ARLINGTON, Texas – Grand Canyon’s Daviciea McCartney and California Baptist’s Greta Karinauskaite were named the 2024 Hercules Tires WAC Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year on Tuesday. Stephen F. Austin’s Nathan Kapel and UT Arlington’s Winnie Kipsang were selected as WAC Freshmen of the Year, and Grand Canyon’s Tom Flood and Utah Valley’s Scott Houle claimed WAC Coach of the Year honors following a vote of the conference’s head track & field coaches.
 
McCartney, a senior sprinter, finished first in the WAC this season in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.73 and a conference title at the WAC Outdoor Championships. McCartney also earned a share of the top 400-meter hurdle performance in the league thanks to a time of 50.10 at the conference championships meet. McCartney’s 400-hurdles time ranked 18th in NCAA Division I this season as of May 28.
 
Karinauskaite, a senior distance runner and steeplechase specialist, won a third straight WAC Outdoor Championship title in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:57.29 in Orem, Utah. Karinauskaite then repeated as the NCAA West First Round champion in the event with a regional time of 9:40.22. Karinauskaite enters the NCAA DI Championships meet ranked fourth in the country in the steeple with a time of 9:37.31 that was set at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April.

Kapel enjoyed an impressive freshman showing for SFA, winning the 5000-meter run at the WAC Outdoor Championships with a time of 14:31.21 and finishing third in the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:45.24. Kapel ran a personal-best in the 1500 at the NCAA West First Round with a time of 3:44.69.
 
Kipsang added to a sensational freshman season for UTA with a 1500-meter WAC championship (4:28.22) in her first outdoor campaign. Kipsang added the second-fastest 800-meter run time of the year in the conference during the Bryan Clay Invitational, clocking in with a 2:04.61 during that event.

Flood guided the GCU men’s program to a fourth straight conference championship, tallying a total of 153 points at the WAC meet in Utah. GCU athletes held the top spot in seven different categories on the pre-NCAA Championships WAC conference performance list, with a total of three Lopes scheduled to compete at the national championship meet.
 
Houle earned WAC Outdoor Coach of the Year honors for the first time following the UVU women’s program’s home victory at the 2024 outdoor conference championships. The Wolverines scored 177 points to race past runner-up GCU (118) at the Hal Wing Track & Field Stadium to capture their first WAC Outdoor Championship. UVU athletes brought home a total of five individual conference titles during the WAC meet.
 
2024 WAC Outdoor Track & Field Major Award Winners, presented by Hercules Tires
 
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Daviciea McCartney, Sprints, Grand Canyon

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Nathan Kapel, Distance, Stephen F. Austin
 
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR
Tom Flood, Grand Canyon

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Greta Karinauskaite, Distance, California Baptist

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Winnie Kipsang, Distance, UT Arlington

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD COACH OF THE YEAR
Scott Houle, Utah Valley