USTFCCCA Rankings and Awards

From left to right: MSU Mankato's Jerrell Hancock, Mark Shuck, Chris Reed,
and Kevin Sanger

MSU Mankato's Jerrell Hancock, a junior from Anoka, was named the Central Region male Athlete of the Year by USTFCCCA.  Hancock  won the NSIC titles in the 100 and 200 meters in conference-record times of 10.32 and 20.49, respectively. He ranks as first among DII athletes this season in the 200 and seventh in the 100. He is only the third athlete in DII since the turn of the century to go under 20.50. He also is a member of the squad’s NCAA-qualifying 4×100 relay team.

Minnesota State Mankato's Mark Shuck was named USTFCCCA Central Region men's Coach of the Year. Schuck’s athletes won the NSIC title with 166 points, and enters the NCAA meet as the sixth ranked team in the nation with ten event entries. His team notched three conference records and seven school records this season. Schuck is in his 37th year at the school.

MSU Mankato's Chris Reed was selected USTFCCCA Central Region men's Field Athlete of the Year. The junior from Omaha, NB enters the NCAA Championships as the second seed in the shot put and was the winner of the NSIC title in the event with a season’s best toss of 62'3.25"(18.98m). He is entered in three events for the NCAA DII Championships: the shot, discus, and hammer throw. 

MSU Mankato's Kevin Sanger was designated as USTFCCCA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Sanger coached throwers Chris Reed (shot) and Grant Luer (discus) to the NCAA Championships. Reed broke the NSIC record in the shot with a season’s best of 62'3.25"(18.98m). Sanger is in his second year at the school.

U-Mary coach Mike Thorson is the USTFCCCA Central Region women's Coach of the Year. In his 20th season at U-Mary, Thorson led the team to its second straight NSIC outdoor title and fifth in seven years. Trailing by 35 points after day one, the Marauders scored 165 points on day two. In a conference meet featuring four ranked teams, U-Mary won eight titles and captured the league title by 42 points. Nine Marauders have posted NCAA qualifying marks this season.

U-Mary's Melissa Agnew,  a senior from Onamia, MN,  was awarded the USTFCCCA Central Region women's Athlete of the Year.  Agnew is the division’s lone automatic qualifier in the 1500 meters. Her time of 4:22.59 is first among DII women by 2.29 seconds. Agnew won at 1500 and 800 meters at the Northern Sun Championships to lead her team to a second straight conference crown. She was named the NSIC Outdoor Athlete of the Year for a second straight season.

In the final USTFCCCA NCAA DI rankings, the Gopher men held their spot at 39th.  DI rankings are HERE.

MSU Mankato remained ranked sixth in the DII men's rankings, and U-Mary dropped three spots to 18th in the women's list.  DII rankings are HERE

St. Thomas' women's team rose three spots to 13th in the DIII rankings, which are HERE..