WICHITA, Kan. – Next week, the Friends University Falcons will have two representatives at the 2022 Greater Wichita Sports Banquet, as track & field student-athlete Kortney Schutt is a finalist for the College Female Athlete of the Year, while powerlifting's Tyler Wilson made the final cut in the College Male Athlete of the Year category.
Selected as both the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Women's South Central Region Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, Schutt enjoyed a dominant stretch of earning three straight KCAC Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week awards.
At the KCAC indoor track & field championships, Schutt set a new meet record to win the conference title in the weight throw (17.89m). She also won the KCAC championship in the shot put (13.59m) and put in NAIA automatic qualifier marks in both victories.
She followed that up with an All-America performance at the NAIA national indoor meet in the shot put.
The outdoor season was more of the same success for the local Wichita native with two more KCAC Women's Field Athlete of the Week nods along with being named the NAIA's top women's field athlete on Apr. 6.
Schutt then capped off her memorable senior campaign by competing at the NAIA national outdoor meet in May.
Wilson proved to be one of the elite powerlifters in the entire nation after winning the USA National Powerlifting championship in the 110kg division. A true clutch performer, Wilson deadlifted 726 lbs. in his last attempt to capture the title. He wasn't done though and set an American record in the 110 Collegiate Raw division with a mark of 805 kg Total.
The Andover, Kan. native also hit a 10kg squat personal record of 628 lbs. while competing against the best in the nation, as the three-day event featured over 1800 collegiate powerlifters from across the country making it the largest USAPL event in history.
The winners will be announced at the 24th annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 29 at the Drury Plaza Broadview Hotel, with former San Francisco Giants great Buster Posey on hand as the special guest to announce the 2022 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year.
Click HERE for a full list of finalists in all categories.
