CANYON, TEXAS – West Texas A&M Track & Field earned four regional outdoor awards from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Monday.
 
South Central Region Men' Field Athlete of the Year – Fran Bonifacic
South Central Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year – Esther Conde-Turpin
South Central Region Women's Coach of the Year – Matt Stewart
South Central Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year – Zach Daniel
 
Bonifacic won the decathlon at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships with 7499 points, just missing his second 7500+ point score of the spring. Earlier in the season, Bonifacic amassed a PR score of 7526 to win the multi at the Texas Relays. Bonifacic also starred at the Lone Star Conference Championships, finishing top eight in four different field events.
 
Conde-Turpin won the heptathlon at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships with exactly 6100 points, her second time with 6100 or more points this season. That is the third-best total in NCAA DII history and also happens to be her second: the first, an NCAA DII record, came in a winning effort at the Texas Relays where she amassed 6161 points. Conde-Turpin showed her range at the Lone Star Conference Championships, winning both the javelin throw and long jump, and placing third in the high jump.
 
Stewart led the Lady Buffs to the team title at the 2026 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, winning four events and earning 17 All-America honors. West Texas A&M also won the team title at the Lone Star Outdoor Championships with 250 points as Stewart was named Coach of the Year.
 
Daniel coached WT distance squad as Lady Buffs won four event titles at the 2026 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships – heptathlon, 800, 400 hurdles and 4×400 relays. His heptathlon champ, Esther Conde-Turpin, set the NCAA DII record in the heptathlon earlier in the year with 6161 points in winning the Texas Relays.