Outdoor Track and Field All-RMAC Teams Announced Wednesday
All-Conference Release
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- The 2017 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) outdoor track and field All-Conference teams and major award winners were announced on Wednesday.
Sydney Gidabuday of Adams State and Colby Stinson of Western headline the men’s major award winners taking the Track Athlete of the Year and Field Athlete of the Year respectively. Colorado School of Mines’ Jake Pinkston earned Freshman of the Year honors.
On the women’s side, Western’s Alicja Konieczek was named the Track Athlete of the Year as Mel Herl of Chadron State earned Field Athlete of the Year honors. Janell Fullerton of New Mexico Highlands was awarded Freshman of the Year.
The major awards were voted on by the conference’s 12 head coaches on the men’s side and 14 head coaches for the women. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
The First Team All-RMAC consists of the first, second and third place individual finishers and the first-place relay teams from the RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Second Team All-RMAC is made up of the fourth, fifth and sixth place individual finishers and second-place relay teams.
Gidabuday was named the men’s Track Athlete of the Year after taking first in the 5000-meter as well as fourth in the 1500-meter event. He was also awarded Track Athlete of the Year for the indoor track and field season in March.
Stinson took first in the shot put, second in the hammer throw and fourth in discus to be awarded the men’s Field Athlete of the Year.
Pinkston tied the RMAC championship record with a 5.05-meter pole vault to earn men’s Freshman of the Year honors.
Koniczek was named the women’s Track Athlete of the Year after a first-place finish in the 1500-meter event and taking second-place in the 5000-meter. She was also named the Track Athlete of the Year during the indoor season in March.
Herl rewrote the RMAC record books during the RMAC Track and Field Championships with a 16.33-meter shot put, 51.98-meter discus throw and a 63.62-meter hammer throw. With three first-place finishes and three new RMAC Championship records, she added to her Field Athlete of the Year honor from the indoor season by claiming the outdoor Field Athlete of the Year award.
Fullerton took first-place in the heptathlon to be named the women’s Freshman of the Year. She took first in three of the seven events in the heptathlon to help her to a first-place finish. Fullerton also took second in the shot put and discus events, while taking fifth-place in both the 100-meter hurdles and javelin throw.
Coach Chris Bradford was named the Men’s Coach of the Year after leading Western to the 2017 Men’s RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship title. The win gave the Mountaineers their ninth conference title in school history.
Coach Rock Light collected Women’s Coach of the Year accolades as Adams State was named the 2017 Women’s RMAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship title. Coach Light was also named the conference Coach of the Year for the indoor season in March, as well as the USTFCCCA Men’s and Women’s South Central Regional Coach of the Year.
2017 RMAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Year: Sydney Gidabuday, Adams State
2017 RMAC Men’s Field Athlete of the Year: Colby Stinson, Western
2017 RMAC Men’s Freshman of the Year: Jake Pinkston, Colorado School of Mines
2017 RMAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Year: Alicja Konieczek, Western
2017 RMAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year: Mel Herl, Chadron State
2017 RMAC Women’s Freshman of the Year: Janell Fullerton, New Mexico Highlands
2017 RMAC Men’s Coach of the Year: Chris Bradford, Western
2017 RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year: Rock Light, Adams State