Mahana, Rollins Named Empire 8 Indoor Athletes of the Year

March 21, 2019

Following the completion of the Indoor Track and Field season, the Empire 8 announced that St. John Fisher College junior Eddie Mahana was named the conference’s Track Athlete of the Year while sophomore Kyle Rollins was selected as its Field Athlete of Year.

Kyle Rollins and Eddie Mahana are Empire 8 Male Athletes of the Year.

One of the nation’s top hurdlers during the indoor season, Mahana earned his first Track Athlete of the Year award after winning the 60m hurdles and placing second overall in the 200m dash last month in the Empire 8 Championship.  A native of Cicero, New York, Mahana posted the seventh-fastest time in all of Division III this season in the 60m hurdles. He then went on to earn his first-career All-American selection after he finished eighth overall in the same event earlier this month at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship in Boston, Mass.

Rollins was named Field Athlete of the Year after dominating in the high jump and triple this season.  The sophomore won the high jump and placed second overall in the triple jump at the Empire 8 Championship. He was consistently atop the standings throughout the indoor season.

The Groveland, New York native qualified for the NCAA Championship in both events and was the top overall seed in the high jump after posting a leap of 2.10 meters earlier this season.

Rollins only got better as the lights got brighter. He finished second overall in the high jump at the NCAA Championship and shattered his own program record after clearing 2.15 meters to earn the third All-American nod of his young career.  He earned another Top 10 finish after placing 10th in the triple jump – nine spots higher than he was seeded entering the event.

The Cardinals also had two student-athletes named Sportsperson of the Year. Ricardo Yolas and Clarissa Hensler were honored for “competing with honor and integrity” and have consistently exhibited the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen and sportswomen.

The track and field teams will return to action on Saturday, March 30, as they begin the outdoor season at the Geneseo Early Season Invite.