Queens Captures Three Major USTFCCCA Women's Track & Field Region Awards

NEW ORLEANS – Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field season were announced on Friday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Each of the eight regions – Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West – honored both genders' top track athletes and field athletes as well as the top men's and women's head coaches and assistant coaches.

Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.

Many of these honored athletes and coaches are headed to the 2021 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships next week in Allendale, Mich.

The SAC took home three of the four major awards with Queens' Elise Ulseth being named Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year, Queens' Jim Vahrenkamp was named Region Coach of the Year and Queens' Vincent Schneider was named Region Assistant Coach of the Year. 

Ulseth, a sophomore from Kristiansund, Norway, is ranked first nationally in the heptathlon at 5584 points, a mark that puts her among the top-15 performers in NCAA DII history. She is also ranked eighth nationally in the high jump at 1.75m (5-8¾). She scored 32 points in field events at the SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with victories in the javelin and long jump, plus third-place efforts in both the high jump and triple jump. 

Vahrenkamp, in his eighth year at Queens (N.C.), led the Royals to the team title at the SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with 228 points and captured eight event crowns. The Royals are the top-ranked team in the Southeast Region and will have five athletes at the NCAA Championships.

Schneider, in his third year at Queens (N.C.), has three athletes qualified in six events at the upcoming NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. His heptathletes, led by national leader Elise Ulseth, are ranked No. 2 in the #EventSquad Rankings, while the high jump and long jump come in at No. 5 and No. 10, respectively. The Royals received 86 points from Schneider's athletes at the SAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.