Crimson & Gray Awards | Past Athletes of the Year

INDIANA, Pa. – Sophomore track & field pole vaulter DJ Horton (Kane, Pa./Kane Area) has been named the 2016-17 IUP Men's Athlete of the Year, which was announced on Thursday, June 15 by the IUP Athletic Department.
 
The award is part of the newly established Crimson & Gray Awards, which recognize the top athletes, coaches, teams and performances of the IUP Athletics season.
 
The Athlete of the Year Award is in its fifth year of existence.
 
Horton earned a pair of All-American nods this year, including second team honors during the winter indoor season and first team accolades in this spring's outdoor season. They were the sophomore vaulter's second and third career All-American honors.
 
Horton broke both of his own indoor and outdoor IUP pole vault records this year, tallied eight top-three finishes in 13 total meets, and won his third career Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) individual title at the conference's outdoor championship meet in May.
 
In the winter, Horton set a new school indoor record by clearing 5.00 meters (16-04.75) at the Kent State Tune-Up and finished second at the PSAC Championships. His mark at Kent State was the 16th best in the country, as he was selected to the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships where he finished 11th overall to earn second team All-American honors.
 
Horton opened the outdoor season with back-to-back wins at the Cal U Early Bird and IUP's Western PA Challenge. He then put up his second record breaking performance of the year, posting a height of 5.20 meters (17-0.75) at the Penn Relays, which automatically qualified him for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships.
 
That was a performance that also earned Horton the 2016-17 IUP Men's Performance of the Year award.
 
He won his second straight PSAC Outdoor Championship in Bloomsburg and then earned first team All-American honors with an eighth place finish at NCAAs with a mark of 5.06 meters.
 
Horton earned All-Atlantic Region honors by the USTFCCCA during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. He was also named IUP Athlete of the Week five times.  
 
Up next
This marks the end of the inaugural year of the Crimson & Gray Awards. Click on the link above for a full run-down of the winners.
 
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