Lock Haven, Pa. - Shippensburg’s Neely Spence is the 2010 PSAC Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year while IUP’s Maddy Outman is the Field Athlete of the Year. Both earn their respective awards for the second straight year after another standout outdoor season. Kutztown’s April Doyle is the PSAC Freshman of the Year while Shippensburg’s Dave Osanitsch is the Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Raiders to their first PSAC Championship since 1998.
Spence, who just completed her sophomore year at Shippensburg, has now been named the Athlete of the Year in her respective sport in all six of her competitive seasons with the Lady Raiders. This is her second straight Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year award and she has also been the Track Athlete of the Year in both of her indoor seasons at Shippensburg, both this year and last year. Additionally, she has also been named the PSAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year in both of her seasons on the cross country course. Spence, who earlier this month was also the recipient of the PSAC’s second annual Sportsmanship Award, concluded her sophomore season by winning the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. In helping lead her team to the PSAC Championship, Spence also won captured individual PSAC titles in both the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 for the second straight year, and finished second in the 1,500 for the second straight year, this season finishing just .04 of a second out of first place after finishing second just .02 of a second out of first last year.
Outman, a graduate student at IUP, is the Field Athlete of the Year for the second straight year after a pair of dominating performances both at the PSAC and NCAA meets. At the PSAC meet, Outman was named both the track MVP and overall MVP of the meet and she has been a standout in both track and field events in her two years at IUP. She won the heptathlon title at the PSAC meet for the second straight year. Outman also repeated as PSAC champion in the 100-meter hurdles, setting a new PSAC meet and overall record time in that event and she also won the 400 meter dash at PSACs while finishing second in the long jump for the second straight year. Outman then finished the NCAA meet at an All-American in four different events as she placed eighth in the long jump, third in the heptathlon, fifth in the 400-meter hurdles and seventh in the 100-meter hurdles. In the heptathlon, her point total of 5392 points at the NCAA meet set a new PSAC record in that event.
Doyle enjoyed an outstanding freshman year for the Golden Bears as she won the shot put title at the PSAC Championships and also finished 15th in the hammer throw and 10th in the discus throw. Her performances helped Kutztown to a third place finish at the PSAC meet, the best finish for the Bears since a second place showing in 2007.
Osanitsch is the Coach of the Year after also being named the women’s Coach of the Year during the indoor season this year. Osanitsch guided the Lady Raiders to their first PSAC Championship since 1998 but the program’s fifth overall, which is the second most in PSAC history. That title followed the Lady Raiders’ indoor title from earlier this year. For Osanitsch, who was also named the PSAC men’s outdoor Coach of the Year, it is his seventh and eighth career PSAC Coach of the Year awards, also including two from indoor. Shippensburg also finished in ninth place at the NCAA Championships, the highest of any PSAC team at this year’s national meet.
2010 PSAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Awards
Track Athlete of the Year
Neely Spence, Shippensburg
Field Athlete of the Year
Maddy Outman, IUP
Freshman of the Year
April Doyle, Kutztown
Coach of the Year
Dave Osanitsch, Shippensburg