Friday, May 31, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. – One of the top women’s distance runners in Division II history and one of the conference’s most dynamic throwers lead selections for the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Special Awards.
Alaska Anchorage senior and two-time national championship Caroline Kurgat was named the Women’s Athlete of the Year while Northwest Nazarene senior Jake Knight was voted by coaches as the Men’s Athlete of the Year.
Saint Martin’s swept the Freshman of the Year awards with jumper Keshara Romain earning the women’s award and high jumper Tyler Cronk picking up the men’s award. Alaska Anchorage junior Wesley Kirui was honored as the Men’s Newcomer of the Year.
In a repeat of the voting results from the indoor season, Western Washington’s Pee Wee Halsell was named the Men’s Coach of the Year and Seattle Pacific’s Karl Lerum was selected as the Women’s Coach of the Year.
The Women’s Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year, Kurgat was once again unstoppable in the distance disciplines. She repeated as the national champion in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at last week’s Division II Championships and completed a sweep of the 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Kurgat set the meet record in the 5,000 meters and was named the Female Track Athlete of the Meet.
Kurgat set the NCAA Division II record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 32:08.09 against a field of professional and Division I athletes at the Stanford Invitational. The time continues to rank No. 3 across all college divisions and No. 30 in the world according to the IAAF. She also ranks No. 3 in Division II history in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:40.45 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The remarkable season also earned Kurgat selection as the USTFCCCA Division II Female Track Athlete of the Year.
Knight had not competed in track and field since throwing for Division I Auburn back in 2015, but the rust came off quickly. The senior proceeded to set the GNAC record in the discus at 183 feet and the No. 2 mark in conference history in the shot put at 60 feet, 0.25 inches. Knight won both events at the GNAC Outdoor Championships and set a meet record in the discus at 182 feet, 10 inches, and was named the Male Field Athlete of the Meet.
Finishing in the Division II top-10 in both events (No. 7 in the discus, No. 10 in the shot put), Knight competed in both events at the NCAA Division II Championships. He earned All-American honors in the discus, placing fifth with a throw of 181 feet, 11 inches.
Romain was the runner-up in the triple jump at the GNAC Outdoor Championships with her best of 40 feet, 2 inches, which ranks No. 4 on the GNAC All-Time List. She also placed seventh in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 1.75 inches. Romain qualified for the NCAA Championships in the triple jump and finished 14th with a mark of 39 feet, 10.5 inches.
Cronk established himself as one of the Division II leaders in the high jump early on, leaping a season-best 7 feet, 0.5 inches at the Doris Heritage Track Festival in March. That mark finished at No. 3 in Division II this season and No. 2 on the GNAC All-Time List. Cronk went on to finish second in the high jump and seventh in the long jump at the GNAC Outdoor Championships and finished 10th at the NCAA Championships with a leap of 6 feet, 8.25 inches.
After transferring from Division I Hampton, where he was an All-American in the steeplechase, Kirui proceeded to repeat the feat in his first season as a Division II athlete. Despite not competing until late in the season, Kirui proceeded to automatically qualify for nationals in the steeplechase with a time of 8:52.35 at the West Coast Invitational. He ran that race a day after winning the GNAC championship in the event in 9:03.95, his first steeplechase of the season. Kirui placed third at the national meet in 8:56.33, earning All-American honors.
Halsell earned his second Coach of the Year honor of the season after earning the indoor award back in March. Halsell led the Vikings to a convincing team victory at the GNAC Championships with his team’s 173 points providing a 51-point cushion over second-place Central Washington. Halsell and his staff produced conference champions in Cordell Cummings in the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles, Seren Dances in the long jump and the 4x400-meter relay team. This is the seventh outdoor Coach of the Year award in Halsell’s career.
Lerum repeats as the Women’s Coach of the Year and was also named the Indoor Coach of the Year. In earning his ninth outdoor award, Lerum saw the Falcons edge out Central Washington for the team championship with 166 points. The team title was buoyed by individual victories by Grace Bley in the 200 meters, Scout Cai in the pole vault and a record win for the 4x100-meter relay team. Four SPU athletes were invited to the NCAA Championships, with Cai earning All-American honors in the heptathlon and Kate Lilly earning All-American honors in the 5,000 meters.