NEW ORLEANS – Days after announcing its All-Region honorees, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) handed out the organization's regional athlete and Coach of the Year honors for 2014. Chico State received three awards, as J Patrick Smith was named West Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year, Oliver Hanf was selected as West Region Men's Coach of the Year, and Manny Trevino received West Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
The regional athlete and Coach of the Year awards are determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. For Smith, it's the second straight year he's received West Region Field Athlete of the Year accolades. Hanf won the second regional coaching award of his Chico State career, while Trevino was honored for the first time since joining the Wildcat track & field coaching staff.
Smith heads into next week's NCAA Track & Field Championships as the top decathlete in all of Division II, thanks to a 7,351-point performance Apr. 4-5 at the Sam Adams Combined Events Invitational. He scored 33½ team points at the CCAA Championships, including a win in the long jump, to lead Chico State to its 11th consecutive team title and earn a share of the conference Field Athlete of the Year award. He will be competing in the long jump and for his third straight national championship in the decathlon Mar. 22-24 in Allendale, Mich.
Hanf, in his 17th year at Chico State and second as men's head coach, presides over the fifth-ranked team in the country. As the CCAA Men's Coach of the Year, Hanf led his squad to an 11th straight conference crown with 266 team points and a 100-point victory margin. The Wildcat men's team will be represented by seven athletes competing in 10 entries at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.
Trevino, in his 12th year as sprints coach at Chico State, led the women's 4x100-meter relay team of Aja Erskine, Ashley Jones, Amilia Santos and Kasey Barnett to a school-record time of 46.50. The foursome won the CCAA title for the first time in school history and qualified to compete for the national 4x100 crown at the NCAA Championships.
