NEW ORLEANS, La. – Johns Hopkins women's track and field senior Erika Ezumba, head coach Bobby Van Allen and assistant coach Dan Schuman and Swarthmore associate head coach Lauren Lucci received major regional awards from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Ezumba earned Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year honors following an exceptional championship season. With a dominant performance in the hammer throw, the senior unleashed a personal-best mark of 60.11 meters to capture the national title while breaking both the Johns Hopkins record and the Centennial Conference record. Her throw ranks as the top mark in Division III this season and the 10th-best performance in Division III history.
Van Allen, now in his 27
th season as head coach, was honored as Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year after guiding the Blue Jays to a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, tying the program's highest finish all-time. Johns Hopkins qualified 19 athletes across 11 events for the national meet. The Blue Jays also won their 16
th consecutive Centennial Conference Outdoor Title.
Schuman was named Mid-Atlantic Assistant Coach of the Year after leading a dominant contingent of runners. His athletes accounted for 12 of Hopkins' 38 points at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, his athletes earned eight All-America honors between the 800 meters and 1,500 meters, in addition to assisting with six other NCAA qualifiers (Steeplechase – 3, 5K – 2, 10K – 1).
Lucci was named the Metro Region's Women's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year. Lucci coached the Garnet throwers to account for 46 of Swarthmore's 80 team points at the Centennial Conference Outdoor Championships, leading the squad to a third-place finish. Lydia Morris-Kliment won the conference discus title while Tate Garcia was the runner-up in the shot put. Amelia Landry placed third in the javelin for her first career All-Centennial honor.
Morris-Kliment and Garcia both earned All-Region accolades in the discus with Garcia also doing so in the shot put. Kate Reiter was an All-Region honoree in the heptathlon in her first season.