Vicars Named Assistant Coach of the Year
UF track assistant Derrick Vicars was tabbed the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year on May 27.
Vicars, who earned Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year accolades during both the indoor and outdoor seasons for the Oilers, is in his second year at Findlay and works with the throwers.
The Genoa, Ohio native was a two-time NCAA Division II National Champion during his collegiate years with the Oilers. He won outdoor titles in the shot put (2012) and discus (2010) and is now coaching a plethora of talented throwers at Findlay.
During the outdoor season, the Findlay throwers accounted for half of their men's team score en route to a runner-up finish at the national championship. His throwers on the women's side also racked up four of the Oilers nine points at the event.
Vicars coached senior Justin Welch, who has racked up four national titles in the past two years for Findlay. At the 2015 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track National Championship, Welch won his second consecutive individual title in the hammer. He also earned All-American honors in the discus and was tabbed the Midwest Region and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Field Athlete of the Year.
Senior Taylor Miller produced a runner-up finish at the championship in the shot put while sophomore Ben Hahler and senior Mathieu Marcoccia finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in the event to earn All-American honors as well.
On the women's side, Vicars coached senior Kendra Averesch to a sixth place finish and All-American award in the shot put while sophomore Erica King placed eighth in the hammer to earn All-American accolades as well.