2010 PSAC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year Negus Graham of East Stroudsburg (left) and Field Athlete of the Year Nafee Harris of IUP (right).
Lock Haven, Pa. - Negus Graham of East Stroudsburg has been named the 2010 PSAC Men’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year while IUP’s Nafee Harris is the Field Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. Millersville’s Jeff Robinson is the Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Marauder to win a PSAC postseason track & field award in 10 years while Shippensburg’s Dave Osanitsch is the Coach of the Year.
Graham is the second East Stroudsburg runner to garner a PSAC postseason Track Athlete of the Year award, as he follows teammate Chris Reddick, who was the indoor Track Athlete of the Year this season. The junior became the first East Stroudsburg men’s track & field athlete to earn All-America honors in both indoor and outdoor track in the same event. Graham ran to All-America status in the 400 meters with an eighth place finish at the NCAA Championships after winning the 400 at the PSAC Championships. He was also a member of the Warriors’ 4x400 relay team that won a PSAC title and also finished sixth in the 200 meters at the PSAC meet. For his efforts at the PSAC meet, in which he led the Warriors to a second place finish, just four points behind first place Shippensburg, he was named the track MVP of the meet.
Harris is the Field Athlete of the Year for the second straight year after winning his second straight national championship in the long jump at the NCAA Championships last month. That title was his third national title in the long jump, including last year’s outdoor title and the indoor long jump title at the NCAA indoor championships this year. The junior is the only athlete to win more than one national title in IUP track & field history. He is now a four-time All-American in the event, having also placed fifth at the 2009 NCAA indoor meet. He saved his best for last this year as he finished just 13th at the long jump at the PSAC meet. At the PSAC meet, he also finished second in the 100 meters and ran on IUP’s 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams. His performance at the NCAA meet helped the Crimson Hawks to a 17th place finish, the highest finish of a PSAC team this year.
Robinson becomes the first Millersville track & field athlete to win a PSAC postseason award since Jim Carney was the Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 2000. Robinson won the 200 meters at the PSAC Championships, becoming Millersville’s first champion in the 200 in 14 years while running the fastest time in the PSAC this year in that event at :21.35. That time was an NCAA provisional qualifying time but he just missed out on an NCAA invite. He also finished fourth in the 100 meters and was on the Marauders’ fourth place 4x100 relay team at the PSAC meet.
Osanitsch is the men’s Coach of the Year and he makes it a double this year as he is also the women’s outdoor Coach of the Year in addition to being named the women’s indoor Coach of the Year earlier this year. He guided the Red Raiders to their second straight PSAC championship and its sixth title in the last eight years. All of the Red Raiders’ recent title have been by narrow margins, as this year’s margin of victory was by just four points over second place East Stroudsburg. That followed last year’s outdoor title, won by just 6.5 points, also over the Warriors, and the 2009 indoor title by just five points over second place Lock Haven. The Red Raiders also finished in a tie for 57th place at the NCAA meet this spring. The Coach of the Year double for Osanitsch this year are the seventh and eighth of his career, and the fifth and sixth career outdoor Coach of the Year honors for him.
2010 PSAC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Awards
Track Athlete of the Year
Negus Graham, East Stroudsburg (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg South)
Field Athlete of the Year
Nafee Harris, IUP (Lancaster, Pa./McCaskey)
Freshman of the Year
Jeff Robinson, Millersville (Philadelphia, Pa./Freire Charter)
Coach of the Year
Dave Osanitsch, Shippensburg