NEW ORLEANS, La. - Hours removed from an all-region nod, senior
Emma Kelley, of the No. 2 Washington University in St. Louis women's track and field team, secured another accolade as she was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Midwest Region track athlete of the year. Additionally, head coach
Jeff Stiles earned the Midwest Region women's coach of the year, as announced by the USTFCCCA Wednesday, March 6.
Each of the ten regions – East, Great Lakes, Metro, Mid-Atlantic, Mideast, Midwest, Niagara, North, South, West – honored both genders' top track athletes and field athletes as well as the top men's and women's head coaches and assistant coaches.
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
Kelley, who has twice been named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week, along with being named the University Athletic Association Track Athlete of the Week four times this season, adds another impressive accolade to her resume with her region track athlete of the year award. Information regarding Kelley's USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week awards can be found
here and
here.
Individually, Kelley holds two top-two marks in all of NCAA Division III this season. Kelley owns the fastest 800-meter time this season, with a banked track adjusted mark of 2:05.34. The time is the fourth-fastest mark in Division III history. Kelley also sits second in NCAA Division III with her banked track adjusted 400-meter mark of 55.29.
Stiles, who led WashU to its fifth-straight UAA Indoor Championship title just a few weeks ago, earned the Midwest Region Women's Coach of th Year award. The Bears secured seven UAA indoor event titles to propel the program to a first-place finish.
This season, Stiles guided WashU to the No. 1 ranking, per the USTFCCCA, for the first six weeks of the season. Heading into the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, the Bears are currently ranked second.
Kelley and the Bears are set to compete in the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships this weekend, Friday-Saturday, March 8-9. The two-day championships are slated to be held inside of the Virginia Beach Sports Complex in Virginia Beach, Va.
