ROCHESTER, N.Y. - After posting a pair of University Athletic Association outdoor track and field individual titles and securing the program's seventh straight UAA Outdoor Championship, the top-ranked Washington University in St. Louis women's track and field team highlighted the league's 2024 outdoor awards. Following two league titles, and for the first time in her career, senior Emma Kelley was named the most outstanding running performer. Additionally, head coach Jeff Stiles and staff were named the women's coaching staff of the year, as announced by the league on Tuesday, May 7.
As a team, the Bears won the championship with 249.5 points.
Kelley, who posted two league titles, won the 400-meter and the 800-meter events.
Kelley set new stadium and UAA records in both of her wins. In the 400, Kelley won with a time of 54.54 to break the previous stadium (54.91) and UAA (55.71) records. In the 800-meter, Kelley claimed the victory with a mark of 2:08.49, which broke the previous stadium (2:09.93) and UAA (2:09.93) records.
Kelley, who is having a historic season, currently ranks in the top-two in all of Division III this season in four outdoor events.
Kelley owns the fastest 400-meter mark in Division III with her time of 54.18. The next fastest 400-meter time in Division III currently sits at 55.07.
Furthermore, Kelley ranks first in Division III in the 800-meter with a mark of 2:02.70. Kelley is almost four seconds clear of the rest of the pack as the next fastest time is 2:06.65.
Kelley and the 4 x 400 relay team are sitting atop the division with the team's time of 3:46.13.
Kelley owns the second-fastest 1,500-meter run in Division III with her time of 4:22.76.
For the seventh straight season, head coach Jeff Stiles and staff has been named coaching staff of the year. This season, Stiles, along with associate head coach Ray Williams, and assistants Tommy Davis, Gordon Reiter, Lane Lohr, Nick Kolesky, Kyle Laker,
Richard Lincoff,
Konstadina Spanoudakis took home the award for the 2024 outdoor season.
The last time Stiles and staff did record the coaching staff of the year award was in 2015 (no coaching staff was given the award in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19).
In Stiles' 16 seasons as the track and field coach, he has earned the outdoor coaching staff of the year award nine times.
WashU won eight event titles and set numerous stadium and UAA records at the 2024 UAA Outdoor Championships.
Kelley and the Bears will head to Joliet, Ill. for the two-day last chance meet, Friday-Saturday, May 10-11. University of St. Francis is set to host the meet. The 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships are scheduled for Thursday-Friday, May 23-25 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
