AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific seniors Allie Updike and Justin Balczak were named PacWest Field Athletes of the Year, and women's head coach Preston Grey and men's head coach Kevin Reid were selected at the PacWest Track and Field Coaches of the Year after leading the Cougars to a PacWest title sweep.
"There couldn't have been two better people chosen to represent the Azusa Pacific track and field program," said Director of Track and Field Mike Barnett. "They're both disciplined yet fun-loving, focused on others, and in a sport focused on individuals, they are truly team players. Success breeds success, and these awards bring light to our program's tradition of family. They model the type of student-athletes we strive to send out from Azusa Pacific."
Updike finished off another record-breaking senior campaign by defending her women's javelin national title by shattering her own Division II meet record on her opening throw of the national championships. In addition to claiming the national title with a toss of 56.03 meters (183-feet, 10-inches), Updike won the PacWest championship with a conference-record throw of 49.85 meters, and she also set the Bryan Clay Invitational meet record with her best regular-season throw of 53.61 meters (175-feet, 10-inches).
Balczak also had a successful senior campaign, finishing third in the decathlon at the NCAA Division II Championships after earning PacWest Field Athlete of the Meet at the 2016 PacWest Championships. He earned All-PacWest honors in three different events at the conference championship meet, winning the 110-meter hurdles along with runner-up in pole vault and third place in javelin.
In addition to sweeping the PacWest Men's and Women's Field Athletes of the Year awards, Azusa Pacific also swept the conference coach of the year honors after leading their programs to conference titles. The pair presided over a group of 13 athletes (seven women, six men) who competed at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships and claimed a top-10 men's finish (ninth) and 22nd place in the women's team standings.
"This is a proud moment for our program because of the work they do on a daily basis and to see their program leadership recognized by their colleagues," Barnett said. "We all feel that we have an incredible set of assistant coaches who contribute to that leadership, and an award like this reflects their contributions that rarely get recognized."
