Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

2019 USTFCCCA National Athletes/Coaches of the Year
2019 USTFCCCA Outstanding Outdoor National Championship Performers

May 29, 2019 - An outdoor season for the ages continues to result in an extensive awards haul for North Central College's Dhruvil Patel, as the senior was announced Tuesday as the National Track Athlete of the Year for the 2019 outdoor campaign and the Outstanding Track Performer for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Patel is the fifth North Central student-athlete to win the USTFCCCA's National Athlete of the Year award in outdoor track and field. Pole vaulter Luke Winder '19 was named the National Field Athlete of the Year in 2016 and 2017, while distance runner Michael Spain '11 was named Track Athlete of the Year in 2011 and distance runner Dan Mayer '94 was named National Athlete of the Year in 1994 before the award was split into separate honors for track and field events. Patel was also named the National Athlete of the Year following the 2018 cross country season and the 2019 indoor track and field season, making him the only men's athlete in Division III history to win all three awards in the same academic year.

Patel is the first Cardinal to be named the Outstanding Performer at the outdoor championship since the award's introduction in 2015. Winners are determined using a formula that takes into account team points scored, plus meet records (five additional points), Division III season bests (three additional points) and facility records (one point). Relay points, if applicable, are split equally between the four team members. He shared the award for the 2019 indoor season.

Patel won his fifth and sixth individual national titles at last weekend's Division III Outdoor National Championships in Geneva, Ohio. He won the 5,000- and 10,000-meter events, sweeping both titles for the 11th time (the fourth by a North Central athlete) in the meet's history. He was the only athlete at this year's men's outdoor championship to win multiple national titles.

A three-time All-American in cross country and a 10-time All-America honoree in track and field, Patel won the indoor national championship at 5,000 meters each of the last two years and also won an outdoor 10,000-meter title and the Division III cross country championship in 2018. He established a Division III all-time best in the outdoor 5,000-meter run (13:51.40) at Stanford University's Cardinal Classic in April and clocked a personal-best time of 28:50.87 at the Stanford Invitational Mar. 29 to move up to No. 3 on the Division III all-time list in that event.