NEW ORLEANS, La. - Regional Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track & Field season were announced on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Carroll College Sophomore Carson Krack has been named the 2026 West Region NAIA Field Athlete of the Year for the first time in his career.
Just two short years into his career, Carson Krack (Whitefish, Mont. / SO) is quickly establishing himself as one of the best to ever do it at Carroll College.
For the first time, Krack was named the USTFCCCA Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year for the West region, following one of the most impressive seasons in recent memory.
Krack ended the regular season ranked first nationally in the decathlon with a Carroll College program record score of 7526 points at the Bryan Clay Multi's earlier this Spring, a score that puts him ninth in NAIA history.
The Frontier Conference held their decathlon championship in Dickinson, N.D. as part of the Blue Hawk Games in late April, two weeks ahead of the open portion of the Conference Championships. Krack, the 2025 Champion, successfully defended his title with a score of 7,078, the lone competitor to cross the 7,000-point mark.
Already with one conference crown under his belt entering the weekend, Krack impressed yet again in early May, totaling 26 points in field events at the Frontier Conference Outdoor Championships. He won both the decathlon and long jump, and finished third in the high jump, en route to earning Frontier Conference Field MVP honors.
Add in his performance in the Track events at the Conference Championship, and Krack ended the weekend with a grand total of 51 points, including a meet-record in the 400m hurdles, to earn the league's Most Valuable Athlete award.
Krack's body of work in the spring of 2026 would constitute a stellar career for many student-athletes. However, it's simply a continuation of his highly-impressive career log. The sophomore has qualified for the both the NAIA Indoor & Outdoor National Championships in each of his two years at Carroll, earning at least one All-American honor in every appearance.
This week in Ashville, N.C., Krack will look to make history, aiming to defend his 2025 NAIA National Championship and become the second Fighting Saint in the last five years to accomplish the feat (Lee Walburn - '21, '22).
Krack and 13 teammates will depart this afternoon for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, taking place later this week. The USTFCCCA West Athlete of the Year will begin his title defense at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, as the Decathlon 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400m kick-off the three-day event.
Each of the five regions – Great Lakes, Midwest, South, South Central and West – honored both genders' top track athletes and field athletes as well as the top men's and women's head coaches and assistant coaches.
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.
Be sure to visit www.carrollathletics.com throughout the week for continued updates on Krack and the rest of the Fighting Saints at the NAIA Championships, and to stay up to date with everything going on in Carroll Athletics.
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