Program of the Year

Huntington was named the 2023 USTFCCCA NAIA Fred Beile Women’s Program of the Year as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA). It’s the second time in HU history the Foresters have earned this elite distinction.

“This program is led by some of the best coaches and student-athletes in the country, and this award shows that,” said Austin Roark, director of track and field. “We set a goal at the beginning of the year to win this award because we knew it would be difficult but would show how hard we worked.

“I’m so blessed to be surrounded by the best assistant coaches, administrators, training staff and support staff. Winning Program of the Year is a great way to commemorate how hard our athletes worked, and how hard the coaching staff worked and prevailed.”

The award honors the institution that has achieved the most success throughout the year, spanning cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field, based on the school’s finish at the NAIA National Championships.

To be considered, teams must qualify for each of the three championships. Scoring is based on their finish at each NAIA Championship in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field (i.e., 1st = 1 point, 2nd = 2 points …15th = 15 points), with the lowest point total for all three championships determining the winner.

The Foresters earned the women’s crown with 21 points, edging out second-place William Carey by a point. Roark and crew finished 13th this past fall in cross country before claiming the runner-up trophy in indoor and adding a 6th-place effort in outdoor.

William Carey finished with 22 points, and rounding out the top five included Indiana Tech (23.5), College of Idaho (28) and The Master’s (44).