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Irish Earn Three USTFCCCA Region Awards

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Notre Dame track and field program racked up three USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Awards on Friday, as Yared Nuguse, Rachel Tanczos and Sean Carlson each earned recognition. 

Nuguse was named the Great Lakes Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year following a dominant indoor season leading up to the NCAA Championships. Nuguse currently is the anchor leg on the DMR that ran the second fastest time in the history of the NCAA (9:25.80). The junior also ranks fourth in the nation in the mile (3:55.62) and fifth in the 3,000m (7:46.71). 

All the previously mentioned times were Notre Dame program records and Loftus Sports Center records. Nuguse won the mile at the ACC Championships and helped the DMR team take home the gold as well.

Tanczos has had a memorable indoor season in the women’s weight throw in 2020 en route to being named the Great Lakes Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. The junior has broken the program weight throw record four times over the course of the season, with a career-best mark of 23.31m. The record-breaking throw places Tanczos first in the country heading into the NCAA Championships, as she is the only competitor in the country to record a throw of more than 23m.

Tanczos has been named the ACC Women’s Field Performer of the Week four times this season, more than any other competitor in the conference.

Carlson took home Great Lakes Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year honors on Friday, after an incredible season from the Notre Dame men’s distance runners. The Irish distance runners accounted for 49 points at the ACC Championships, helping Notre Dame earn a fourth-place finish, its best since the 2014 season.

Along with the aforementioned ACC titles with Nuguse, Samuel Voelz won the ACC Championship in the 800m race with a time of 1:50.03 under Carlson’s direction.

Nuguse, Tanczos and the men’s DMR will be joined by Abbey Kapitan at the NCAA Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 13 and 14 to compete for national titles.