TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology freshman Liz Evans (Bicknell/ North Knox) has been named Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year, and Matt Cole earned regional Men's Assistant Coach of the Year accolades from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Evans will compete in the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships at DePauw University at 4 p.m. today.
Evans is tied for second nationally with a season best jump of 5' 8" at the Illinois Wesleyan University Invitational earlier this season. She has also cleared the NCAA Division III automatic qualification mark three times and compiled an undefeated record in invitational competition in 2010.
Evans became the first female student-athlete in Rose-Hulman history to qualify for the NCAA Division III Track and Field National Championships, and is also the first Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year in program history. She will join a field of 16 competitors at the nationals.
Cole helped lead Rose-Hulman to its fourth consecutive men's Hoosier-Buckeye Invitational title in a meet featuring all nine Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference institutions. He served as the team's sprint, hurdles and jumps coach this season. His student-athletes combined to earn nearly 75% of the team's points in the Hoosier-Buckeye Championship.
Cole's efforts included tutoring two school record relay teams this season, highlighted by the 4-x-400 squad which broke a 25-year old mark. He also served as coach for Evans and NCAA provisional men's qualifier Sutton Coleman.
The NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region consists of all colleges and universities in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.