ARLINGTON, Texas – Southern Utah’s Isaiah Labra and Grand Canyon’s Neysia Howard were named the 2024 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year on Tuesday, as voted on by the conference’s head coaches.
 
Stephen F. Austin’s Nathan Kapel and UT Arlington’s Winnie Kipsang captured WAC Indoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year accolades for the 2024 season. Southern Utah head coach Eric Houle was selected the WAC Indoor Track & Field Men’s Coach of the Year, while Grand Canyon head coach Tom Flood was tabbed the WAC Indoor Track & Field Women’s Coach of the Year.
 
Labra, a graduate student distance runner, broke a 45-year-old Southern Utah program record in the mile, racing to the win at the 2024 WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 4:00.25 (3:55.02 adjusted for altitude). Labra added a runner-up showing in the 3000-meter run at the WAC Indoor Championships with a time of 8:17.24. Labra is expected to compete at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 8-9 in Boston.
 
Kapel punctuated his debut season with an 800-meter conference championship at the WAC indoor meet, crossing the finish line with an adjusted time of 1:50.11 in the finals heat to claim the win. Kapel added a runner-up showing competing against Labra in the mile, clocking a time of 4:05.09 (3:59.76 adjusted). Kapel also helped bring the SFA DMR squad back from seventh place to a third-place finish with a school record time of 10:06.46 (9:57.28 adjusted).
 
In the program’s second season as a conference member, Houle led Southern Utah to its first WAC men’s team title in indoor track & field. The Thunderbirds ended the reign of Grand Canyon during the 2024 championships meet after the Lopes had won every WAC indoor men’s title dating back to 2016. Southern Utah claimed five individual event wins during competition at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Feb. 19-20 to score 171 points in the team victory.
 
Howard, a graduate student sprinter, took home conference titles in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.37 (7.39 adjusted) and the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.46 (23.53 adjusted) on the track to lead GCU in the women’s championship meet. Howard added a first-place showing in the long jump at the WAC indoor meet with a top attempt of 6.13m (20-1.5) during round two to set the pace and earn the conference trifecta.
 
Kipsang continued a strong rookie campaign at the WAC Indoor Championships with two individual event victories. Kipsang won the women’s mile final with a time of 4:54.17 (4:47.77 adjusted) to secure first-place points for UT Arlington. Kipsang added a triumphant performance in the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line in 2:09.45.
 
Flood earned WAC Women’s Coach of the Year honors for the eighth time in his career, guiding the Lopes to a fifth indoor title over the past eight contested championship meets. GCU secured five individual event wins and registered 131 points to outpoint runner-up UT Arlington (118 points).
 
2024 WAC Indoor Track & Field Major Awards
 
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Isaiah Labra, Grad, 3000-Meter/Mile, Southern Utah
 
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Nathan Kapel, 800-Meter/Mile/DMR, Stephen F. Austin
 
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR
Eric Houle, Southern Utah
 
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Neysia Howard, Grad, 60-Meter/200-Meter/Long Jump, Grand Canyon
 
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Winnie Kipsang, 800-Meter/Mile/4x400, UT Arlington
 
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR
Tom Flood, Grand Canyon