National Athletes of the Year Announced for NCAA Division II Outdoor T&F

NEW ORLEANS – Following the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships this past weekend in Bradenton, Florida, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Thursday this season’s National Athletes of the Year.

Burkheart Ellis, Jr., of Saint Augustine’s and Emily Oren of Hillsdale were named the Men’s and Women’s Track Athletes of the Year, respectively.

Garrett Appier of Pittsburg State and Heavin Warner of Central Missouri were honored as Men’s and Women’s Field Athletes of the Year, respectively.

The winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches.

Read more about all four honorees below.

MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

BURKHEART ELLIS JR — SAINT AUGUSTINE’S
Eliis, a senior from Raleigh, North Carolina, won the NCAA Division II title at 200 meters in 20.48 and finished runner-up over 100 meters in 10.17. He also ran a leg of the national champion 4×100 relay team. During the regular season he was the top-ranked athlete at 200 meters with a time of 20.36 and fourth in the 100 meters with a wind-aided time of 10.25.

WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

EMILY OREN — HILLSDALE

Oren, a senior from Holland, Michigan, was the overall high-point scorer of the NCAA Division II Championships, tallying 26 points. She earned a pair of national titles in the steeplechase (10:06.75) and the 1500 (4:20.61), and finished third at 5000 meters in 16:37.41. During the regular season, she set a DII record in the steeplechase at 9:50.54. She also posted strong marks in the 1500 (4:21.69) and the 5000 (16:22.93), in which she is ranked second and eighth nationally, respectively.

MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

GARRETT APPIER — PITTSBURG STATE

Appier, a senior from Paola, Kansas, won the NCAA DII national title in the shot put with a Championships record heave of 20.37. With a 20.79m (68-2½) mark during the regular season, he owns the overall DII record and each of the top-10 farthest throws in DII history. He currently leads all collegians on the 2016 descending order list in the shot put.

WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

HEAVIN WARNER — CENTRAL MISSOURI

Warner, a senior from St. Joseph, Missouri, was the highest field-event scorer of the NCAA DII Championships. With 22 points She broke her own all-time DII hammer throw record with a mark of 69.33m to go along with a pair of third-place finishes in the shot put at 16.24m and in the discus at 52.38m. During the regular season she was ranked first in DII in the hammer throw (67.04m/219-11), second in the discus (55.00m/180-5) and third in the shot put (15.82m/51-11).