USTFCCCA Announces Regional Award Winners

Release courtesy of Tom Lewis of the USTFCCCA

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Monday winners of USTFCCCA Region Athletes and Coaches of the Year honors for the 2010 Outdoor Track & Field season in Division II as voted by the division’s coaches. Separate categories are assigned to track athletes and field athletes as well as head coaches and assistant coaches.

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was represented by Grand Valley State University's Candice Wheat and Liz Murphy, and Hillsdale College's Jason Stomps.  Grand Valley State University's Jerry Baltes was named Women's Midwest Region Coach of the Year, while GVSU's Joe Lynn was name Men's Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

Wheat, a senior from Pontiac, Mich., qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 100 hurdles and as part of the Lakers’ 4x400. Wheat clocked 13.68 in the 100 hurdles for the seven seed. Wheat was a GLIAC champ in the 100 hurdles and as part of her 4x100 and 4x400 teams. Wheat’s 11.93 time in the 100 finished the season as one of the top 25 in the country.

Murphy, a freshman from Washington, Mich., leads the country in the hammer throw heading into the NCAA meet with a season’s best of 197-10 (60.29m). The 197-10 was achieved in winning the GLIAC title as places her seventh all-time in Division II history.

Stomps, a senior from Macomb, Mich., won the GLIAC hammer throw with a personal best of 217-10 (66.39m), a mark that stands as the second best in the nation this year.

Baltes, in his 11^th year at Grand Valley State, led the Lakers to the GLIAC title with a conference-record 291 points. Ranked No. 3 in the country heading into the NCAA Championships, the Lakers will have a championship-high 25 entries at the national meet and leads the field with nine entries in distance events and seven in throwing events.

Lynn, in his fourth year at Grand Valley State, led his distance athletes to 88 points in helping the Lakers to a GLIAC title. The Lakers swept the top three spots in the steeplechase and the 1-2-5-6 spots in the 5000 at the league meet. Lynn’s distance crew accounts for three of the Lakers’ entries for the NCAA Championships, two of which are in the steeplechase.