UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Friday that a trio of Nittany Lions have won regional accolades for the outdoor track & field season.
Penn State athletes claimed Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year honors on both the men's and women's side, as David Lucas and Maddie Holmberg won the award for their respective sports.
Lucas, the former NCAA Indoor Weight Throw Champion, won his first career Big Ten Championship this season, recording a 60.06m (197-0) discus throw to win the conference title. He then followed with a season-best 60.77m (199-4) throw at the NCAA East Preliminaries to qualify for next week's NCAA Championships. The throw was the best in both the Big Ten and the Mid-Atlantic Region this season.
Maddie Holmberg earned her second-career Big Ten Championship this season, becoming Penn State's first Big Ten heptathlon champion since 2014. Her 5839 score in the event ranked eighth in the NCAA, the highest field event ranking for any women's athlete in the Mid-Atlantic Region. She is also ranked first in the long jump in the region, recording a 6.36m (20-10.5) jump at the Maryland B1G Invite back in March. Holmberg will be among the seven Penn State athletes competing at the NCAA Championships, earning automatic qualification in the heptathlon following her victory at the Big Ten Championships. This marks the second time Holmberg has received the award from the USTFCCCA, as she claimed the honor in 2018.
After guiding the Penn State throws group to a tremendous outdoor campaign, coach Lucais MacKay has been named Mid-Atlantic Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year. MacKay helped steer the Nittany Lion throwers to two Big Ten Championships, with David Lucas winning the discus title and Mark Porter winning the javelin title. Penn Staters placed first, third and fourth in the javelin at the conference meet. Tyler Merkley earned the silver medal in the hammer throw at the Big Ten Championships and will join Porter and Lucas at the NCAA Championships.
Each of the nine regions – Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain, Northeast, South, South Central, Southeast and West – honored both genders' top track athletes and field athletes as well as the top men's and women's head coaches and assistant coaches.
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.