2018 USTFCCCA Indoor Regional Award Winners

NEW ORLEANS -- With the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships just days away, Michane Ricketts was honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday. Ricketts earned the first West Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year award of his career.

"Michane has really bought in to everything we have said and done this year," said assistant coach Akil Gipson. "He comes in every single day ready to work and because of that he has seen success this year. His performance is directly attributed to his work ethic."

A senior from Clarendon, Jamaica, Ricketts came out of the gate on absolute fire, posting an Indoor Nationals long jump automatic qualifier and new school record 25-3.25 (7.70m) in his final attempt at the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi on Dec. 7. He finished the year ranked second nationally in the event (one of five automatic qualifiers) and won four event titles along the way.

"In order to long jump well, you have to be fast," said Gipson. "This year, we really worked on speed to the board and control off the board. He has started to really understand these concepts and apply them on the track which has allowed him to have more consistency in his jumping this year."

Many of the honored athletes and coaches will be in competition at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships coming up this weekend, March 9-10, in Pittsburg, Kansas at the Robert W. Plaster Center. Portions of the meet will be streamed online live at NCAA.org and more information can be found at the USTFCCCA's National Championships Central page.