CCAA Announces Individual Track & Field Award Winners
WALNUT CREEK — After a vote by the league coaches, the 2015 California Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s and women’s track and field individual award winners have been determined, it was announced by the Conference office Tuesday afternoon.
On the women’s side, It was a draw for this year’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year with Humboldt State’s Kate Earle and Chico State’s Olivia Watt both being honored. Chico State’s Alex Burkhart and Marina Barrios were named the Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, respectively, while the Wildcats’ head coach Robert Nooney earned his second-straight Coach of the Year award.
Earle recorded four provisionals this spring, three of which were set at the CCAA Championships earlier this month. Her marks in the 100-meter hurdles (14.22) and high jump (5’ 6.5”) also broke the previous program records of 14.42 seconds and 5’ 5.4”, respectively. Watt headed to the Conference Championships knowing she had already secured a spot at the National Championships in the 1500-meter run after automatically qualifying mid-April with a time of 4:23.88 at the Long Beach State-hosted Beach Invitational. At the CCAA meet, Watt finished first in the 1500-meters and second in the 800-meters, while also helping the Wildcats’ 4x400-meter relay team to a second-place finish.
Burkhart had an outstanding rookie season, highlighted by her titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 5000-meters at the CCAA Championships in San Francisco. She hit provisional qualifying marks in both events, and with her time of 10:30.08 in the 3000-meter steeplechase broke meet record of 11:07.01. Prior to CCAA competition, Burkhart had automatically qualified in the steeplechase for the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships with her mark of 10:27.26.
Barrios scored a whopping 18.5 points at the CCAA Championships with the help a second-place finish (25.07) in the 200-meter dash and a third place finish (12.27) in the 100-meter dash. She also contributed to the Wildcats 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay teams.
Nooney was named the Wildcats’ women’s track and field coach is wrapping up his second year with the program and has now earned Coach of the Year twice, this time after guiding his team to a sixth-consecutive CCAA team title.
For the men, Gregory Veals snagged the Athlete of the Year award. UC San Diego’s Matt Bowen was selected the Freshman of the Year, while Chico State’s Phill Bailey was named this year’s Newcomer of the Year. Tritons’ Tony Salerno received his first-ever Coach of the Year nod.
Veals repeated as the conference’s 100-meter and 200-meter champion to earn the top honor for the third straight year, as well as this year’s CCAA Track Athlete of the Meet award. This season marked his second-consecutive 100-meter title and his third-consecutive title in the 200. His time of 10.38 in the 100 places him at ninth in the nation, while he is currently 15th among all Division II runners in the 200 and 400-meters. Veals is also a member of the Golden Eagles’ 4x100-meter relay team, which finished second at the CCAA Championships.
Bowen was selected unanimously as this season’s top freshman. The Fresno product hit provisionals in both the triple jump and long jump this season, with his triple jump mark of 15.35-meters ranking fourth among all Division II jumpers. In addition to his first-place finish in the triple jump at the CCAA Championships, Bowen also finished third in the long jump with a season best mark of 23 feet, 11.75 inches.
A Riverside Community College transfer, Bailey is among the top division II athletes in the nation, currently the fourth-ranked decathlete with 7,251 points, which automatically qualifies him for the upcoming NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Mich. He has recorded provisionals in three other events — pole vault, long jump, and 110-meter hurdles — with his mark of 23’11.75 in the long jump and 14.57 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles recorded at the CCAA Championships meet in San Francisco earlier this month. He also had stellar showings in the 200-meters, 4x100-meter relay, and 4x400-meter relay to help the Wildcats to a second place team finish.
In his 16th season as the Tritons’ men’s track and field head coach Tony Salerno led the men’s program in capturing their first-ever CCAA Championship banner, in turn dethroning the 11-time defending CCAA Champion Chico State.