TSR Collaboration
Mar 2123 min
Written by Marissa Kuik, Josh Beam & Nolan Ryan, votes via TSR NAIA staff
Additional edits & commentary by Garrett Zatlin
Welcome back to a trimestrial classic, our End of Season Awards!
Below, we listed our five seasonal awards for the men and five seasonal awards for the women, all for the NAIA level. These awards are a way to highlight the accomplishments of certain individuals from the entirety of the indoor track season. You'll also find our criteria for each of these awards as we list our nominees.
In the second-half of this article, you'll find the votes from our TSR contributors (click that link if you want to skip all of the summary parts).
Let's begin...
*Athletes who hold freshman status stemming from any type of eligibility extension (not including missions) are not considered for this award. International freshmen are included amongst these nominees unless we have reason to believe that they do not meet our criteria. Performances past 3/2 are not considered.
Nominees: Tristan Trevino (Marian (IN)), Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY)), Youssef Asslouj (Cumberlands (KY)), Dennis Kipkurui (Cumberlands (KY)), Mehdi Nait Hamoud (Madonna)
Tristan Trevino (Marian (IN))
Marian has historically produced some of the best middle distance talents in the NAIA. That trend did not stop when they added Tristan Trevino to their squad. Trevino had a great rookie campaign, running personal bests of 2:25 (1k) and 4:11 (mile). His 2:25 performance garnered him All-American honors and a 4th-place finish over 1000 meters, a fantastic result for a freshman in a year where the middle distances were plenty crowded. He will not be a surprise anymore moving forward.
Youssef Asslouj (Cumberlands (KY))
Youssef Asslouj isn’t your typical freshman given that he's 22 years old (according to his World Athletics profile). Regardless, he made a big statement in his first season within the United States. Winning a national title as a freshman more than justifies you as being worthy of nomination for this category. Asslouj did, after all, double back at the NAIA Indoor Championships after his 3k to run on the anchor leg for the Patriots' runner-up DMR squad. With two top-five marks, nationally, in the 3k and 5k this past winter, Asslouj will very clearly be a major force for years to come.
Dennis Kipkurui (Cumberlands (KY))
It is hard to nominate someone for an award who has only run three meets in a season, one of which was the national meet. That being said, when one of those meets give you the fastest mark in the country (for that respective event), then you must recognize it. Dennis Kipkurui ran 14:09 (5k) in his first race in a Cumberlands jersey and that time held up all year as the fastest mark this season. The 28:25 (10k) runner is going to make some noise later this outdoor track season.
Mehdi Nait Hamoud (Madonna)
The Algerian freshman had a standout season for Madonna! Running 4:08 in the mile was good enough for a 3rd place finish on the national stage, making a statement for the future of this freshman. Being 24 years old, Hamoud came in with plenty of experience, which played a pivotal role in his national performance. But when it comes to his raw fitness, adding that 4:08 mile PR to his shiny personal best of 1:50 (800) makes the recipe for the right pieces to post a fast 1500-meter effort come the outdoor track season.
Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY))
Luca Santorum could win three different awards in this one article alone -- and that makes sense. He tore up the NAIA distance scene this past winter, running 4:01 in the mile paired with a 2:22 (1k) NAIA record. Santorum pulled off a national meet record in the 1k and may be the next big thing to put the NAIA on the map in the running world moving forward. To think that he may be around for three-and-a-half-ish more years is scary...
*Athletes who hold freshman status stemming from any type of eligibility extension (not including missions) are not considered for this award. International freshmen are included amongst these nominees unless we have reason to believe that they do not meet our criteria. Performances past 3/2 are not considered.
Nominees: Alina Boshchuk (Cumberlands), Emeline Delaville (Life), Maria Tirado (William Carey), Cera Eckenroth (John Brown), Hasnae Goulamzi (Texas Wesleyan)
Alina Boshchuk (Cumberlands (KY))
Alina Boshchuk finished 9th at the NAIA XC Championships back in November. That effort put everybody on notice that she would be someone challenging to deal with for a while. You never know if that will translate to the track, but one thing is for sure: It did for Boshchuk. She had blistering personal bests of 16:58 (5k) and 9:56 (3k) which were then complimented with a runner-up finish in the 5k at the NAIA Indoor Championships. Alina showed consistency throughout the winter months which makes us believe that she will be in many articles for the foreseeable future.
Emeline Delaville (Life)
Emeline Delaville may be one of the biggest surprises this indoor track season! She improved each week, saving the best for last, winning the 800-meter national title. Running 2:20, 2:15, 2:13 and 2:12 efforts over the half-mile distance (in that specific order) shows the phenomenal progression and the strong season for this freshman. Running a 1k in sub-3:00 this winter shows us that she may dabble with the 1500 meters, but time will tell. This rookie has excellent range, boasting a personal best of 56 seconds in the open 400 meters which makes her a threat yet again on the outdoor oval.
Maria Tirado (William Carey)
Maria Tirado is in the running for the "next big thing" in the NAIA scene for middle distance women. Running 2:12 (800) at the NAIA Indoor Championships was a seasonal best and good enough for a runner-up silver medal effort. Tirado finished behind Delaville, also nominated for the top freshman on this list, foreshadowing decisive battles for years to come. Tirado boasts a personal best of 2:08 (via her World Athletics profile) which shows us that we may not have seen her in her final form just yet.
Cera Eckenroth (John Brown)
Cera Eckenroth finished 28th at the NAIA XC Championships, making her one of the top freshmen during the fall months. She used the momentum right into track season, qualifying for the national meet in multiple events. Cera ultimately doubled down and tried running the brutal double of the mile and the 5k at the national meet. She finished 9th in the mile and later placed 8th in the 5k, her second All-American finish in as many seasons. She may have been a victim of the demanding NAIA national meet schedule, but the experience should pay off in the future.
Hasnae Goulamzi (Texas Wesleyan)
The fellow Moroccan in Hasnae Goulamzi had a fantastic winter season, ultimately walking away with seasonal bests of 17:28 (5k) and 10:16 (3k). Finishing 10th place in the 5k was probably not what the Texas Wesleyan freshman envisioned, but it doesn’t take away the terrific season that Goulamzi had. Showing a personal best of 17:14 on her World Athletics profile gives us promise for her moving forward, theoretically adding a promising close to her 4:38 (1500) fitness.
*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this winter. Prior seasons are used as a loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Nominees for this award do not include true freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of indoor track) of collegiate competition. Performances past 3/2 are not considered.
Nominees: Carter Gordon (Lewis-Clark), Ryan Stade (Tabor), Craig Becker (Dordt), Brandon Williams (William Penn), Evan Hodkinson (Mt. Vernon Nazarene), Hendrick Ramirez (Our Lady of The Lake)
Carter Gordon (Lewis-Clark)
Carter Gordon placed 4th at last year's indoor national meet over 600 meters. However, he had never qualified for the national meet over 800 meters. That, of course, changed with a 1:52.72 (800) mark to qualify for this year’s indoor national meet. And yet, despite that, our TSR writers excluded him from a top-eight finish at this year's national meet. So what was his response? Gordon not only qualified for the 800-meter finals, but he also ran a 1:51.00 PR to win the finals and become a national champion! While others may have had larger margins of improvement in their times, Gordon's national prowess and competitiveness is what truly took a leap.
Ryan Stade (Tabor)
Ryan Tabor failed to qualify for any national meet last year as a freshman. His 112th place finish at the cross country national meet in November kept him off of our watchlist this season. However, he progressed fantastically this winter, dropping his 5k personal best down to 14:35 and placing 4th at this year’s indoor 5000-meter final. It’s hard to argue with this kind of development when listing nominees for this award.
Craig Becker (Dordt)
Dordt sophomore Craig Becker ran 1:54 over 800 meters to complete a very solid freshman season. This year, he stepped up his game to run 2:25 over 1000 meters in February to punch his ticket to the NAIA Indoor championships. Once there, he placed 7th over 1000 meters and assisted his team to a 2nd place finish in the 4x800-meter relay. To go from a non-national meet qualifier to a two-time All-American is nothing to take for granted.
Brandon Williams (William Penn)
At Brandon William’s 2023 indoor conference championship ,meet, he ran 1:59.00 to place 12th. Since then, there is no doubt that he went all-out to start his senior year. He brought his indoor 800-meter best down from 1:58.99 the previous year to a blistering 1:52.89 mark this year! To add to his success, he qualified for the NAIA Indoor Championships where he placed 8th in the finals to earn his first All-American honor.
Evan Hodkinson (Mt. Vernon Nazarene)
Evan Hodkinson is the highest placing person on this list with no previous All-American honors. Not only did he make his first national meet final with a 1000-meter time of 2:24.66, but he placed 2nd in the finals only to be outdone by arguably the best distance talent in the NAIA this year (Luca Santorum).
Hendrick Ramirez (Our Lady of the Lake)
Another athlete to make their first national meet appearance this year is Hendrick Ramirez. The junior from Our Lady of the Lake ended his 2023 indoor track season with a 4:24 mile PR. But in this year’s indoor national meet mile final, Ramirez placed 5th overall and ran a phenomenal personal best of 4:09! A 15-second difference in one year is no easy feat, but to add a top-five national meet finish is the cherry on top of a massive breakout season.
*Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this winter. Prior seasons are used as a loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Nominees for this award do not include true freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of indoor track) of collegiate competition. Performances past 3/2 are not considered.
Nominees: Reagan Hiebert (Saint Mary (KS)), Madalenn Fee (Cottey), Madisyn Ehlrich (Kansas Wesleyan), Kirsten Geary (Georgetown), Jenna Esch (Concordia (NE))
Reagan Hiebert (St. Mary (KS))
After consistently running low 10-minute 3k races throughout the majority of the 2023 indoor track season, Reagan Hiebert made a huge breakthrough in that event, dropping her time all the way down to 9:55! Plus, she improved at racing on the national stage. Last year, she ran two events, but failed to make it to the podium in either. This season, she made it to the podium in the 3k , finishing an incredible 3rd place overall in a tough field! Hiebert definitely put her focus in this event and it clearly paid off with her huge improvements from last season.
Madalenn Fee (Cottey)
The story of Madalenn Fee is an interesting one considering that she actually focused on the multi-events last winter. She also ran some decent marks at the half-mile distance after a long day of competing in many other events throughout last year. This season, however, she decided to just focus on racing middle distance events and that choice really paid off for Fee who dropped her 1k PR from 3:01 to 2:54! That improvement also came during the national meet and it earned her a 5th place in the process. If that change in her event focus was able to yield such strong results, then what could she do over the long-term?
Madisyn Ehlrich (Kansas Wesleyan)
As with most freshmen, Madisyn Ehlrich tried out many different racing distances last year, running personal bests of 2:32 (800), 3:18 (1k) and 5:29 (mile). Ehlrich ended up not qualifying for the indoor national meet, but that all changed this season because of her huge improvements. Ehlrich dropped her mile time to 5:15, but the more impressive statistic was her jump in the 1k. She ran 2:56 at the national meet and ended up in 7th place overall. Ehlrich took off 22 seconds from her previous PR and added an All-American honor to her name, making her a good candidate for this award.
Kirsten Geary (Georgetown (KY))
Taking on the longer events such as the 3k and the 5k, Kirsten Geary enjoyed significant improvement in both events. Last season, she ran 11:08 and 19:54 for her personal bests in the 3k and the 5k, respectively. However, this past winter, she dropped both of those times down to 10:17 and 17:31! Her time in the 5k also earned her a 5th place All-American finish at the national meet. Even her improvement throughout the season in the 5k was incredible, starting with a 17:59 mark and dropping her PR to that new personal best. Geary will be one to look out for during the outdoor track season as she continues on this improvement trend.
Jenna Esch (Concordia (NE))
With the 800 meters being one of the more technical races, sometimes it is hard to make big improvements in the event and a lot of times, the improvements are just a couple seconds. However, if you can nail the event and truly blossom, then it is possible to make a big jump which is what Jenna Esch did. She went from running 2:20 over 800 meters last season to 2:13 this year! That time was good enough for 4th overall at the national meet. Even more so, if you look at where she started this season (with a 2:22 result) and how she perfectly timed her improvement at the national meet, it makes her performances in the half-mile that much more impressive.
*Must have run attached at least once this winter and must have been attached during the race in question. Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, performances that are amplified by the results of other meets/individuals with appropriate context are included. TSR writers can vote for the performance that they believe is either the most impressive, the most impactful, the most entertaining or the most surprising. Performances past 3/2 are not considered.
Nominees: Luca Santorum Breaks NAIA 1k Record in 2:22 & Wins Second National Title in Two Hours, Jackson Wilson Breaks 4:00 Mile Barrier via Altitude Converted 3:59 Mark, True Freshman Youssef Asslouj Wins 3k National Title, Luca Santorum Runs 4:01 Mile PR at Sea Level
Luca Santorum Breaks NAIA 1k Record in 2:22 & Wins Second National Title in Two Hours
Luca Santorum broke one of the longest standing records in the NAIA. He broke the NAIA 1000-meter record of 2:23.09 (via 2006) at the NAIA Indoor Championships to become the first NAIA athlete to break 2:23 with a time of 2:22.70. That led to a national title just two hours after he won the mile national title helped his teammates place 2nd overall in the DMR!
Jackson Wilson Breaks 4:00 Mile Barrier via Altitude Converted 3:59 Mark
The last man from the NAIA who broke four minutes in the mile qualified for the Olympics. And while that's a VERY big ask for Jackson Wilson, the Rocky Mount distance star still ran a 4:08 mile time at 5000 feet in February which converted to a 3:59.99 result! Someone could argue that his conversion “doesn’t count,” but in that race, Wilson was in the mix with some talented Division One runners from Montana State.
True Freshman Youssef Asslouj Wins 3k National Title
Youssef Asslouj is another freshman from Cumberlands (KY) who came home with a gold medal after the national meet. In fact, his 3k national title victory is even more impressive when you see who he defeated. Not only did he take down reigning national champion, Bryn Woodall, but he also defeated sub-14:00 (5k) runner, Joseph Skoog, and our former TSR #1 runner, Jackson Wilson.
Luca Santorum Runs 4:01 Mile PR at Sea Level
While Jackson Wilson's incredible 3:59 mile mark was insanely impressive, it was also a converted result. And as we all know, conversions can be a very divisive topic among the distance running community. For those who are maybe more adverse to the conversions that come from altitude, Santorum's incredible 4:01 mile effort (which was run at sea level on a 300-meter track) may stand out even more. It was, after all, the best raw mile time in the NAIA this past winter by a large margin.
*Must have run attached at least once this winter and must have been attached during the race in question. Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, performances that are amplified by the results of other meets/individuals with appropriate context are included. TSR writers can vote for the performance that they believe is either the most impressive, the most impactful, the most entertaining or the most surprising. Performances past 3/2 are not considered.
Nominees: Lisa Voyles Runs 2:46 (1k) En Route to National Title, Emeline Delaville Wins 800-Meter National Title as a True Freshman, Alina Boshchuk Breaks 17:00 (5k) at Early-Season Meet, Ellyse Tingelstad Upsets Boshchuk For 5k National Title, Hannah Frederick’s Anchors DMR to Gold After Winning 3k National Title
Lisa Voyles Runs 2:46 (1k) En Route to National Title
Winning a national title for Lisa Voyles is not surprising, but what made her 1k national title so impressive and deserving of a nomination for this award was how fast she ran. She came across the line a full five seconds ahead of 2nd place running a two-second PR of 2:46. Again, winning a national title is always impressive, but to do it in that kind of fashion makes it that much more incredible and deserving of this nomination.
Emeline Delaville Wins 800-Meter National Title as a True Freshman
The 800 meters can be an unpredictable event and with no clear title favorite this season, true freshman Emeline Delaville stole the show, winning the national title. Her win was impressive, but what was even more fantastic was her buildup to the title. She seemed to have come out of nowhere, starting her season at 2:20 and working her way down to 2:13. She continued to build confidence throughout the season and that momentum helped her to the national title.
Alina Boshchuk Breaks 17:00 (5k) at Early-Season Meet
Alina Boshchuk ran the only 5000-meter time under 17 minutes in the NAIA this past winter. Her tmark of 16:58 held up the whole season and not a single person ran faster than her in that event. She ran that time in early December and a few weeks after the cross country national meet. What makes this performance even more impressive is the fact that she backed up that time with other great marks throughout the rest of the indoor track season. It's not uncommon that runners capitalize on their cross country fitness and run an early-season time on the indoor oval. However, in a lot of instances, they aren't always able to get back to that fitness come the indoor national meet. Luckily, Boshchuk was able to and held her own at the national meet, finishing in 2nd place.
Ellyse Tingelstad Upsets Boshchuk For 5k National Title
In some ways, Ellyse Tingelstad winning the 5k title at the national meet was no surprise since she was the runner-up finisher at the cross country national meet. Yet, she did not race much during the indoor track season. And although her times were good, they were not anything that seemed capable of taking down Boshchuk...or so we thought. In the end, Tingelstad’s quiet regular season did not matter as she was able to come away with the victory, taking down Boshchuk and the rest of the competitive field for her first individual title.
Hannah Frederick’s Anchors DMR to Gold After Winning 3k National Title
One of the surprise performances of the NAIA Indoor Championships was Hannah Fredricks, though maybe it should not have been a surprise based off of her PRs. She had a great indoor national meet, already winning the individual title in the 3k over some tough competition. However, her performance on the anchor leg for her DMR team really stole the show. She helped her relay to an incredible time of 11:39 and the title in that event. Fredericks was flawless at the national meet and she capped it off with a great relay leg.
*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2024 indoor track season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees. Performances past 3/2 are not considered.
Nominees: Bradley Sowder (Cumberlands (KY)), Alstin Benton (St. Mary (KS)), Chris Layne (Milligan), Mike Collins (Lewis-Clark)
Bradley Sowder (Cumberlands (KY))
Cumberlands (KY) won the 2024 indoor national team title with 80 points over Dordt who boasted 41 points. So what makes that so crazy? Well, 74 of those 80 points were scored by distance athletes (800 meters and up). In other words, Coach Bradley Sowder could have theoretically brought half of his distance squad and still won the national title. Including relays and the racewalk, Sowder brought 12 All-Americans back to Kentucky. If this does not spell elite coaching, then we don’t know what does.
Chris Layne (Milligan)
Chris Lyane has won two of the last three cross country national meets on the men’s side, so he needs no introduction. And despite not having an individual national champion on the indoor oval this year, he still had nine distance entries at this year’s indoor national meet! Over half of those entries resulted in top-eight All-American performances which only adds to the elite resume of Chris Layne and his Buffaloes.
Mike Collins (Lewis-Clark)
Mike Collins caught the entire TSR team by surprise. In our top-eight predictions, we neglected all three of Lewis-Clarks entries. How did they respond? Well, with three entries, they produced three All-American finishes. One of those finishes was Carter Gordon’s 1st place effort over 800 meters. If you asked us for an underdog coach who exceeded all expectations, we would point you toward Mike Collins.
Alstin Benton (St. Mary (KS)
Alstin Benton might be known for delivering a nationally competitive cross country team every year, but he was developing something special in the middle distance category this past winter. The duo of Luis Perez and Liam Neidig delivered a pair of top-five performances over 1000 meters at this year’s national meet. And if you journey into their conference results, you will see a deep field of underclassmen who dominate the ranks of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. Alstin Benton cemented his coaching range in the middle distances this year which earned him a nomination for this award.
*Considers performances throughout the entirety of the 2024 indoor track season. Success relative to seasonal expectations or success relative to historical accolades of the program are factored into account when listing nominees. Performances past 3/2 are not considered.
Nominees: Dominic Bolin (College of Idaho), Matt Beisel (Concordia (NE)), Zach Schoeder (The Master’s), Chris Layne (Milligan), Quinn White (Taylor), Alex Kluchki (Indiana Tech), Alstin Benton (Saint Mary (KS))
Dominic Bolin (College of Idaho)
After winning a cross country national team title in the fall, Dominic Bolin further etched his already-established name into the discussion of best distance coaches in the NCAA this year. And while the ladies from the College of Idaho didn't win the national title during the winter months, they still dominated. Bolin’s crew racked up 28 points at the national meet led by Elyse Tingelstad and Abby Shirts. The former won the 5k national title while the latter secured runner-up honors over 1000 meters. Scoring 28 points at the national meet doesn’t come as a surprise, but it is still a remarkable feat, making COI the favorites to be the women's program of the year, which is calculated by combined scoring across all three seasons of competition.
Matt Beisel (Concordia (NE))
Scoring 42 points at the national meet, Concordia (NE) received 29 points of those from distance events. Matt Beisel led his distance ladies this fall with a solid 18th-place finish, but they came out swinging this winter. Concordia won the 4x800-meter relay national title and scored in the 800 meters, the 1000 meters and the mile, proving their excellent depth in the middle distance races. Coach Matt Beisel has steadily progressed with his distance squads since taking over, but this takes the cake for his best season so far.
Zach Schroeder (The Master’s)
The Master’s have been a staple regarding distance running in the NAIA. Coach Zach Schroeder led his ladies to titles in the 3k (Hannah Fredricks) and the DMR, running a blistering 11:36! Complimenting those finishes, his athletes totaled 32 points which makes him a solid nomination as a top coach of the winter months.
Quinn White (Taylor)
Coach Quinn White is another well-known commodity in the NAIA. His ladies always show up and race tough at the national meet and that’s precisely what they did this year. Scoring every point of Taylor’s 24 points at the national meet gives White every right to be in the discussion for this award. He also did it with multiple athletes in multiple events which shows excellent depth, something that we greatly value in this category.
Alstin Benton (Saint Mary (KS)): After a program-best finish at the NAIA XC Championships with the Spire women finishing in 3rd place, the St. Mary women were in store for a big winter season. At the NAIA Indoor Championships, Benton’s crew had finalists in the 4x800-meter relay, mile, 3k and 5k, producing 10 points and giving us plenty of reasons for him to be nominated. The excellent depth for the Spire women shows us that Benton and his ladies' team will be all over the NAIA rankings during this coming outdoor track season.
Chris Layne (Milligan)
Recently, Chris Layne has had runners in the top few spots in what seems to be every distance event at the NAIA Indoor Championships. This year, his ladies were smothered in the performance lists again. His ladies racked up 12 points at the national meet with Dominy in the 3k (2nd) and Kearney in the mile (5th).
Alex Kluchki (Indiana Tech)
Alex Kluchki has been providing enormous points for his team regarding team title points, with his distance squad performing very well at the national meet. NAIA middle distance phenom Lisa Voyles leads his squad. And between Voyles and the DMR relay, Kluchki and his athletes were responsible for 28 points at the NAIA Championships, plus three more with Krista Boese in the mile!
*Must have run attached this season. Performances past 3/2 are not considered. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner or the most valuable distance runner this season.
Nominees: Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY)), Jackson Wilson (Rocky Mountain), Luke Pohl (Indiana Wesleyan), Payton Mauldin (Dordt), Youssef Asslouj (Cumberlands (KY))
Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY))
Running 4:01 as a freshman in the mile is already impressive enough to earn this nomination. However, Luca Santorum also broke the NAIA record in the 1k and won two national titles in those aforementioned events. Finally, he ran in both the relays for Cumberlands throughout the season and played a crucial role in their 2nd place finish in the DMR. Though he only ran the mile and the 1k individually, it is safe to say that's Santorum scoring value and utility is the best in the nation.
Jackson Wilson (Rocky Mountain)
Though the indoor national meet did not go exactly how Jackson Wilson planned, he still finished an impressive 4th place in the 3k in a very competitive field. Wilson also ran stellar marks in the mile and the 3k this past winter where he ran an altitude converted time of 3:59 in the mile and a mark of 8:07 over 3000 meters. Wilson theoretically could have been a top-half All-American in any event from the mile to the 5k this winter, providing us with enough of a reason to give him a nomination for this award.
Luke Pohl (Indiana Wesleyan)
With the distance events so competitive at this national meet, Luke Pohl was able to come out on top, winning the 5k individual title. On top of such a great performance at the national meet, Pohl ran plenty fast in every from the mile to the 5k throughout the season. He also raced a lot in the relays, which is a little uncommon for someone who is more inclined to the longer events. All in all, Pohl showed a lot of flexibility throughout this season and demonstrated endurance and speed with the range of events that he competed in.
Payton Mauldin (Dordt)
Though TSR covers distances of 800 meters and up, we felt that Payton Mauldin still deserved a nomination for this award because of his strength over 800 meters. The Dordt star decided to focus on the 600 meters at the national meet where he finally won the elusive individual title. On top of that, he ran in the 4x400-meter relay and the 4x800-meter relay, placing 1st and 2nd, respectively. Clearly, Mauldin is able to run in a plethora of events to help his team and with all that said, he ran one of the fastest times in the half-mile distance in the NAIA (a mark of 1:50). Mauldin can almost do it all when it comes to quick turnover and he brings a lot of scoring value to his team.
Youssef Asslouj (Cumberlands (KY))
Everything that we said about Youssef Asslouj in the "Best Freshman Award" almost entirely applies to our "Most Valuable Runner" section. With times of 8:08 (3k) and 14:25 (5k) this season, both of which sat in the top-four of the NAIA leaderboard going into the national meet. And once he was, this freshman standout won the 3k national title and helped his DMR squad secure silver. Not bad for a rookie, huh?
**Must have run attached this season. Performances past 3/2 are not considered. Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner or the most valuable distance runner this season.
Nominees: Lisa Voyles (Indiana Tech), Hannah Fredericks (The Master’s), Ellyse Tingelstad (College of Idaho), Abbey Shirts (College of Idaho), Kylahn Freiberg (Concordia (NE))
Lisa Voyles (Indiana Tech)
With so many middle distance options during the indoor track season, it makes Lisa Voyles stock that much more valuable and a great candidate for this award. Voyles ran some great times this season with her best mark being the 1000 meters in 2:46. Winning national titles in the 1k and the mile didn't hurt, either. She also is very versatile in the relays as well, playing a major role in Indiana Tech’s 2nd place finish in the DMR. All-in-all Voyles combination of fast times and ability to compete well puts her as one of the best in the NAIA.
Hannah Fredericks (The Master’s)
The improvement in Hannah Fredericks’ 3k PR, going from a 10:09 to a 9:42 during the indoor track season is already noteworthy, but then to win the national title in the 3k makes it easy to put her name on this list. On top of her impressive seasonal performance in the 3k, Fredericks helped her team out in both relays and at the national meet, running the DMR both times. The Master’s had one of the fastest DMR times ever in NAIA history en route to a national title and Fredericks helped anchor their team to victory.
Ellyse Tingelstad (College of Idaho)
Though Ellyse Tingelstad only raced twice before the national meet, she came away with an individual title in the 5k. Not only does that show immense talent to compete well on the biggest stage, but it also demonstrates only a small fraction of what Tingelstad may be able to do on the track. She is reliable in the longer distance events and her ability to compete well makes her a very valuable asset to her team.
Abbey Shirts (College of Idaho)
For College of Idaho, they have a great option in the longer events with Ellyse Tingelstad, but when they need faster turnover, they know that they can turn to Abbey Shirts. She may not have raced much before the national meet, but she also proved her ability to compete well against the best of Division Two with her 2nd place finish in the 1k and a new PR of 2:51. Shirts played a massive role in the 4th place finish of the Yotes’ DMR team on the national stage, again showing her versatility in the middle distance events.
Kylahn Freiberg (Concordia (NE))
With some great times in the mile, the 3k and the 5k this season, Kylahn Freiberg had to choose which event she would focus on come the national meet which is always a good problem to have. Freiberg ran a huge PR in the mile at the indoor national meet, finishing as the runner-up. She also helped her squad to a 1st place finish in the 4x800-meter relay, making her an all-around powerhouse and one to rely on for relays and individual events.
Men
Josh: Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY))
Nolan: Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY))
Marissa: Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY))
Women
Josh: Emeline Delaville (Life)
Nolan: Emeline Delaville (Life)
Marissa: Emeline Delaville (Life)
Men
Josh: Carter Gordon (Lewis-Clark)
Nolan: Hendrick Ramirez (Our Lady of the Lake)
Marissa: Brandon Wiliams (William Penn)
*Tie broken via TSR admin, Garrett Zatlin
Women
Josh: Jenna Esch (Concordia (NE))
Nolan: Kirsten Geary (Georgetown (KY))
Marissa: Jenna Esch (Concordia (NE))
Men
Josh: Santorum Breaks NAIA 1k Record in 2:22 & Wins Second National Title in Two Hours
Nolan: Santorum Breaks NAIA 1k Record in 2:22 & Wins Second National Title in Two Hours
Marissa: Santorum Breaks NAIA 1k Record in 2:22 & Wins Second National Title in Two Hours
Women
Josh: Lisa Voyles Runs 2:46 (1k) En Route to National Title
Nolan: Hannah Frederick’s Anchors DMR to Gold After Winning 3k National Title
Marissa: Hannah Frederick’s Anchors DMR to Gold After Winning 3k National Title
Men
Josh: Bradley Sowder (Cumberlands (KY))
Nolan: Bradley Sowder (Cumberlands (KY))
Marissa: Bradley Sowder (Cumberlands (KY))
Women
Josh: Zach Schoeder (The Master's)
Nolan: Matt Beisel (Concordia (NE))
Marissa: Dominic Bolin (College of Idaho)
*Tie broken via TSR admin, Garrett Zatlin
Men
Josh: Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY))
Nolan: Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY))
Marissa: Luca Santorum (Cumberlands (KY))
Women
Josh: Lisa Voyles (Indiana Tech)
Nolan:Lisa Voyles (Indiana Tech)
Marissa: Lisa Voyles (Indiana Tech)