Men's Outdoor Track and Field | 6/7/2021 12:59:28 PM
Two-time national champion Kyle Rollins of St. John Fisher College garnered his third straight individual honor, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field awards on Monday, June 7. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches. Last month, the league announced its
All-Conference selections, based on the 2021 E8 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, held at St. John Fisher on May 7-8.
Rollins won his second consecutive national championship in the long jump on May 28, from Greensboro, North Carolina, clearing 2.11 meters. He also earned All-American honors in the triple jump the following day, finishing third in the event. Rollins is the fifth individual national champion and fourth from the track & field team in Fisher's history. He is also the only individual from St. John Fisher to win more than one national title and is an eight-time All-American.
Rollins was named the USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year and garnered his second straight Empire 8 Championship 8 Field Athlete of the Meet accolade. He swept the long, triple and high jump events at both the 2021 Empire 8 Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Earlier this season, Rollins cleared 2.17 meters in the high jump and had a top leap of 15.45 meters in the triple jump. Rollins was also the Empire 8 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2019 and Rookie of the Year in 2018.
Junior Grant Stokoe of St. John Fisher was named Empire 8 Championship Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. The Stokoe enjoyed a breakout season, earning both Empire 8 Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Meet honors, while winning the 2021 Empire 8 Spring Cross Country Runner of the Meet honor. Stokoe won the 800-meters, 1,500-meters and ran the anchor leg on St. John Fisher’s victorious 4 x 800-meter relay team (8:20.27) at the 2021 E8 Outdoor Championships on May 7-8. In addition, Stokoe earned his first All-Region nod after recording the fourth fastest time among all Atlantic Region runners in the 800-meters of 1:53.85, set at the Roberts Wesleyan Capstone meet on May 14. It is the fifth straight season that a St. John Fisher student-athlete has earned E8 Track Athlete of the Year accolades.
Daijon Richards of Utica College was named the 2021 Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year. Richards emerged as a top sprinter in the region and shared the 2021 E8 Outdoor Championship Track Athlete of the Meet award with Stokoe. Richards won both the 100-meter (10.87 seconds) and 200-meter (22.69 seconds) dashes, while teaming up to win the 4 x 100-meter relay in a time of 43.28 seconds at the league championship on May 7-8. Richards is the fifth Empire 8 Rookie of the Year from Utica.
St. John Fisher head coach Mike Henchen and his staff were named the 2021 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. The Cardinals won third Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Championship and fourth in program history. Overall, the Cardinals and had 16 different student-athletes earn All-Conference honors, while Rollins won his second national title in the high jump and garnered his seventh and eighth All-American plaudits. It is the fourth time Henchen and his staff were honored by the E8.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021 Men's Outdoor Track & Field Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
2021 Empire 8 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Award Winners
Track Athlete of the Year: Grant Stokoe, Jr., St. John Fisher
Field Athlete of the Year: Kyle Rollins, Sr., St. John Fisher
Rookie of the Year: Daijon Richards, Fr., Utica
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by head coach Mike Henchen
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Kyle Jenkins, Jr., Alfred
Caleb Kasper, Fr., Houghton
Matt Reimann, Fr., Nazareth
Arnoldo Burnett, Sr., Russell Sage
Zachary Briggs, Sr., St. John Fisher
Matthew Breault, So., Utica
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
EMPIRE 8 SOCIAL MEDIA
YouTube –
Facebook –
Twitter –
Instagram