May 24, 2023 – Loras College track & field garnered some more recognition on Tuesday morning as the two programs combined to win six of the available eight United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Midwest Region Athletes/Coaches of the Year awards.

The USTFCCCA gives regional awards to the Track Athlete of the Year, Field Athlete of the Year, Head Coach of the Year, and Assistant Coach of the Year for each men's and women's track & field. Loras claimed six of the eight honors.

Just as he did in the indoor season, head coach Matt Jones was named as the men's and women's Head Coach of the Year as his programs are again ranked among some of the best in country with the women ranked second and the men ranked fourth heading into this weekend's NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.

Assistant coach Bob Schultz was named as the women's track & field Assistant Coach of the Year after the women's distance crew scored 67 points to help lift the team to the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Championship. Schultz' top runner, Kassie Parker, is also the top-ranked runner in each the 5000- and 10,000-meters this season.

Senior Mike Jasa was again named as the Men's Track Athlete of the Year after claiming the honor during the indoor season as well. Jasa enters this week's outdoor championships as the top seed in the 800-meters after twice setting Division III all-time top-five marks this season, including a 1:47.81 at the Dr. Tucker Open that is second-best all-time. Jasa also helped the 4x800-meter relay team break the Division III all-time record with a 7:22.17 to eclipse an existing Loras mark.

Graduate student Kassie Parker earned yet another individual accolade with the Women's Track Athlete of the Year honor as her legendary career nears a close. Parker is not only entered in two events this week at the outdoor national championships, but she's also the top seed in each the 5000- and 10,000-meter races. Her 5k time of 15:37.00 and 10k time of 32:36.22 are both Division III all-time records, and she enters this week fresh off winning A-R-C titles in the 1500-meters and the 10k.  

Senior Grace Alley is the Women's Field Athlete of the Year for the second time this season after the busiest athlete in the Loras camp claimed the same award during the indoor season. Alley enters this week's championships as the top seed in the heptathlon with a season-best total of 5163 points that rank her inside the top-10 all-time in Division III. In addition to her heptathlon duties, she's in the championship field in the high jump (No. 6 seed) and the triple jump (No. 15 seed) this weekend in Rochester.

These athletes and their Duhawk teammates start the NCAA Division III outdoor championships on Thursday, May 25, at the Polisseni Track & Field Complex on the campus of St. John Fisher University in Rochester, N.Y.