Kassie Parker was named the National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year. This is almost a coronation for Parker, who hails from Guttenberg, Iowa, as she put together one of the finest seasons ever seen by an NCAA Division III athlete. You can start at the 2022 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, where Parker scored 22 points for the champion Duhawks with a distance double and toting the baton on the runner-up distance medley relay (Parker set a meet record in the 5000 meters of 16:15.06 and moved up to No. 2 on the all-time, record-legal chart). But rewind to the regular season and you’ll see that Parker became the first woman in NCAA DIII history to crack the 16-minute barrier in the 5000, regardless of track size, with her 15:58.88 effort at the Iowa State Classic. One week earlier at the Meyo Invitational, Parker turned 3000 meters in 9:13.10 for one of the fastest efforts in NCAA DIII history, regardless of track size.