Jim VanHootegem was named the National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2025 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field season. VanHootegem, in his second year as assistant coach of sprints, relays and horizontal jumps at South Plains, coached athletes who contributed 59 of the Texans’ 119 in winning the team title at the 2025 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. His top athlete, Denzel Simusialela, swept the 100 and 200 meters and ran the second leg on the winning 4×100 relay.