NEW ORLEANS – Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2024 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field season were announced on Friday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The NE10 earned six recognitions with Adelphi's Katherine Marsh and Franklin Pierce's Stephen Harris each capturing East Region Track Athlete of the Year.
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches following the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Robert W. Plaster Center in Pittsburg, Kansas. Performances from both the NCAA Championships and the regular season were considered. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
Harris, who hails from Billerica, Mass., finished third in the 200 meters at the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships. Just a few weeks earlier, Harris was named the MVP of the NE10 Indoor Championships after winning the 60 meters and 200 meters, the latter of which with a 21.00 PB that took down a conference record. Back in December, Harris turned 300 meters in 33.86 for the third-fastest mark in NCAA DII history.
Marsh, who hails from East Meadow, New York, completed an impressive run at the 2024 NE10 Indoor Track & Field Championships. She won individual titles in the 800 meters and mile, and assisted on the 4×400, 4×800 and distance medley relays. Named NE-10 Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and NE-10 Conference Track Performer of the Meet, her 27.5 points helped lead Adelphi to its highest team finish in program history at the indoor conference championship. Marsh finished the year Second-Team All-American at the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships in the 800 meters.
The conference also had two head coaches and a pair of assitants earn recognition. SCSU's John Wallin and Brian Nill and Adelphi's Katie Rees and Valmore Holt took home top Coach and Assistant Coach honors.
Wallin, in his 14th year as Head Coach at Southern Connecticut State, led the Owls to the team title at the Northeast-10 Indoor Championships with 238 points to win by 85 points while winning nine events. Southern Connecticut State was ranked No. 1 in the East Region the entire season and its top athlete, Cameron Belton, won the NE10 shot put and placed 14th at the NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Rees, in her 14th year as Head Coach at Adelphi, led the Panthers to have the most qualifiers of any team in the East Region for the NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships. Adelphi finished a program-best second place in the Northeast-10 Conference Indoor Championships, winning seven events.
EAST REGION HONORS
Track Athlete of the Year
Katherine Marsh, Adelphi
Stephen Harris, Franklin Pierce
Coach of the Year
John Wallin, Southern Connecticut State
Kaite Rees, Adelphi
Assistant Coach of the Year
Brian Nill, Southern Connecticut State
Valmore Holt, Adelphi
- Courtesy USTFCCCA Release -
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
