The Big West is proud to announce its 2026 Track & Field major award winners, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
 
Men’s Awards
After tabulating the votes, Cal State Fullerton’s Ian Dossman was selected as the Track Athlete of the Year. Long Beach State took home two awards with Field Athlete of the Year going to Ryan Gregory and Steven Evans-Glynn winning the Freshman of the Year accolade. Cal Poly’s Ryan Vanhoy was picked as the Coach of the Year.
 
Dossman was a podium finisher in the 200m (20.24) at the NCAA Championships, coming in seventh place. The Titan junior was also qualified for nationals in the 100m and 4x100m relay. At the regional meet, Dossman ran a personal-best time of 20.15 in the 200m to win the event. Dossman won double gold in the 100m (10.02wa) and 200m (20.20) at the Big West Championships
 
Gregory finished the season with a fourth-place performance in the decathlon at the NCAA Championships, setting personal- and school-record with 8001 points. While completing the 10 disciplines, the Beach senior set lifetime-bests in three events. Gregory won the Big West title in the decathlon in dominating fashion with 7816 points, taking first place in seven events.
 
Evans-Glynn was the Big West champion in the long jump with a personal-best mark of  7.83m/25’8.25” wa. The Beach rookie placed 10th in the event at the regional meet to qualify for nationals in the event. In Eugene, Evans-Glynn placed 18th.
 
Vanhoy led the Mustang men to a third-straight team title at the 2026 Big West Championships. The fourth-year head coach had 13 men’s regional qualifiers, and sent four individuals in Chris Caudillo (1500m), Carson Smith (1500m), Travis Martin (hammer throw) and Ben Feyrer (pole vault) to the national meet.
 
Women’s Awards
Cal State Bakersfield’s Makiah Parker claimed the Track Athlete of the Year honor and UC Riverside’s Chelsea Aninyei was recognized as the Field Athlete of the Year. Big West women’s team champion UC Irvine took home two awards with Joy Anderson being tabbed as the Freshman of the Year and Jeff Perkins voted as the Coach of the Year.
 
At the Big West Championships, Parker won the 100m (11.38wa) and was the runner-up in the 200m (23.26 wa) and helped the Cal State Bakersfield 4x100m relay team to a second-place finish (45.25). The second-year Roadrunner was a regional qualifier in all three events. Parker was last year’s Big West Freshman of the Year.
 
Aninyei concluded the season with a fifth-place finish in the triple jump with a new conference-, school-, and personal-record of 13.52m/44’4.25”. The mark came on the sixth and final attempt at nationals, as the Highlander senior was eighth after the preliminary rounds and improved three positions on the final jump. At the Big West Championships, Aninyei won the triple jump (13.04m/42’9.5”) and placed third in the long jump (6.08m/19’11.5”).
 
As a true freshman, Anderson won the heptathlon at the Big West Championships with 5740 points. The Anteater rookie was also tied for fourth in the open high jump at the conference meet, raking in 13.5 points for the league-champion UC Irvine team. Anderson placed 19th at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon with 5554 points.
 
Perkins helmed the UC Irvine women to its second consecutive Big West title at the conference meet. The Anteater women had 13 regional qualifiers and sent two to the national meet in heptathletes Joy Anderson and Jolie Robinson.