SPOKANE, Wash. - Whitworth University swept the men's west regional Athletes and Coach of the Year awards for the 2009 Division III indoor track and field season, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced on Wednesday.
The USTFCCCA selects the top track athlete, field athlete, and coach for each of its eight regions in Division III track and field. Toby Schwarz is the regional coach of the year, Cody Stelzer (Jr., The Dalles, Ore.) is the regional field athlete of the year and Emmanuel Bofa (Jr., Puyallup, Wash.) is the regional track athlete of the year. Entering his 13th season as Whitworth’s head coach, Schwarz has the Whitworth Pirates aiming for a strong finish to the 2009 indoor track & field campaign. Schwarz’s student-athletes achieved five qualifying marks this season, and four student-athletes will compete at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. His student-athletes are ranked first in the high jump, second in the 800 meters, and fifth and sixth in the shot put headed into the meet. He has earned this award for the second time. Stelzer leads all competitors in the high jump entering the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. Stelzer twice hit the automatic qualifying mark in the event during the season, with a best height of 6’-10.75" (2.10m) achieved at the Runner’s Soul Open at the University of Idaho on February 7th. With an automatic qualifying mark of 1:52.54, Bofa is the second-ranked competitor in the 800 meters entering the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships. Bofa achieved that mark in a second-place finish at the Vandal Collegiate Invite in Mosco, Idaho on February 21st. All three are currently at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend in Terre Haute, Indiana. |
