CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – A group of national champions, ACC champions and All-Americans headline the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track and Field season honors, the league announced Friday, June 26.
The honorees were selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches:
Men's Outdoor Track Performer of the Year: Geoffrey Kirwa, Louisville
Women's Outdoor Track Performer of the Year: Shenese Walker, Florida State
Men's Outdoor Field Performer of the Year: KJ Byrd, Louisville
Women's Outdoor Field Performer of the Year: Alyssa Jones, Stanford
Men's Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year: Elsingi Kipruto, Louisville
Women's Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year: Rylee Blade, Florida State
Men's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year: Vin Lananna, Virginia
Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year: Mark Elliott, Clemson
After being named the 2025-26 ACC Women’s Indoor Track Performer of the Year, Florida State’s Walker followed it up with a stellar spring, earning recognition as the 2026 ACC Women’s Outdoor Track Performer of the Year. Throughout her historic spring, Walker broke the ACC record in the 100-meter dash before capping her collegiate career with the individual national championship in the 100-meter dash.
Kirwa, a sophomore from Louisville, won the NCAA individual national championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on his way to being named the 2026 ACC Men’s Outdoor Track Performer of the Year. Kirwa also earned first team All-ACC honors in the 5,000 meters with a bronze medal finish at the 2026 ACC Championships. In April, Kirwa set the ACC record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:08.10, ranking second in collegiate history.
Byrd completed his sweep of the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Field Performer of the Year awards after finishing second in the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The sophomore totaled 8,160 points while earning first team All-America honors. Byrd won the ACC championship in the pole vault while also competing in the long jump and high jump.
After winning the NCAA individual national championship in the women’s long jump, Jones solidified her stake as the 2026 ACC Women’s Outdoor Field Performer of the Year. After also being named the 2026 ACC Women’s Indoor Field Performer of the Year, Jones also broke the ACC long jump record on multiple occasions throughout the spring. Her season-best mark and now-ACC record came in the NCAA West First Rounds with a 7.09-meter (23-3.25) jump. The mark is the second best in collegiate history, trailing only a mark posted more than five years earlier.
Louisville’s Kipruto earned a pair of first team All-America honors in his debut season before being named the 2026 ACC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year. The Louisville standout finished as the national runner-up in the 10,000-meter run and the bronze medalist in the 5,000 meters. At the 2026 ACC Championships in Louisville, Kipruto won the 5,000-meter run in a time of 13:23.34. Throughout the regular season, Kipruto won every race he ran, highlighted by the Bryan Clay Invitational, where he posted an ACC-record time of 27:29.83 in the 10,000 meters.
Florida State’s Blade, the 2026 ACC champion in the 10,000 meters, capped a stellar rookie season by being named the 2026 ACC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year. Blade earned first team All-America honors in the 10,000 meters, finishing seventh, while earning All-ACC honors in both the 10K and 5,000 meters. A native of Corona, California, Blade posted her best 5K time of the season at the Penn Relays, clocking in at 15:29.45.
For the second time in three years, Lananna was named the ACC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year. Lananna was also named the 2025 ACC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year. He became just the 10th coach to win multiple ACC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field titles after the Cavaliers logged 110 points on their way to victory in 2026.
After leading Clemson to its first ACC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship since 2015, Elliott was named the 2026 ACC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year. It marks Elliott’s first time being named the ACC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year, joining the 2015 season.