NEW ORLEANS (Blugolds.com) – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has announced the Finalists for the national awards for the 2020 NCAA Division III Indoor season which include three Blugolds.
Senior heptathlete Dylan Cooper (Sr. – Holmen, WI) has been named a Finalist for Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, Assistant Coach Sarah Glidden a Finalist for Men's Assistant Coach of the Year and Head Coach Chip Schneider a Finalist for Men's Coach of the Year.
The Blugolds, who won their first outdoor national title a year ago and won indoor titles in 2015 and 2016, were the top-ranked team in the nation heading into this year's national championship.
Schneider's squad earned spots in the national meet in two relays and seven individual events, with the Blugolds ranked in the top 10 in eight of those events including owning the top seeds in three. Schneider was also named the USTFCCCA 2020 Midwest Regional Coach of the Year.
Glidden, a former Blugold national champion and All-American, serves as the decathlon/heptathlon coach. Under her guidance, not only did three Blugolds qualify for the national championship in the heptathlon, but they held the top three seeds in the event; Cooper first, Abrahm Schroedl (Jr. – De Forest, WI) second and Marcus Weaver (Fr. - Lewiston, MN/Lewiston-Altura) third. Glidden was also selected as the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
Cooper not only set the top mark in the nation; he also tied the NCAA Division III record with 5,441 points on his way to winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title. The senior has also been named the WIAC Field Athlete of the Year and USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Field Athlete of the Year.
