INDIANAPOLIS- The Great Midwest Athletic Conference recognized standouts from the 2026 outdoor track & field  season. Student-athletes from four different institutions headlined the individual awards on the men’s side as Tiffin’s Mark Del Monaco was voted by his peers as the Coach of the Year.
 
In his first year at the helm of the Tiffin track & field program, Del Monaco led the Dragons to their fourth G-MAC outdoor title. Eleven TU student-athletes earned either first or second team all-conference honors at the conference championship meet, while seven qualified for the national championship. Of the seven that qualified, two went on to earn all-American honors. Both Jordan Cortner went on to earn first-team all-American honors, while Brock Carlson got the second-team nod.
 
Northwood’s Blake Vier was voted the top track athlete after a standout junior season. Vier ended his 2026 campaign with the 16^th fastest time in the 110m hurdles in D2 history. His time of 13.59 seconds shattered both the G-MAC and Northwood records. At the national championship meet, he earned all-American honors with a third place finish. This is the first track athlete of the year honor for the Timberwolves since joining the league in 2022.
 
Alan De Falchi from Lake Erie College was tabbed the Field Athlete of the Year after capturing a national championship title in the discus. Throughout the 2026 season, the graduate student consistently rewrote record books for both Lake Erie and the G-MAC. He shattered the conference record in the discus, with a mark of 59.10m. He went on to throw 60.48m at the national meet to earn the league’s second discus national championship title. De Falchi’s mark of 60.48m is the eighth farthest time in Division II history.
 
The top freshman in the league was voted as Hillsdale’s Dom Scharer. During his freshman campaign, Scharer placed third at the conference meet in the discus and went on to qualify for the national championship in the hammer throw. He placed 10^th in the event, earning him his first all-American honor.
 
Justin Hattingh of Findlay is the league’s Elite 26 award winner for academic excellence. Hattingh is a sophomore majoring in Business Administration.
 
Cedarville captured the Sportsmanship Award after displaying positive acts of sportsmanship throughout the 2026 season.
 
A full list of honorees can be found HERE.