ARLINGTON, Texas – The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) has officially announced its 2026 Indoor Track and Field major award winners, as voted by the leagues’ six head coaches.
 
Tarleton State’s Jalen Cadet was selected as the WAC Men’s Athlete of the Year after scoring the most points by a male at the WAC Championships (21) and being named Co-Most Outstanding Men’s Field Performer of the conference meet. Cadet was crowned the WAC men’s long jump champion with a winning mark of 7.72 meters, a new personal best and the 31^st best jump in NCAA DI this season. Cadet claimed the bronze in the WAC men’s high jump and finished fourth in the men’s 200-meter dash.
 
The WAC Men’s Freshman of the Year award was split between Tarleton State’s JayBrion Jones and Utah Valley’s Sila Kiplagat. Jones won the WAC men’s 60-meters final, but set the 10^th fastest time in NCAA DI in the prelims with a time of 6.54, making himself the second fastest freshman in the 60-meters this year and a qualifier for the NCAA Championships.
 
Kiplagat notched two top-two finishes in the WAC Championships, helping Utah Valley secure the WAC men’s title. Kiplagat won the mile with a winning time of 4:03.79 and placed second in the 3,000-meters, finishing in 8:18.33. Earlier in the season at the Husky Classic, Kiplagat set a personal best of 3:58.29 in the mile.
 
WAC Men’s Coach of the Year Scott Houle led Utah Valley to its first WAC indoor men’s title since 2015, also the last time Houle claimed the leagues’ Coach of the Year honor. Houle and the Wolverines won four individual championships, all in the distance events, and swept the podiums in the one-mile and 3,000-meter runs.
 
The WAC Women’s Athlete of the Year, Victoria Cameron of Tarleton State, stole the show at the WAC Championships as she broke her own WAC all-time women’s 60-meter dash record twice in the meet. Cameron first broke the record in the prelims with a time of 7.09, then set a new fastest 60-meter time in NCAA DI this season with a mark of 7.08 in the conference final. Cameron’s 60-meter time of 7.08 is tied for the 13^th fastest in the world and tied for second among U.S. born women.
 
UT Arlington’s Arieanna McPeak was named the WAC Women’s Freshman of the Year after taking the silver medal in the WAC Championship women’s long jump and women’s triple jump and splitting the Most Outstanding Women’s Field Performer honor at the conference meet. McPeak’s triple jump mark of 12.49 meters at the WAC Championships was a personal best and ranks fifth all-time in program history.
 
Tarleton State’s Bobby Carter was voted as the WAC Women’s Coach of the Year after leading the Texans to its first indoor conference title and sending three Texans to the NCAA Championships. The Texans were also just recently ranked inside the top-25 in NCAA DI women’s indoor track and field for the first time in program history, checking in at No. 22. Carter and the Texans won seven individual titles at the WAC Championships including a podium sweep of the women’s 60-meter dash.
 
2026 WAC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD AWARDS
 
Men’s Athlete of the Year
Jalen Cadet, Sr., Tarleton State
 
Men’s Co-Freshman of the Year
JayBrion Jones, Tarleton State
Sila Kiplagat, Utah Valley
 
Men’s Coach of the Year
Scott Houle, Utah Valley
 
Women’s Athlete of the Year
Victoria Cameron, So., Tarleton State
 
Women’s Freshman of the Year
Arieanna McPeak, UT Arlington
 
Women’s Coach of the Year
Bobby Carter, Tarleton State