PORTLAND, Ore. - The GNAC announced the special award winners, as voted by the coaches, for the 2022-23 indoor track & field season on Tuesday, with Northwest Nazarene's Steven Schmidt the Men's Athlete of the Year and Brayden Durfee the Men's Newcomer of the Year.

Schmidt was the unanimous choice for the men's athlete of the year honor, and the only special award winner to receive the vote from every coach.

Schmidt had an outstanding season that saw him win two conference titles and earn All-American honors in the heptathlon. Schmidt won his second straight conference championship in the heptathlon with a meet-record score of 5,386 points and also won the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 11 inches. Schmidt added a second-place finish in the high jump and a third-place finish in the pole vault. The combined effort earned Schmidt selection as the GNAC Championships Male Field Athlete of the Meet.

Schmidt also received the meet's Male Performance of the Meet award for his meet-record performance in the heptathlon high jump where he cleared 7 feet, 0.25 inches, a mark that ranks No. 3 on the GNAC all-time list and No 8 in Division II this season.

At the Division II Championships, Schmidt used a strong second day to finish in third place with a score of 5,523 points that ranks No. 2 on the GNAC all-time list. On the season, Schmidt set NNU records in the high jump and the heptathlon and is in the top-four on the NNU list in the long jump and pole vault.

Durfee was named the Men's Newcomer of the Year. The transfer from Division I Boise State finished third in both the 60 meters and 400 meters at the GNAC Championships and placed sixth in the 200 meters.

Durfee finished the season with the second-fastest time in the GNAC in the 60 meters at 6.91 seconds and the fourth fastest in the 400 meters in 49.09 seconds.

Schmidt is the second NNU athlete to earn men's indoor athlete of the year honors, joining Maurus Hope in 2012. Durfee joins Mitch Kamstra from 2014 as NNU's only recipients of the men's indoor newcomer of the year award.


2022-23 GNAC Indoor Track & Field Special Honors

MEN
Athlete of the Year - Steven Schmidt, NNU (unanimous selection)
Coach of the Year - Octavious Gillespie-Bennett, WOU
Newcomer of the Year - Brayden Durfee, NNU
Freshman of the Year - Gabe Menicke, WWU & Hewie Nguyen, SMU

WOMEN
Athlete of the Year - Vanessa Aniteye, SPU
Coach of the Year - Octavious Gillespie-Bennett, WOU
Newcomer of the Year - Ujunwa Nwokoma, WOU
Freshman of the Year - Emma Cannan, SFU & Meaera Shannon, WWU