KEENE, N.H. – Junior Tyler Bolaske was named the Track Athlete of the Year, Ballay Conteh Rookie Field Athlete of the Year, and head coach Dan Roark along with assistant coaches Crystal Blamy, Bill Edson, Dylan Flewelling, and Kyle Maruca the Coaching Staff of the Year as the Little East Conference announced their major end of season awards for men's and women's indoor track and field Thursday afternoon.

The Owls, coming off their first indoor championship since 2008 last weekend on the men's side, were fittingly well-represented in the honors, with Bolaske earning the honor after winning the mile at the conference championship with a meet and facility-record time of 4:11.00.  The Palmer, Mass. native, who qualified for the NCAA championship and was the individual conference champion in cross country this fall, stands a strong shot of qualifying this winter as well, with his converted mile time of 4:07.84 ranking 24th in Division III and sixth in New England.  Bolaske was also the runner-up in the 800 meters at the LEC championship (1:59.25) and sports a 3,000 time at Boston University that is also among the Owls' eight national top 50 marks as they eye the New England Division III championships this weekend.

Head coach Dan Roark and his staff also earned big recognition, as they were named the Coaching Staff of the Year.  Since taking over in March of 2022, Roark has helped both the track and cross country programs continually ascend – never more clear than this year when the Owls won their third indoor track title in program history since joining the Little East in 1997 with their 20-point victory over runner-up University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth last weekend at Plymouth State University.  When Roark took over, KSC had finished ahead of just one team in the league, and now they were the last team standing after continual year-over-year strides, which included impressively sweeping the podium in two sprinting events (60 meters, 200 meters).

On the women's side, freshman Ballay Conteh was named the Rookie Field Athlete of the Year.  She currently has a season-best mark of 5.66 meters in the long jump, good for fifth in New England and 17th nationally as the season enters its final days.  She also had a triple jump mark of 10.91 meters that is 19th in New England and finished seventh in the long jump at the LEC championships (5.23 meters).

The Owls will compete at the New England Division III championships in Boston this weekend before Tufts' National Qualifying Meet the following weekend as they attempt to earn qualifications into the NCAA championship for the 18th time in program history on the men's side, and in back-to-back years for the first time since 2013 and 2014.  The women are looking to send representation to the national stage for the first time since 2019 and 16th time overall.

Men's Indoor Track & Field All-Conference (16)

First Team All-LEC
Kyle Thomas, 60 meters
Aidan Law, 200 meters
Tyler Bolaske, mile
Griffin Urnezis, 5000 meters
Aidan Law, long jump
Eden Damis, triple jump

Second Team All-LEC
Ethan Vitello, 60 meters
Ethan Vitello, 200 meters
Tyler Bolaske, 800 meters

Third Team All-LEC
Aidan Law, 60 meters
Kyle Thomas, 200 meters
Nick Terranova, mile
Griffin Urnezis, 3000 meters

LEC All-Rookie Team
Ethan Vitello, 60 meters
Ethan Vitello, 200 meters
Andrew Klinedinst, 5000 meters

Women's Indoor Track & Field All-Conference (7)
Second Team All-LEC
Keely Giordano, 60 meters
Molly Lu McKellar, 60 hurdles
Caroline Cooper, triple jump

Third Team All-LEC
Ava Fortin, mile
Maggie St. John, 5000 meters
Mia Cruz, high jump
4x400 meter relay (Mia Cruz, Miranda Poirier, Elle MacDonald, Keely Giordano)