Left: SOU's Jared Hixon; Right: C of I's Tiana THomas
Hixon and Thomas Named CCC Track Athletes of the Year
LA GRANDE, Ore. – Southern Oregon’s Jared Hixon and College of Idaho’s Tiana Thomas have been named the 2015-16 Cascade Collegiate Conference Track & Field Athletes of the Year, the conference office announced.
Hixon, a senior from Palmdale, Ore., became the 13th NAIA outdoor national champion in SOU men's history with a win in the 1,500-meter run (3:52.73) after coming into the meet as the No. 7 seed. Named the track athlete of the meet at the CCC Championships, Hixon won the 1,500-meter by 2.5 seconds and the 5,000-meter run by 15 seconds with a time of 14:30.42.
In the NAIA rankings, Hixon ended the season with the ninth fastest time in the 1,500-meter (3:51.24) and fourth in the 5,000-meter (14:30.42).
Other nominees for male track athlete of the year included Max Hampton from College of Idaho and Eric England of Eastern Oregon.
Thomas, a senior from Middleton, Idaho, was the NAIA National Champion in the 400-meter hurdles finishing at 59.04, a time that would have finished second in the NCAA Division II level and first in the NCAA Division III meet. Her 54.5 points in the conference championship meet helped lead her team to their fourth straight title, racking up wins in the heptathlon, 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter run, 400-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay.
During the indoor season, Thomas was an All-American in three events, the pentathlon, 600-meter and the DMR.
Other nominees for female track athlete of the year included Eastern Oregon’s Talitha Fagen and Southern Oregon’s Jessa Perkinson.