Utah Valley University received four Western Athletic Conference outdoor track and field postseason awards, including both Athlete of the Year titles, according to a May 26 announcement from the conference.
Sila Kiplagat was named men’s Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year, while Morgan Nokes was selected as women’s co-Athlete of the Year alongside Eliza Lemberga from University of Texas at Arlington. Scott Houle, head coach for Utah Valley Wolverines Track & Field, earned women’s Coach of the Year.
Kiplagat became the second consecutive Wolverine to win both Athlete and Freshman of the Year after Gabe Remy and Alex Hartshorn claimed those honors last season. He also swept this year’s Freshman of the Year awards across cross country, indoor, and outdoor seasons. Kiplagat is only the second Utah Valley athlete to achieve this feat since Hannah Branch in 2017. This season he won WAC championships in both the 1500-meter and 5,000-meter events and will compete at Regionals this week.
Nokes secured her second WAC Athlete of the Year award for this athletic year after previously winning during cross country. She captured two more WAC titles at outdoor championships by winning both 5k and 10k races, bringing her total to six conference titles across all disciplines for this season. Nokes is currently ranked tenth in the West for 10k and sixteenth for 5k heading into NCAA Regionals.
Houle received his forty-fourth Coach of the Year honor overall—and his second this year—after leading Utah Valley’s women to their third consecutive WAC team title with a score of 211 points earlier in May.
Utah Valley will begin competition at NCAA Regionals in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Wednesday with its men’s athletes participating first.
