As the outdoor track & field national championships compete this weekend, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference recognized its standouts from the outdoor season. Ashland's Trevor Bassitt, a nine-time national champion heading into the 2022 outdoor nationals, was voted Great Midwest Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Findlay's Austin Combs was the men's field athlete of the year and on the women's side Walsh swept honors with Alexa Leppelmeier (track) and Ndidiamaka Anaraodo (field) being named the top athletes.
AU's Bassitt, from Bluffton, Ohio, added another accolade to his storied career. He's a multiple national champion and All-American in indoor and outdoor track & field and is soon competing on the world stage. This outdoor season, he posted the top outdoor time in the 400m hurdles and fifth in the 100m. He anchors the 4x400 at Ashland, which is the best in the conference. Bassitt was recently awarded with the 2022 Great Midwest Male Collegiate Achievement Award, the highest honor for a student-athlete in the G-MAC.
UF's Combs, from Findlay, Ohio, was the conference champion and second in the nation in the hammer throw while also ranking third in the discus. Findlay teammate Shakur Payton was voted as the top freshman after tying for the conference lead in the high jump and being fourth in the long jump.
Krout coached Findlay to the outdoor title in his first year as the head coach, while also leading the Findlay men and women to a sweep of the indoor championships during the winter.
The Walsh duo of Alexa Leppelmeier and Ndidiamaka Anaraodo were voted as the top athletes in women's outdoor track & field. Leppelmeier, a native of Wauseon, Ohio, owned the best time of the season in the 1500m, 5000m and steeplechase and had the second-best mark in the 800m. She won the 1500m and steeplechase at the conference championships and also won two events at the indoor championships this year. Anaraodo, from Columbus, Ohio, was the standout thrower in the conference this year, winning the shot put title while also placing second in the discus and fifth in the hammer throw. Her shot put best ranks second in the country and she stands 17th nationally in the discus.
Wamsley, the outstanding women's freshman of the outdoor championships, was voted freshman of the year. She was a high scorer in both the 5,000 and 10,000m races and currently ranks 18th natinoally in the 10,000m.
Hillsdale's Andrew Towne, in his 11th and final season at HC, was voted as the Great Midwest Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year after leading the Chargers to the outdoor championship. Towne was a seven-time Great Midwest Coach of the Year in cross country and track & field combined.
Tiffin's Jacob Zinn and Rachel Sweeney Bredeson of Cedarville won the Elite 25 Awards for academic excellence. Zinn owns a 4.0 GPA in cybersecurity and Bredeson a 4.0 mark as a pharmacy major.
2022 Great Midwest Outdoor Track & Field Awards
Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year: Trevor Bassitt, Ashland
Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year: Austin Combs, Findlay
Men’s Outdoor Freshman Athlete of the Year: Shakur Payton, Findlay
Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year: Jared Krout, Findlay
Men’s Elite 25 Award: Jacob Zinn, Tiffin
Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year: Alexa Leppelmeier, Walsh
Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year: Ndidiamaka Anaraodo, Walsh
Women’s Outdoor Freshman Athlete of the Year: Liz Wamsley, Hillsdale
Women’s Outdoor Coach of the Year: Andrew Towne, Hillsdale
Women’s Elite 25 Award: Rachel Sweeney Bredeson, Cedarville
1st Team Women's Outdoor All-Great Midwest
Kelsey Kinsley - AU (Hammer Throw)
Savannah Amato - UF (Pole Vault)
Hannah Thompson - UF (10000m, 5000m)
Emma Liberatore - AU (Heptathlon)
Brook Boes - TU (Discus, Shot Put)
Simone Green - UF (Long Jump, Triple Jump)
Alexa Leppelmeier - WU (3000m Steeplechase, 1500m)
Eden Little - HC (Javelin)
Marisa Gwinner - TU (High Jump)
Ndidiamaka Anaraodo - WU (Discus, Shot Put)
Nicole Fishpaw - UF (4x100 Relay)
Jordan Taylor - UF (4x100 Relay)
Taylor Ivory - UF (4x100 Relay, 4x400 Relay)
Michaela Butler - UF (4x100 Relay, 100 Dash)
Amirah Strauther - TU (100m Hurdles)
Cheyanne Davis - AU (4x100 Relay, 400m)
Ines Macadam - TU (800m)
Rachel Miller - AU (4x100 Relay, 400m Hurdles)
Zalonya Eby - HC (200m, 4x400 Relay)
Reese Dragovich - HC (800m, 4x400 Relay)
Dakota Stamm - HC (400m, 4x400 Relay)
Josee Behling - HC (400m, 4x400 Relay)
2nd Team Women's Outdoor All-Great Midwest
Paige Emnett - UF (Hammer Throw)
Kelsey Hartsock - WU (Pole Vault, 4x100 Relay)
Alayna Ackley - CU (10000m)
Kassandra Stine - UF (Heptathlon)
Jazilee Williams - TU (Long Jump)
Meg Scheske - HC (3000m Steeplechase)
Peyton Panka - HC (Javelin)
Reagan Dahlquist - HC (High Jump)
Alexie Day - HC (High Jump)
Mercedeez Francis - TU (High Jump)
Emily Gerdin - HC (Long Jump, Triple Jump)
Nikita Maines - HC (Shot Put)
Morgan Dennis - AU (4x100 Relay, 100m)
Alena Williams - AU (4x100 Relay)
Gwynne Riley - HC (1500m)
Britain Musick - CU (100m Hurdles)
Rajiah Andrews - TU (100m Hurdles, 100m, 200 Dash)
Kylie Ray - UF (400m Hurdles, 4x400 Relay)
Autumn Burgess - UC (200m)
Bethany Sholl - CU (5000m)
Bethany Smith - UF (4x400 Relay)
Hayley Robinett - UF (4x400 Relay)
3rd Team Women's Outdoor All-Great Midwest
Carrol Pauley - AU (Hammer Throw)
Lindsey Kluesener - UF (Pole Vault)
Elizabeth Wamsley - HC (10000m)
Skyler Stewart - WU (Heptathlon)
Reagan Garrett - WU (Discus)
Rachel Sweeney - CU (3000m, Steeplechase, 5000m)
Allie Holmes - AU (Javelin)
Hailey Miller - KWC (High Jump)
Karla Hormazabal - UC (Triple Jump)
Talia McLin - WU (4x100 Relay)
Claire Martin - WU (4x100 Relay)
Style Henry - WU (4x100 Relay)
Emily Walsh - CU (1500m)
Kaitlyn Rust - HC (800m)
Shura Ermakov - HC (400m Hurdles)
Peyton Perini - AU (4x400 Relay)
Mia Gardener - AU (4x400 Relay)
Hannah Berheide - AU (4x400 Relay)
Elizabeth Adams - AU (4x400 Relay)
1st Team Men's Outdoor All-Great Midwest
Austin Combs - UF (Hammer Throw, Discus)
Noah Fisher - UF (10000m, 5000m)
Josiah Gadson - TU (Decathlon)
Ben Raffin - HC (Pole Vault)
Dakota Harvey - LEC (Long Jump)
Noah Koch - AU (Discus)
Cass Dobrowolski - HC (High Jump)
Camren Warner - TNU (3000m Steeplechase)
Martin Etsey - UF (Triple Jump)
Jacob Ott - WU (Shot Put)
Kyle MacBeth - HC (Javelin)
Aaron Banks - AU (4x100 Relay, 100m, 200m)
Channing Phillips - AU (4x100 Relay)
Doniven Jackson - AU (4x100 Relay)
Keshun Jones - AU (4x100 Relay, 4x400 Relay)
Nathaniel Ondracek - TU (3000m Steeplechase, 1500m)
Dominic Jones - LEC (110m Hurdles)
Jamahl Burke - HC (4x100 Relay, 400m, 4x400 Relay)
Malachi Adams - TU (4x100 Relay, 100m, 200m)
Josh Conrad - WU (800m)
Sean Fagan - HC (110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles, 4x400 Relay)
Maliq Brock - HC (4x400 Relay)
Benu Meintjes - HC (400m, 4x400 Relay)
2nd Team Men's Outdoor All-Great Midwest
Brent Fairbanks - AU (Hammer Throw)
Isaiah Kelly - CU (10000m)
Gabriel Clement - UF (Decathlon, Javelin)
Gabe Makin - UF (Pole Vault)
Eliot Cummings - UF (Long Jump, Triple Jump)
Shakur Payton - UF (High Jump)
Nathan Stout - AU (Shot Put)
Jacob Schmidt - HC (4x100 Relay)
Dagur Einarsson - HC (4x100 Relay)
Oliver Samuelsson - HC (4x100 Relay)
Braedon Killion - CU (1500m)
Anthony Nickerson - TU (800m)
Trey Gruet - CU (400m Hurdles, 4x400 Relay)
Josh Verhoff - UF (200m)
Jordan Foster - UF (5000m)
Ryan Rager - AU (400m, 4x400 Relay)
Brenden Jackson - AU (4x400 Relay)
Colin Roberts - AU (4x400 Relay)
3rd Team Men's Outdoor All-Great Midwest
Jesse Houle - WU (Hammer Throw)
Hunter Moore - WU (10000m)
Joel Berger - WU (Decathlon)
Alex Mutchler - UF (Pole Vault)
Chris Campbell - UF (Long Jump)
Gabriel Miller - WU (Discus)
Storm Elsesser - AU (High Jump)
Alex Mitchell - HC (3000m Steeplechase)
Ethan Tabor - AU (Triple Jump)
Benedict Draghi - TU (Shot Put)
Daniel Turner - WU (Javelin)
Kyron Rogers - TU (4x100 Relay)
Michael McNeil - TU (4x100 Relay)
Stephen Powell - TU (4x100 Relay)
Xavier Foehl - WU (1500m)
Dean Johnson - TU (110m Hurdles)
Micah Gremling - WU (100m)
Micah Vanderkooi - HC (800m)
Cameron Shifflet - AU (400m Hurdles)
Cooper Peterson - CU (5000m)
Brandon Thomas - CU (4x400 Relay)
Will Faunce - CU (4x400 Relay)
Jaden Johnson - CU (4x400 Relay)