 4×100 relay quad to Second-Team All-America honors.
NORTHEAST REGION – Marc Mangiacotti – Harvard
Mangiacotti, in his 12th year as Associate head coach at Harvard, coached the Crimson’s sprinters, hurdlers and horizontal jumpers to combined for 76.5 points at the Ivy League Outdoor Championships. His athletes led the Northeast Region in three events and won Ivy League titles in the triple jump and 4×100 relay, the latter setting a meet record of 40.07.
SOUTH REGION – Ken Harnden – Auburn
Harnden, in his second year as assistant coach at Auburn, coached the Tigers’ sprinters and hurdlers to account for 36 of the team’s 40 points in finishing second at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. His 4×100 team won Auburn’s first NCAA title in the event, and his athletes set six program records, including the 13.18 by Ja’Kobe Tharp which broke a 46-year-old American U20 record.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Jim Garnham – Texas
Garnham, in his third year as assistant coach at Texas, coached the Longhorns’ Leo Neugebauer to the decathlon title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a collegiate record score of 8961, becoming No. 6 in the world all-time. Neugebauer also recorded a world decathlon best in the discus of 57.70m (189-4) and also qualified for the final in the discus at the NCAA DI Championships.
SOUTHEAST REGION – Kris Grimes – Kentucky
Grimes, in his sixth year as assistant coach at Kentucky, coached Keaton Daniel to the pole vault title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. His athletes – which included First-Team All-American triple jumper Luke Brown – also earned two gold medals and two silver medals at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
WEST REGION – Jeff Petersmeyer – Southern California
Petersmeyer, in his first year as assistant coach at Southern California, coached the Trojans’ jumpers to two top-4 finishes in the long jump at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, with JC Stevenson winning and Johnny Brackins Jr. placing fourth to score 15 of the team’s 33 points in finishing third. His athletes earned three top-2 finishes at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships, including the high jump title by Elias Gerald.
Women’s Track Athlete of the Year
GREAT LAKES REGION – Olivia Markezich – Notre Dame
Markezich, who hails from Woodinville, Washington, finished runner-up in the steeplechase at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Championships in 9:17.36, which was the third fastest mark in collegiate history. Earlier in the season, Markezich won the 5000-meter crown at the ACC Outdoor Championships in a meet-record 15:23.14. Markezich was also named Drake Relays Track Athlete of the Meet after helping Notre Dame win both the DMR and 4×1600 relay.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION – Isabella Whittaker – Penn
Whittaker, who hails from Laurel, Maryland, finished fifth in the 400 meters at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in an Ivy League record of 50.17. Earlier in the season, Whittaker won the 200, 400 and helped the winning 4×100 relay at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships with a school record in the former of 23.18.
MIDWEST REGION – Gabija Galvydyte – Oklahoma State
Galvydyte, who hails from Jonava, Lithuania, finished third in the 800 meters at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2:00.42. That was one of three times this season that Galvydyte went sub-2:01 in the event, including a PR 2:00.11 in the semifinal round.
MOUNTAIN REGION – Rosemary Chukwuma – Texas Tech
Chukwuma, who hails from Ebonyi, Nigeria, finished third in the 100 meters at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 10.90. She also helped Texas Tech’s 4×100 relay team to fifth place. Earlier in the season, Chukwuma won the 100-meter title at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and clocked a windy PR of 10.86 at the NCAA DI West First Round.
NORTHEAST REGION – Maia Ramsden – Harvard
Ramsden, who hails from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, won the 1500-meter title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She was sensational over 1500 meters this season, clocking four all-time top-10 marks, including the second fastest mark in collegiate history of 4:02.58 at the LA Grand Prix. Ramsden doubled up on titles at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships with victories in both the 1500 and 5000 meters.
SOUTH REGION – Parker Valby – Florida
Valby, who hails from Tampa, Florida, doubled up on distance titles at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with victories in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters. Her winning time in the 5000 meters of 14:52.18 set an absolute collegiate record and narrowly missed the Olympic standard by 0.18 seconds. Earlier this season, Valby shattered a 14-year-old collegiate record in the 10,000 meters with her 30:50.43 clocking at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Valby also won the 5000-meter title at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Nickisha Pryce – Arkansas
Pryce, who hails from St. Mary, Jamaica, set a collegiate record in winning the 400 meters at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She traversed one lap of the track at Hayward Field in 48.89 to become the first female collegian to dip below 49 seconds. Pryce returned to the track later to split 49.19 on the third leg on the CR-setting 4×400 relay. Earlier in the season, Pryce won the 400-meter crown at the SEC Outdoor Championships in 49.32, which had made her the third fastest performer in collegiate history at the time.
SOUTHEAST REGION – JaMeesia Ford – South Carolina
Ford, who hails from Fayetteville, North Carolina, earned three First-Team All-America honors at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the 200 meters. It was in the 200 where Ford set a PR of 22.08 to become the seventh fastest performer in collegiate history. Ford also helped South Carolina’s 4×100 and 4×400 relays to top-8 finishes in Eugene, Oregon.
WEST REGION – Jasmine Jones – Southern California
Jones, who hails from Atlanta, Georgia, won the 400-meter hurdles and finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Her winning mark of 53.15 in the 400H moved her up to second in collegiate history and shattered an 11-year-old meet record. Jones set a wind-legal PR in the 100H, too, at 12.64. Earlier in the season, Jones swept the hurdling races at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships.
Women’s Field Athlete of the Year
GREAT LAKES REGION – Jadin O’Brien – Notre Dame
O’Brien, who hails from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, finished runner-up in the heptathlon at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 6234 points. That was a PR for the Notre Dame standout, who had previously posted a best score of 6115 at the Mt. SAC Relays.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION – Chloe Timberg – Rutgers
Timberg, who hails from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, won the pole vault title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a meet-record clearance of 4.71m (15-5½). Earlier in the season, Timberg set a meet record at the Penn Relays with her 4.60m (15-1) topper, and finished runner-up in the event at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
MIDWEST REGION – Rhema Otabor – Nebraska
Otabor, who hails from Nassau, Bahamas, shattered the collegiate record in the javelin en route to winning the title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Nebraska standout launched the javelin 64.19m (210-7) to obliterate a record that stood since 2016. Earlier in the season, Otabor won javelin crowns at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, the Drake Relays and the Jim Click Shootout, among others.
MOUNTAIN REGION – Temitope Adeshina – Texas Tech
Adeshina, who hails from Offa Town, Nigeria, finished third in the high jump at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Texas Tech standout equaled the meet record of 1.97m (6-5½), which was a Nigerian record and a PR. Earlier in the season, Adeshina won the high jump at both the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and the Texas Relays.
NORTHEAST REGION – Milina Wepiwé – Harvard
Wepiwé, who hails from Friedrichsdorf, Germany, earned First-Team All-America honors in the discus at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Earlier in the season, the Harvard standout won the discus title at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships, as well as at four other meets, including the Pepsi Florida Relays.
SOUTH REGION – Elena Kulichenko – Georgia
Kulichenko, who hails from Odintsovo, Russia, tied for the high jump title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Georgia standout equaled the meet record of 1.97m (6-5½) and moved up to fourth on the all-time collegiate chart. Kulichenko won six of the seven meets she contested this season, including a title at the SEC Outdoor Championships.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Ackelia Smith – Texas
Smith, who hails from Clarendon, Jamaica, swept the horizontal jumps at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with collegiate-leading marks of 6.79m (22-3½) in the long jump and 14.52m (47-7¾) in the triple jump. The Texas standout went undefeated in the triple jump this season, including a victory at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.
SOUTHEAST REGION – Jayden Ulrich – Louisville
Ulrich, who hails from East Alton, Illinois, finished top-5 in both the discus and shot put at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Louisville standout particularly stood out in the discus, where she finished runner-up. Earlier in the season, Ulrich won both of those events at the ACC Outdoor Championships and flung the disc 64.29m (210-11) at the Beach PC Invitational to move up to tenth in collegiate history.
WEST REGION – Jaida Ross – Oregon
Ross, who hails from Medford, Oregon, rewrote the record book in the shot put this outdoor season and won the event crown at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Oregon standout notched four of the top-5 marks in collegiate history, including her CR of 20.01m (65-7¾) that she threw at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships – West First Round.
Women’s Coach of the Year
GREAT LAKES REGION – Matt Sparks – Notre Dame
Sparks, in his sixth year as Director of Track & Field at Notre Dame, led the Fighting Irish to a 17th-place team finish at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, highlighted by runner-up finishes in the steeplechase and heptathlon. Notre Dame, which broke six school records this season, also finished third at the ACC Outdoor Championships, winning three events.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION – Steve Dolan – Penn
Dolan, in his 12th year as Director of Track & Field at Penn, led the Quakers to the team title at the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships, winning 10 events. Penn, which set program records in ten events and three all-time Ivy League records in three events this season, had athletes in six events at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, led by the fifth-place finish of Isabella Whittaker in the 400.
MIDWEST REGION – Matt Bingle – Minnesota
Bingle, in his sixth year as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Minnesota, led the Golden Gophers to the team title at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, winning three events with 18 athletes scoring. Minnesota had three finalists at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships and tied for the most freshmen qualifiers with six.
MOUNTAIN REGION – Wes Kittley – Texas Tech
Kittley, in his 25th year as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Texas Tech, led the Red Raiders to a seventh-place team finish at the 2024 DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Texas Tech, which had nine First-Team All-American honors, also placed third in the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, winning four events.
NORTHEAST REGION – Beth Alford-Sullivan – Connecticut
Alford-Sullivan, in her second year as Director of Track & Field at Connecticut, led the Huskies to the team title at the Big East Outdoor Championships with 210.33 points, winning four events. Connecticut, which at 20 medalists and set one program record at the Big East Championships, had eight athletes qualify to the NCAA DI East First Round.
SOUTH REGION – Connie Price-Smith – Ole Miss
Price-Smith, in her ninth year as head coach at Ole Miss, led the Rebels to a program-best fifth-place team finish at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 38 points. Ole Miss, which had eight First-Team All-American honors, won three events with program records at the NCAA DI Championships – the 100, 200 and 4×100.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Chris Johnson – Arkansas
Johnson, in his first year as head coach at Arkansas, led the Razorbacks to the team title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 63 points. Arkansas advanced 17 entries in 14 events to the final site, winning two events with collegiate records – the 400 as Nickisha Pryce (48.89) paced the first 1-2-3-4 sweep in any event in meet history and the 4×400 relay (3:17.96) with the No. 10 performance in world history.
SOUTHEAST REGION – Tim Hall – South Carolina
Hall, in his first year as head coach at South Carolina, led the Gamecocks to a 15th-place team finish at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships – the best by the program since 2019. He guided 10 First-Team All-American recipients, including JaMeesia Ford, who earned three (second in the 200 and as part of the third-place 4×100 and sixth-place 4×400 squads).
WEST REGION – Jerry Schumacher – Oregon
Schumacher, in his second year as head coach at Oregon, led the Ducks to a fourth-place team finish at 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 40.5 points. Oregon, which scored in 10 events at the NCAA DI Championships, also won the team title at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships with 150 points, winning six events in hear Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors.
Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year
GREAT LAKES REGION – Joel Brown – Ohio State
Brown, in his third year as Associate Head Coach at Ohio State, coached the Buckeyes’ sprinters and hurdlers to win three events in scoring 61 of the team’s 115 points at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. His athletes, who added two runner-up finishes at the Big Ten Championships, earned five entries in four sprint events at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION – Chene Townsend – Penn
Townsend, in her fourth year as Associate Head Women’s Track & Field Coach at Penn, coached Quakers’ athletes to win every sprint and hurdle event at the Ivy League Outdoor Championships. Her top pupil, Isabella Whittaker, finished fifth in the 400 at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships and set Ivy League records in the 400 (50.17) as well as part of Penn’s 4×100 (43.74) and 4×400 (3:29.29) squads.
MIDWEST REGION – Peter Miller – Minnesota
Miller, in his 11th year as Associate Head Track and Field Coach at Minnesota, coached the Golden Gophers’ hammer throwers to the No. 3 national #EventSquad ranking. His throwing crew – which set program records in the shot put and discus – was led by Shelby Frank, who placed fourth in the discus and seventh in the hammer at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
MOUNTAIN REGION – Keith Herston – Texas Tech
Herston, in his third year as assistant coach at Texas Tech, coach the Red Raiders’ jumpers to three First-Team All-American honors. His group was led by Temitope Adeshina, who placed third in the high jump at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, equaling the meet record with a clearance of 1.97m (6-5½), tying for No. 4 on the all-time collegiate list.
NORTHEAST REGION – Alex Gibby – Harvard
Gibby, in his seventh year as Associate Head Coach at Harvard, coached Maia Ramsden to the 1500-meter title at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships after earlier running the No. 2 time in collegiate history at 4:02.58. In tandem with coach Kebba Tolbert, he guided Harvard’s distance medley relay team to the Penn Relays title with a Collegiate Record of 10:37.55.
SOUTH REGION – Holland Sherrer – Ole Miss
Sherrer, in his fourth year as assistant coach at Ole Miss, coached the Rebels’ sprinters and hurdlers to score 32 of the team’s 38 points in finishing fifth at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Led by 100/200 champ McKenzie Long, the sprinting crew won three events at the NCAA DI Championships, with the 4×100 squad moving to No. 5 program all-time at 42.22.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION – Brek Christensen – Rice
Christensen, in his 10th year as assistant coach at Rice, coached the Owls’ throwers to score all of Rice’s 14 points at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Those came from a pair throwing PRs – Tara Simpson-Sullivan taking second in the hammer and Mckyla van der Westhuizen placing third in the javelin. Four of his athletes scored in the AAC Outdoor Championships, winning two events.
SOUTHEAST REGION – Cory Martin – Louisville
Martin, in his first year as assistant coach at Louisville, coached the Cardinals’ Jayden Ulrich to a pair of top-4 finishes at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships – runner-up in the discus and fourth in the shot put. Ulrich won both events at the ACC Outdoor Championships and set programs records during the season of 18.66m (61-2¾) and 64.29m (210-11), the latter rating No. 10 all-time collegiately.
WEST REGION – Joanna Hayes – Southern California
Hayes, in her eighth year as assistant coach at Southern California, coached Jasmine Jones to a pair of First-Team All-America honors at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Jones, who won the 400 hurdles in 53.15 (No. 2 all-time collegiately) and was second in the 100 hurdles, was joined on the honor roll by Jalaysiya Smith (First-Team in 100H) and Rae-Anne Serville (Second-Team in 400H).