2013 USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Region Athletes of the Year

New Orleans, LA -- Freshman Johnny Carter and senior Vashti Thomas have both been voted NCAA Division II West Region Athletes of the Year for the indoor as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Friday. Carter and Thomas, who were both named USTFCCCA All-Region earlier this week, are among the athletes who will be in action at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships set for March 7-9 in Birmingham, AL.

All Region Athletes of the Year were nominated and voted upon by coaches from USTFCCCA member organizations. A total of eight track student-athletes and eight field student-athletes were selected on both the men's and women's sides for this prestigious honor.

Named West Region Field Athlete of the Year, Carter (Bakersfield, CA) is the DII's top-ranked athlete in the long jump and triple jump entering the NCAA Championships. He owns bests of 24-10 (7.57m) in the long jump and 51-3 (15.62m) in the triple.

Chosen as West Region Track Athlete of the Year, Thomas (San Jose, CA) has led Academy of Art to its highest ranking in program history at No. 3 in the nation. She will enter the NCAA Championships in a nation-leading five individual events and in the pool for the 4×400 relay. On the track, she is seeded No. 1 in the 60m hurdles with an 8.17 qualifying time, tied for second in the 200m at 23.84, and eighth in the 60m at 7.49. In addition, she holds the top seed in the long jump and the sixth seed in the triple jump.