Yakob Ekoue was named the National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year for the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field season. Ekoue, who hails from Hopkins, Minnesota, scored 24 points in field events at the 2023 NCAA DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Rochester, New York. He won the shot put, finished runner-up in the discus and took third in the hammer – the latter two with PR marks. Ekoue showed a flair for scoring more than 20 points at a single meet earlier in the postseason when he amassed 28 at the WIAC Outdoor Championships with victories in both the discus and shot put, in addition to a runner-up effort in the hammer. He ended the regular season ranked second nationally in both the discus and shot put.