NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced its 2022 NCAA Division III Regional Award recipients on Tuesday and Washington and Lee senior Joe O’Connor (Henrico, Va. / Douglas Freeman) earned the Men’s South Region Field Athlete of the Year honor.
O’Connor has twice broken his own outdoor program record in the pole vault this season. The first occurrence came on March 26 at the Dr. Jack M. Toms Alumni Invitational with a mark of 4.96m (16’3.25″), before he cleared 5.05m (16’6.75″) at the Mount Olive First Chance meet. O’Connor’s 5.05m not only set the program’s outdoor record, but it also set a new ODAC record as well.
O’Connor is undefeated in the pole vault this season through six competitions, and he qualified for the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship in the event. His height of 5.05m is tied for the second-highest mark in Division III, trailing only MIT’s Luka Srsic’s mark of 5.06m.
The NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held on May 26-28 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The men’s pole vault is scheduled to take place on Saturday at 12:00 pm.
To view the complete list of USTFCCCA regional award winners, click here.
