UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State mid-distance athlete Hayley Kitching and head coach John Gondak received regional awards Thursday from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA).
Kitching picked up her second Women’s Track Athlete of the Year in the Mid-Atlantic Region and her first since 2024. The senior holds two collegiate top-10 times, with her 2:38.45 mark in the 1000-meter run during the Penn State National Open being the third-fastest mark in collegiate history. The following month, she delivered a seventh-place all-time performance in the 800-meter run at the Husky Classic, clocking a 1:59.22. Both of those times are the fastest in Penn State history.
Gondak received the Men’s Coach of the Year in the Mid-Atlantic Region after spearheading a successful 2026 season. Penn State placed second during the Big Ten Indoor Championships while sending nine male athletes (across six events) to the NCAA championship meet. This is Coach Gondak’s fourth Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year award, his third for the men’s team and his first since winning the same award in 2024.
Kitching, Gondak and their fellow Penn State athletes and coaches begin the outdoor portion of their 2026 campaign Saturday when they compete in the Penn Challenge in Philadelphia.