Men's Indoor Track and Field | 3/27/2026 10:30:00 AM
Five athletes and coaches from SUNY Geneseo earned 2026 Niagara Region Indoor Track and Field Awards. Junior Ryan Hagan was named the 2026 Men's Track Athlete of the Year while Head Coach Chris Popvici was named men's Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach Dan Moore was named Assistant Coach of the Year for the men. On the women's side, Senior Sierra Doody was named the 2026 Track Athlete of the Year, junior Jillian Ambler was named the 2026 Field Athlete of the Year and Popovici was also named women's Coach of the Year. These awards were announced by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Hagan, who hails from Liverpool, NY, was part of the distance medley relay team that won the national championship at the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championship, crossing the finish line in an Empire 8 record time of 9:24.65. He also earned national runner-up honors in the 3,000-meters with a time of 8:06.04 to earn First Team All-American honors. Hagan was named the 2026 Empire 8 Indoor Track Championship Field Athlete of the Meet after winning both the 800-meters and mile run. Hagan set a bevy of Empire 8 individual records in 2025-26 in the E8, including the 1,000-meters (2:27.34), mile (4:02.39), 3,000-meters (8:04.87) and 5,000-meters (14:12.33). Hagan was also a USTFCCCA All-Niagara Region selection in both the 800-meters, mile, 3,000- and 5,000-meters in addition to the distance medley relay. He was also the 2025-26 Empire 8 Men's Track Athlete of the Year
Doody, a Webster, NY native, a 2026 NCAA National Runner-up, earned NCAA Championship runner-up honors in the 800-meters at on March 14 with a time of 2:09.01. She was also part of the 4 x 400-meter relay team that earned NCAA Second Team All-American honors by placing 11th at nationals. Doody, who holds the Empire 8 record in the 800-meters (2:08.82), won the league championship in the event in addition to an Empire 8 title in the 4 x 400-meter relay, both for the second straight season. She also earned USTFCCCA All-Niagara Region honors in the 800-meters and mile in addition to the 4 x 400-meter relay. She was also the 2025-26 Empire 8 Women's Track Athlete of the Year.
Ambler, a Fairport, NY native, enjoyed an incredible season, placing second in the long jump at the 2026 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 13 and fourth in the 60-meter hurdles the following day to earn First Team All-American honors in both events. Ambler was also part of the 4 x 200- and 4 x 400-meter relay teams at the All-Atlantic Region Championships. Ambler was named the Empire 8 Indoor Championship Field Athlete of the Meet, setting a league record with the sixth-best long jump in Division III history at 6.11 meters. She also won the 60-meter hurdles, 200-meter run and 4 x 400-meter relay at the E8 Championship. Ambler earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in five events, the 60-meters, 60-meter hurdles, 200-meters, 4 x 400-meter relay, and long jump. Ambler holds the Empire 8 record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.49 seconds and 4 x 200-meter relay (1:42.59) in addition to the long jump mark. She was also the 2025-26 Empire 8 Women's Field Athlete of the Year.
Coaches Popovici and Moore won their second straight Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Championship for both the men's and women's teams and placed seventh at the 2026 NCAA Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships and. Overall, Geneseo had 18 different student-athletes on the women's side earn All-Conference honors, while Ambler, Doody, and Lauren Jaklitsch earned First Team All-American honors. The Knights, who had 16 different student-athletes combine to earn 31 USTFCCCA All-Region accolades, shattered five E8 Indoor Track and Field Championship records and five overall league marks in 2025-26. Geneseo had 17 different student-athletes on the men's side earn All-Conference honors, while the relay team of Pierce Young, Arjun Ojha, Dawson Wadsworth and Ryan Hagan won the national title in the distance medley relay at nationals. Overall, nine different Knights earned 12 All-American honors. The Knights shattered four E8 Indoor Track and Field Championship records and eight overall league marks in 2025-26.