June 2, 2009
(release courtesy of Keith Nunez, USTFCCCA Communications Manager)

NEW ORLEANS . . . The Wartburg women and the Wisconsin Oshkosh men both picked up NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championship titles in May and as a result, their head coaches, Marcus Newsom of Wartburg and John Zupanc of Oshkosh, each received the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s highest honor Tuesday, the National Men’s and Women’s Head Coach of the Year.

Newsom guided his women’s team to Wartburg’s second outdoor national title, and first since 2005. The Knights scored all of their 52 points on Saturday, May 23 to take home the team title. This was the second national championship this year for Wartburg which won the 2009 indoor team title. Wartburg picked up 14 USTFCCCA All-American honors during the three-day event.

Zupanc, the USTFCCCA Women’s Division III National Outdoor Track and Field Head Coach of the Year, helped lead his Titans to their first overall national title in outdoor track and field. Zupanc’s Titans scored 46 points at the meet to take down the defending champs from 2008. Oshkosh earned ten USTFCCCA All-American honors at the championships and were led by national champions William Kaul in the 10,000 meters and Tony Baker in the Discus.

Joining Newsome and Zupanc were Travis Erickson, USTFCCCA Women’s Division III National Outdoor Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year; Tim Springfield, Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year; Sumer Rohrs, Women’s Track Athlete of the Year; Peter Kosgei, Men’s Track Athlete of the Year; Ashley Huston, Women’s Field Athlete of the Year; and Josh Lovell, Men’s Field Athlete of the Year.

The 2009 USTFCCCA Division III National Outdoor Track and Field Athletes and Coaches of the Year:

WOMEN

Track Athlete of the Year – Sumer Rohrs – Frostburg State University
Rohrs, the USTFCCCA Mideast Region Athlete of the Year, won the 400 meter hurdles and 100 meter hurdles. She ran 60.05 in the 400 meter hurdles, and 13.77 in the 100 meter hurdles. Her 100 hurdle time was the fourth fastest time run in Division III history, and her 400 hurdle time was the tenth fastest time ever recorded in Division III.

Field Athlete of the Year – Ashley Huston – Hardin-Simmons University
Huston, a senior from Buffalo Gap, Texas, won both the heptathlon and high jump at the national meet. Her score in the heptathlon was 5,244 points, the second highest total in Division III history. Huston was also seventh in the long jump at the national meet

Assistant Coach of the Year – Travis Erickson – University of Wisconsin La Crosse
Erickson, who primarily coaches the jumps, had three athletes earn five USTFCCCA All-American honors, including a one-two-four finish in the long jump. Caitlin Schetter was the national champ in the long jump, and finished sixth in the triple. Katie Fondow finished second in both the long and triple jumps, while Ashton May finished fourth in the long jump.

Head Coach of the Year – Marcus Newsom – Wartburg College
Newsom led his Knights to their second Division III Outdoor National Title winning the meet with 52 points. The title was the first outdoor title for Wartburg since its 2005 national title. Wartburg’s athletes collected 14 USTFCCCA All-American honors and came away with three first-place finishes at the national meet.

MEN

Track Athlete of the Year – Peter Kosgei – Hamilton College
Kosgei qualified in four events for the championships but only ran in two events, winning both the 3,000 meter Steeplechase and the 5,000 meters. He had the fastest time in both events heading in to the championship meet.

Field Athlete of the Year – Josh Lovell – Linfield College
Lovell won the men’s decathlon with 7,080 points. He became Linfield’s first national champion in track and field in eight years and broke his own school record in the decathlon which is second on the all-time Linfield list.

Assistant Coach of the Year – Tim Springfield – University of St. Thomas
In his 12th year at St. Thomas, Springfield led the Tommies’ middle distance crew to new heights in 2009. Springfield-coached student-athletes earned two USTFCCCA All-American honors at the national meet. In 2009 his athletes broke four school records, achieved seven NCAA provisional or automatic qualifying marks, and scored 93 points at the MIAC championships during the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons.

Head Coach of the Year – John Zupanc – University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Zupanc led his Titans to their first overall Division III Outdoor National Track and Field title winning the championship with 46 team points. Oshkosh had two athletes win national championships in the discus and 10,000 meters. The Titans had also recorded a share of the team title during the indoor national championship back in March.

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