The University of Rochester women's track and field team swept the four major regional awards in the Niagara Region for the 2026 outdoor season, following voting done by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
 
Junior Nora Chen was honored as the Women's Track Athlete of the Year, first-year Lauren Murphy was the Region Field Performer of the Year and two coaches, Sam Albert and Jay Petsch, received Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year, respectively, for the 2026 women's outdoor track and field season.
 
Chen becomes URochester's first-ever regional Track Athlete of the Year for outdoor track and field after a terrific season in the sprints and hurdles events for the Yellowjackets. The junior finished seventh at the NCAA Division III Championships in the 400 meter hurdles and also competed in the 100 meter hurdles and 4x400 meter relay at the national meet. Chen's top time this season of 59.61 seconds in the 400 meter hurdles established a new school and Liberty League record and was the #2 time in Division III entering the national championship.
 
Additionally, Chen was the AARTFC regional champion in the 400 meter hurdles and scored in two other events, leading the Yellowjackets to the team title at that event. Within the Liberty League, she was a two-time champion, winning both the 400 meters and 400 meter hurdles, while also placing second in the 100 meter hurdles. During the year-end regional awards from the USTFCCCA, Chen received six Niagara Region honors, coming in the 200 meters, 400 meters, 100 meter hurdles, 400 meter hurdles and both the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays.
 
Murphy is the second Yellowjacket to receive Niagara Region Field Athlete of the Year accolades, with Madeline O'Connell previously earning the award back in the 2024 campaign. In 2026, the UR first-year capped her season with a remarkable effort at the NCAA Division III Championships, ending in third place in the triple jump with a top mark of 12.48 meters. Throughout the season, Murphy broke the school record in the triple jump a total of four times, with three of those coming in the six jumps at the national meet.
 
The UR rookie was also a triple-winner for the Yellowjackets at the Liberty League Championships, claiming titles in the long jump, triple jump and 4x400 meter relay, while also placing second in the 4x100 meter relay. Overall on the season, Murphy finished in the top-3 in her events a total of 14 times in 16 appearances, including posting a win in the triple jump at the Division I William & Mary Colonial Relays, where she jump 12.12 meters, ranking #9 on the Division III performance list regular season. From the USTFCCCA, Murphy received All-Niagara Region honors for the outdoor season in both the long and triple jump events.
 
Albert receives his fifth all-time Women's Region Coach of the Year honor in 2026, continuing a successful stretch in recent seasons with the Yellowjackets. After earning his initial award back in 2016, Albert has now won the Women's Region Coach of the Year accolade in four of the last five seasons. In 2026, the Yellowjackets sent a school-record seven individuals to the NCAA Championships and ended up securing a 32nd place result in the team standings. Rochester had four All-Americans during the outdoor season, with two earning First Team and two others securing Second Team honors.
 
In the Division III national TFRI, URochester was ranking in the top-16 for seven of the eight weeks of the season, peaking at number six which is a program-record for outdoor track and field. Albert guided the Yellowjackets to a team title at the All-Atlantic Region Outdoor Championships, also winning the UR Alumni Invitational crown. URochester added a runner-up team finish at the Liberty League Championships and was fourth, and the highest-finishing Division III school, at the Division I William & Mary Colonial Relays.
 
For Petsch, the jumps and multi-event coach at URochester, the 2026 Regional Women's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year honor is his second over his career, and fourth in total, including men's awards. All have come in the last five seasons, with his previous women's honor for outdoor track and field coming in the 2022 season. Petsch was instrumental in Murphy developing into one of the best jumpers in Division III in just her first season on the squad, eventually finishing third at NCAA's. In addition, Petsch's long jump squad ranked #5 on the Division III #EventSquad rankings this season, averaging a best mark of 5.53 meters throughout the year. UR also was ranked in Division III in the high jump.
 
At the Liberty League Championships, Petsch's athletes combined for 46 total points at the meet, accounting for 25-percent of the Yellowjackets scoring, in the eventual runner-up team finish. Overall in the Niagara Region, the Yellowjacket jumpers and multi-event women had 12 top-30 marks, with five sitting inside the top-10.