CORTLAND, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has released its annual Men's Outdoor Track & Field Track Athlete, Field Athlete, Rookie and Coach of the Year awards for the 2019 season. These awards are voted on by the coaches within the conference.
Track Athlete of the Year: Tyler O'Bryant - Oneonta
During the 2019 SUNYAC championships Tyler O'Bryant won a pair of victories in the 100 and 200-meter dashes after entering with the fastest times of the season, running 10.78 seconds to win the 100 and crossing the line in 21.97 seconds to win the 200. O'Bryant's performances earned him the honor as Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete of the Meet. The senior also made quite a splash in the 2019 NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships. After completing preliminary rounds for the 100 and 200 meter dashes, O'Bryant ran the 100 final, and crossed the finish line in 10.37 seconds, a personal best. The time was also the second-fastest in program history. In the 200 final, O'Bryant ran a personal best time of 21.24 seconds to finish fifth, but the winner of the race was disqualified, moving him up one spot to a fourth place finish. His performance in the event was the third-fastest time in program history. O'Bryant's efforts earned him All-American honors in both events, capping off his impressive campaign.
Field Athlete of the Year: Norberto Cervantes - Oneonta
Oneonta's Norberto Cervantes has been honored as the 2019 Field Athlete of the Year. The sophomore earned second team All-Conference honors following his performances at the 2019 SUNYAC championships. Cervantes kicked off his two days of competition with a third place in the hammer recording a distance of 50.61 meters (166'-0"), while also taking second place in the discus with a distance of 41.33 meters (135'-7"). His efforts helped push the Oneonta men's team to a fourth place finish at the meet.
Rookie of the Year: Adam Parker - Potsdam
Potsdam's Adam Parker has been bestowed with the Rookie of the Year award following a stellar freshman campaign. During the team's second-ever trip to the SUNYAC outdoor championships
, Parker earned first team All-Conference honors following his shot put performance, becoming the first Potsdam athlete to earn All-SUNYAC honors in program history. The freshman reached a distance of 15.64 meters to claim second place in the men's shot put, just 0.38 meters behind Brockport's Tony DeYoung for the SUNYAC title. His finish also earned the first field points in men's program history. Following his championship meet performance, Parker placed second at the All-Atlantic Regionals in Cortland, recording a distance of 15.05m, finishing just a centimeter shy of the title. He closed out his rookie campaign as the first Potsdam track and field athlete to receive All-Region honors, and narrowly missed getting an invitation to the 2019 NCAA Division III outdoor track and field championships.
Coach of the Year: Chris Popovici - Geneseo
Chris Popovici has been voted Coach of the Year for the second time in a row, after leading the Geneseo men's outdoor track and field team to a 2019 SUNYAC title. It's the second-straight time the men's outdoor program has been crowned conference champions, both of those coming under Popovici's leadership. Popovici helped lead eight athletes on the men's outdoor team to become All-Regional, and two athletes participated in the 2019 NCAA Division III outdoor track and championships. Popovici's efforts have helped Geneseo become a nationally-recognized program in track and field.