Award History
NCAA DIII OTF National Awards2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Awards
NEW ORLEANS – National Athletes & Coaches of the Year for the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field season were announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches following the 2025 NCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Geneva, Ohio. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year
Paul Conlin was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Assistant Coach of the Year. Conlin, in his 29th year as assistant coach at UW-Eau Claire, coached the Blugolds’ throwers to combine for 36 of the team’s 56 points in finishing second at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships. His athletes earned national individual titles in the shot put (Adam Strouf) and discus (Yakob Ekoue), in addition to four other All-America performances. Conlin-coached athletes also amassed 65 points at the WIAC Championships.
National Women's Coach of the Year
Julia Heyde was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Coach of the Year. Heyde, in her second year as Director of Track & Field and Cross County at MIT, led the Engineers to their first-ever team title at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships, scoring 56 points with Alexis Boykin contributing 22. MIT also won the team title at the NEWMAC Championships, winning 11 events.
National Men's Coach of the Year
Josh Buchholtz was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Coach of the Year. Buchholtz, in his 17th year as Head Coach at UW-La Crosse, led the Eagles to the team title at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships as they scored 84 points, the most by a winning team since 2007. UW-La Crosse athletes won four events, led by the 100/200 double by Sam Blaskowski, who was also a member of the meet record-setting 4×100 relay team. The Eagles also won the team title at the WIAC Championships, winning eight events.
National Women's Field Athlete of the Year
Alexis Boykin was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Field Athlete of the Year. Boykin, who hails from Clayton, Ohio, capped a sensational year with a record-breaking performance at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships. It was in Geneva, Ohio, where Boykin shattered a 19-year-old NCAA DIII record in the shot put with her 16.80m (55-1½) PR. Boykin also finished third in both the discus and hammer in the Buckeye State. All together, Boykin won 11 event titles in meets this season, including a near undefeated season in the shot put.
National Men's Field Athlete of the Year
Yakob Ekoue was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Field Athlete of the Year. Ekoue, who hails from Hopkins, Minnesota, scored 22 points in throwing events at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships. He won the discus and placed third in both the hammer and shot. Ekoue was especially dominating in the discus, where he won the NCAA title by more than six meters and set a faciilty record. Earlier in the season, Ekoue put up 26 points in those same events at the WIAC Championships, winning the discus and taking runner-up honors in both the hammer and shot.
National Women's Track Athlete of the Year
Lauren Jarrett was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Track Athlete of the Year. Jarrett, who hails from La Crosse, Wisconsin, dazzled at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships, winning the 100 meters, 200 meters, and toting the baton on the winning 4×100 relay that set an NCAA DIII record of 45.20. The UW-La Crosse standout equaled the meet record in the 200 meters of 23.44 and moved up to No. 2 on the NCAA DIII all-time chart. Earlier in the season, Jarrett took down the NCAA DIII record in the 100 meters with her 11.23 winning effort at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.
National Men's Track Athlete of the Year
Sam Blaskowski was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field National Track Athlete of the Year. Blaskowski, who hails from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, rewrote the NCAA DIII record book in the 100 meters, 200 meters and as part of UW-La Crosse’s 4×100 relay. The UW-La Crosse star ended the season with five of the top-ten fastest marks in NCAA DIII history in the 100 meters (including the top time of 10.05), four of the top-ten fastest marks in the 200 meters (including the No. 2 time of 20.33) and helped the Eagles better their own record in the 4×100 relay. He scored 22.5 points at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships with victories in both the 100 and 200, as well as a tote on the winning and meet record-setting 4×100 relay.
National Women's Assistant Coach of the Year
Todd Linder was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National Assistant Coach of the Year. Linder, in his 12th year as throws coach at MIT, coached three athletes to a combined five All-America honors at the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championships: Alexis Boykin (three), Emily Ball (discus) and Elaine Wang (javelin). Boykin was Linder’s prized pupil this season, as she won an NCAA title in the shot put with an NCAA DIII record throw of 16.80m (55-1½) and finished third in both the discus and hammer in the Buckeye State. Linden-coached athletes scored 91 of MIT’s 278 points at the NEWMAC Championships.