2021 Big West Track & Field Award Release
Cal State Fullerton earned its share of the track & field major awards, claiming four of the nine selections in a vote of the league’s head coaches.
The Titans claimed the Men’s Co-Track Athlete of the Year in CHARLES KELLY, both of the Freshman of the Year awards in REYTE RASH and MAYA OCCIANO and the Men’s Coach of the Year in JOHN ELDERS. Cal Poly earned a couple of awards as BROOKE TJERRILD made history with the Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and head coach MARK CONOVER claimed the Women’s Coach of the Year. The remaining honors were earned by a trio of schools as MATTHEW OKONKWO of UC Davis claimed the Men’s Co-Track Athlete of the Year, KATIE CAMARENA of UC Santa Barbara earned the Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and JASON SMITH of Long Beach State claimed the Men’s Field Athlete of the Year.
MATTHEW OKONKWO, UC DAVIS
MEN’S CO-TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Junior • Sprints • Winchester, Calif. • Murrieta Mesa HS
• First Aggie to be named Athlete of the Year in program history
• Named Big West Men’s Track Athlete of the Meet following the championship
• Double winner at the Big West Championships in the 200 (21.23) and 400 (47.26)
• First UCD sprinter to win the 200 at the league meet
• School record holder in the 400, setting that at 46.36 at the Red & Black Invitational this season
• One of only two Aggies all-time to run a sub-47 400 race
• Has four wins in the 400 and two in the 200 this season
• Earned qualification in the 400 in the NCAA West Regional, currently ranks 24th in the region
• Named Big West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week on March 3
CHARLES KELLY, CAL STATE FULLERTON
MEN’S CO-TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Senior • Hurdles • Palmdale, Calif. • Palmdale HS
• Third Titan to claim Track Athlete of the Year honors and second straight recipient
• Big West champion in the 110 hurdles (14.10) and 400 hurdles (51.23) while also running the second leg of the victorious 4x400 (3:11.93)
• Both times in the 110 and 400 hurdles are tops in the Big West and PRs
• His event winning times are both school records, the 400 hurdles record had previously stood for 20 years
• Broke the 110H record in consecutive meets (UCR Invitational, Big West Championships)
• Won every 400 hurdles race he entered in this season and placed second only once in the 110 hurdles
• Named Big West Men’s Track Athlete of the Week on two occasions (March 3, May 4)
KATIE CAMARENA, UC SANTA BARBARA
WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Senior • Distance • San Juan Hills, Calif. • San Juan Hills HS
• Sixth Gaucho to win Track Athlete of the Year, all coming from middle and long distance runners
• Big West champion in the 5000 meters in 16:29.57, setting a PR by 26 seconds
• Second place at the league meet in the 1500m (4:20.66) and 800m (2:05.52)
• Ranks second on the UCSB list in the 800 and ninth in the 5000
• Broke the school record in the 3000m at the Cal Poly Dual Meet by five seconds in 9:19.38
• Broke the school record in the 1500m at the Bryan Clay Invitational by two seconds in 4:13.32
• Currently ranked 19th in the NCAA for 1500m and 9th in the West Region
JASON SMITH, LONG BEACH STATE
MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Junior • Jumps • San Bruno, Calif. • Archbishop Riordan HS
• Sixth straight LBSU athlete to win award and his second honor overall (2018)
• Individual champion at league meet in high jump (2.17m) and long jump (7.65m)
• Had the highest winning high jump at the Big West Championships since 2012
• Became only the second athlete in Big West history to win both the long Jump and high jump at the Conference Championship
• Runner-up in the triple jump (15.33m) and ran the anchor on the victorious 4x100 team (40.96)
• West Regional ranking of ninth in high jump), 15th in long jump and 43rd in triple jump
• Achieved PRs in both high jump (2.20m) and long jump (7.78m) this season
• Is undefeated in 2021 in long jump and won three of four competitions in the high jump
BROOKE TJERRILD, CAL POLY
WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Junior • Pole Vault • Fresno, Calif. • Clovis North HS
• Fourth Mustang to win Field Athlete of the Year honor and first pole vaulter to claim the honor since the award was created in 2003
• Broke the Big West Championship meet pole vault record with her clearance of 4.24m, a record that had stood since 1999
• Broke the conference and program pole vault record in four consecutive meets, a record that had stood since 2000
• First woman in Big West history to win three consecutive conference crowns in the pole vault
• Set the conference record on May 1 at dual meet vs. UCSB, jumping 4.27m, also setting the school record
• Selected as Field Athlete of the Week on four occasions (April 13, 21, 28 and May 4)
• Six career Big Week weekly awards is tied for third in conference history
• Has seven victories in the pole vault this season, moving her collegiate total to 18
REYTE RASH, CAL STATE FULLERTON
MEN’S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Sprints/Hurdles • Riverside, Calif. • Martin Luther King Jr. HS
• Second Titan to earn top freshman honors, joining teammate Rasaun House (2018)
• Placed second at the Big West Championships in the 400 meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 51.57 seconds
• Runner-up finish was the highest of any Big West freshman at the conference meet
• Improved upon his previous career-best (52.52) by nearly a second
• Ranks No. 2 in the Big West and No. 32 in the West Region in the 400 hurdles
• Earned a berth to the NCAA West Preliminary based on his 400 hurdles time
MAYA OCCIANO, CAL STATE FULLERTON
WOMEN’S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Hurdles • Oceanside, Calif. • Mission HS
• Became third Cal State Fullerton individual to be selected the conference’s top freshman – Morgan Thompson (2012) and Tyler Hardge (2015)
• Won the 400 meter hurdles at the Big West Championships in a personal-best 60.08
• First freshman since Hardge in 2015 to win the 400 hurdles at the conference meet
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West and No. 51 in the NCAA West Region for the 400 hurdles
• Highest ranked Big West freshman in any event in the West Region
• Ran the second leg to help the 4x400 relay team finish third at the Big West Championships in 3:52.57
• Posted a time of 57.30 second in the 400 meters, which ranks her No. 8 in the Big West
JOHN ELDERS, CAL STATE FULLERTON
MEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR
33rd Season
• Named Big West Men’s Coach of the Year for the second straight season
• Led the Titans to their third Big West championship in the last four years – and the final time in his 33-year coaching career
• Highest winning point total (163) among the three championship squads as he will retire at the end of the season
• Coached three event winners at the Big West Championships, including Charles Kelly (100 meter hurdles & 400 meter hurdles) and the 4x400 relay team
• Helped seven competitors qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in College Station, Texas
• Titans are ranked No. 13 in the West Region according to the USTFCCCA, second-best among Big West programs
MARK CONOVER, CAL POLY
WOMEN’S COACH OF THE YEAR
25th Season
• Earned his first career Big West Women’s Coach of the Year honor
• Guided Cal Poly to first Big West championship with 181.5 points, highest winning score since 2015
• Championship point total best in Cal Poly history, eclipsing previous record of 164 in 2001
• Coached five event winners at the conference meet – Anisa Rind (400 meters), 4x400 relay team, Julianna Ruotolo (heptathlon), Brooke Tjerrild (pole vault) and Emily Hallett (hammer)
• Under his watch, Tjerrild broke two Big West pole vault records that had stood for two-plus decades – the overall mark of 14 feet even at the Blue-Green Rivalry meet on May 1 and the conference meet of 13 feet, 11 inches on May 13
• Coached five qualifiers to the upcoming NCAA West Preliminary Round in Molly Ross (100 meter hurdles), Ruotolo (high jump), Hallett (hammer), Tjerrild (pole vault) and Kayla Myers (pole vault)
The honorees turn their attention next to the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminary Round from Wednesday, May 26 through Saturday, May 29 at E.B. Cushing Stadium in College Station, Texas. The field is comprised of the top 48 individuals per event west of Mississippi.