BLUFFTON, Ohio - The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the All-Region honorees for the 2016-17 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field season.
To be named All-Region, an athlete must either be ranked in the top-5 of an individual event in the region according to final TFRRS data or be part of a top-3 relay team.
The Bluffton University men were represented on the Great Lakes All-Region team by a pair of field athletes. Making it two-for-two this spring was junior Kyle Knezovich (Utica) who was honored following a record-setting indoor season. He was the HCAC indoor champion this year with a 15-5 clearance which broke his own school record and tied the conference meet record. Knezovich re-set his record several times this season en route to winning the HCAC championship.
Knezovich earned All-Region honors for both the decathlon and pole vault following the outdoor season. He finished 2nd in the decathlon with 5986 points at the All-Ohio Championships which broke the school record set in 1986! He won both the pole vault (14-07.25) and javelin (153-04) en route to his 2nd place finish.
The junior pole vaulter had his back to the wall and was behind on misses when he capitalized on an opportunity to clear 15’ 3” on first attempt to add an outdoor title to the one he won at the indoor championship, giving him a clean sweep on First Team All-HCAC honors this year! Knezovich was also a member of Bluffton's HCAC-winning 4 X 100 relay that propelled him to yet another First Team All-HCAC award.
Also collecting All-Region honors for the Beavers was Stanley Williams (Sterling Heights, Mich./Chippewa Valley) who earned Male Freshman of the Year acclaim. A member of Bluffton's HCAC-winning 4X100 relay team, Williams made his individual presence known as well, bringing home three individual podium finishes. In hotly contested competitions, Williams placed 2nd in both the 100 meters and long jump and equaled the 1992 school record for a 3rd place 21.92 second finish in the 200 meters. He established new Bluffton records in the 100 meters (10.70) and long jump (23-2.75) this spring.
-BEAVERS-
