Thursday, June 6, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – For the second year in a row, Alaska Anchorage senior Caroline Kurgat is a finalist for one of the most prestigious honors in college sports.

The four-time national champion in indoor and outdoor track and field was named Thursday as the track and field finalist for the 2019 Division II Honda Athlete of the Year, presented by The Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards. One of 11 finalists, the award will be announced during a live telecast on June 24 in Los Angeles.

Last year, Kurgat emerged from the 11-finalist field to be named the winner of the overall Division II Honda Athlete of the Year.

The award is the latest honor in another banner season for Kurgat. Having set three Division II all-time bests this season and won two national titles each indoors and outdoors, Kurgat was named the GNAC Female Athlete of the Year and the USTFCCCA Division II West Region Female Track Athlete of the Year in both indoor and outdoor track and field. She was the Female Track Athlete of the Meet for both the GNAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, Kurgat was a seven-time USTFCCCA All-West Region selection.

Kurgat opened the indoor season by running a Division II all-time best of 9:07.05 in the 3,000 meters and placed third in a field that was loaded with professionals and Division I athletes. Two weeks later, on the same Dempsey Indoor track, Kurgat ran 15:28.46 in the 5,000 meters at the UW Invitational to establish another Division II all-time best.

Kurgat won GNAC indoor titles in the mile and 3,000 meters and also ran the anchor leg on Alaska Anchorage’s distance medley relay team, whose GNAC-record winning time of 11:23.47 is the fifth-fastest time in Division II history. Kurgat cruised to national titles in the 3,000 meters (9:14.45) and the 5,000 meters (16:06.37) at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships and ran the anchor on the national runner-up DMR.

Kurgat proceeded to set the Division II outdoor record in the 10,000 meters at her first meet of the outdoor season, the Stanford Invitational. Finishing fifth in a field again dominated by pros and Division I athletes, her time of 32:08.09 bettered the previous Division II record by 20 seconds. Two weeks later at the Bryan Clay Invitational, Kurgat leveraged another talented field to run 15:40.45 in the 5,000 meters. That time ranks No. 3 in Division II history.

At the GNAC Outdoor Championships, Kurgat completed a sweep of the 1,500 meters (4:23.02), 5,000 meters (16:35.10) and 10,000 meters (38:03.64), setting the meet record in the 1,500 meters in the process. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Kurgat easily completed the repeat as national champion in both the 5,000 meters (17:10.10) and the 10,000 meters (36:34.31).

The Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 43 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.1 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.

Joining Kurgat as finalists for the Division II award is Kole Pollock of Adelphi (lacrosse), Julia Seader of LIU Post (softball), Pilar Echeverria of Indianapolis (golf), Polina Lapshina of Queens (N.C.) (swimming), Hailey Diestlekamp of Drury (basketball), Kaitlin Hatch of West Chester (field hockey), Maegen Doyle of Bridgeport (soccer), Sarah Berger of Grand Valley State (cross country) and Taylor Reiss of Southwest Minnesota State (volleyball).