ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced the recipients of their 2025 women’s outdoor track & field awards on Wednesday. The awards are nominated and voted on by the UMAC track & field head coaches. Only results from the UMAC Outdoor Championship meet count for consideration in the awards. 
 
Stephanie Witbrod of the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings earned the Top Scoring Athlete of the Meet award and was named the Field Athlete of the Meet. The senior led the conference with 40 points at the UMAC Championship, winning the shot put (13.37m) and hammer throw (44.08m). She also placed second in the triple jump (10.73m) and third in both the long jump (4.96m) and javelin throw (35.66m).

Ella Dufault of the Crown College Polars was named the Track Athlete of the Meet. The sophomore led the UMAC with 35 points in track events, winning the 5000m (18:48.21) and 3000m steeple (11:34.63). She also placed second in the 1500m (4:48.26), fourth in the 800m (2:20.44), and seventh in the 400m (1:03.72).
 
Joyce Horton of the North Central Rams was named the Rookie of the Year. The freshman earned 29 points for the Rams at the UMAC Championship. Horton won the 100m (15.63) and triple jump (10.77m), was the runner-up in the 4x400m relay (4:11.31), placed third in the 400m hurdles (1:09.18), and took eighth in the high jump (1.37m).
 
The Crown Polars coaches earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The Polars, led by head coach Grant DeWitt in his second season, won the UMAC Outdoor Championship for the first time in program history with a 142-point performance.
 
The Crown Polars won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Each team also had one representative earn all-sportsmanship honors.
 
All-Conference recognition is given to individuals who finished in first or second place in an individual event and to members of relay teams who finished in first place in a relay event at the UMAC Outdoor Championship.
 
TOP SCORING ATHLETE OF THE MEET
Stephanie Witbrod (Bethany Lutheran)
 
TRACK ATHLETE OF THE MEET
Ella Dufault (Crown)
 
FIELD ATHLETE OF THE MEET
Stephanie Witbrod (Bethany Lutheran)
 
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Joyce Horton (North Central)
 
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR
Crown Polars Coaching Staff
 
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Crown Polars
 
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP 
Naomi Anderson (Bethany Lutheran)
Karlee Wolff (Crown)
Ella Schlei (Martin Luther)
Brycelyn Brewster (North Central)
Natalie Enright (Minnesota Morris)
Deanna Ammermann (Northwestern)
Myla Volk (UW-Superior)
 
ALL-CONFERENCE    

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The UMAC is an NCAA Division III member comprised of eight full-time member schools from Minnesota and Wisconsin: Bethany Lutheran College, Crown College, Martin Luther College, North Central University, Northland College, University of Minnesota Morris, University of Northwestern, and University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Watch UMAC games on the UMAC Sports Network: available on the web, as a mobile app for iOS and Android, and as a TV app for Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku.
   

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