2026 SUNYAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Annual Awards Released
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The SUNYAC announces its 2026 Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, Field Athlete of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coaching Staff of the Year awards as voted on by the conference coaches.
Track Athlete of the Year – Miranda Cole, Delhi
Cole repeats as the SUNYAC Women's Track Athlete of the Year after winning the 200-meter run and finishing second in the 100-meter at the conference championship meet. She was part of the 4x100 meter relay team that ranked 26th in the nation and the 4x400 meter relay team that ranked 15th in Division III this season. Cole is also the 400-meter leg of the NCAA DIII national record setting sprint medley relay team. She advanced to the NCAA Division III championships where she finished third in the 200-meter and 11th in the 4x400 meter relay team to earn All-American status. Cole broke Delhi's school records in the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 4x400 meter relay team this season.
Field Athlete of the Year – Cheyenne McPeek, Cortland
At the 2026 SUNYAC championship meet, McPeek finished second in the hammer throw, third in the shot put and fourth in the discus throw to help her team win the conference title for the second year in a row. McPeek was the AARTFC champion in the hammer throw and she was also All-Region in the event. She advanced to the NCAA Division III championship where she broke the school record in the hammer throw finishing sixth to earn first-team All-America honors.
Rookie of the Year – Nyla Wilson-Epps, Buffalo State
Wilson-Epps was the 2026 SUNYAC champion in the discus throw and she finished fifth in the shot put and hammer throw. She was named the Rookie of the Meet after compiling the most team points across first-year competitors at the league championship. Wilson-Epps finished fourth in the hammer throw at the AARTFC championship. She was also named to the USTFCCAA All-Niagara Region team for the shot put, discus and hammer throw. In her first season with the Bengals, Wilson-Epps broke schools records in the shot put (12.49m), discus throw (42.50m) and hammer throw (50.34m).
Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coaching Staff of the Year – Cortland
Head coach Steve Patrick is assisted by Chad Dunham, Peter McGinnis, Curtis Merrick, Maris Seabury, Mitch Makowski and Marissa Formes-Patrick. In 2026, the coaching staff guided their team to its second straight and 19th overall conference crown. The team had two individual event winners and finished ninth place out of 65 schools at the AARTFC championship. Three athletes advanced to the NCAA Division III championships where the team finished tied for 53rd place out of 129 schools. The Red Dragons had two All-American performances at the national championship meet and 10 athletes were named All-Niagara Region from the USTFCCCA for the 2026 season.
