The 2023 Liberty League Women's Outdoor Track & Field major award recipients as voted by the conference's head coaches following NCAA Championships—
Co-Track Athlete of the Year: Susan Bansbach, Senior, University of Rochester
University of Rochester senior Susan Bansbach was named the Liberty League Track Co-Athlete of the Year following the 2023 outdoor season. Bansbach closed out her spring with a pair of All-America honors at the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship in the 400 meters and 4x400-meter relay along with teammates Madeline O'Connell, Kristin Hardy, and Megan Bell. In the 400 meters, she was seventh with a time of 56.58 seconds. In the 4x400 relay, the Rochester quartet finished as the national runner-up, combining for a time of 3:41.17, tying for the seventh fastest time in Division III history while breaking school and conference records in the event. Bansbach was also part of the 4x100-meter relay that finished 11th overall in the prelims (47.36). At the Liberty League Championship, Bansbach earned Outdoor Track Performer of the Meet honors for the second straight year. She won the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes and was part of both winning relays for the Yellowjackets. In the 200, Bansbach shattered the facility, championship meet, and conference records with a time of 24.59 seconds, which is currently ranked 16th in Division III. In the 400, she recorded a time of 55.47 seconds. Bansbach and her teammates O'Connell, Hardy and Bell set meet records in both the 4x100 (47.27) and 4x400 (3:48.75). Bansbach is an 11-time All-American, including five as an individual, and a 14-time NCAA qualifier. She was named Liberty League Track Performer of the Week five times this season.
Co-Track Athlete of the Year: Logan Bruce, Graduate Student, Ithaca College
Ithaca College graduate student Logan Bruce was named the Liberty League Track Co-Athlete of the Year following the 2023 outdoor season. Bruce competed at the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship, finishing as the runner-up in the heptathlon, and was 18th in the 100-meter hurdle prelims. In the track events of the heptathlon, she won the 100-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in 14.15 seconds, finished fourth in the 200-meter dash (25.60 seconds), and was sixth in the 800 meters (2:23.15). At the Liberty League Championship, Bruce entered seven events and was named the Field Performer of the Meet. In track events, she won the 100-meter hurdles posting a meet, conference, and facility record time of 13.93 seconds, was the runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles (1:05.08), and was fourth in the 100-meter dash (12.53 seconds). She also won the long jump at a meet-record height (5.76) and was runner-up in the high jump (1.58).
Field Athlete of the Year: Meghan Matheny, Graduate Student, Ithaca College
Ithaca College graduate student Meghan Matheny was recognized with 2023 Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year honors. Matheny capped off her career as a Bomber as the National Champion in the pole vault at the 2023 NCAA Championship. Matheny was crowned national champion in the pole vault for the third time in her career and the second time at an NCAA Outdoor Championship. This year, she won the event with a season-best leap of 4.10 meters for her sixth All-America accolade. She also won the pole vault at the 2023 Liberty League Championship with a facility-best jump of 3.87 meters.
Rookie of the Year: Emma McGuinn, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPI first-year Emma McGuinn had a breakout outdoor season for the Engineers, qualifying for the 2023 NCAA Championship in the 100-meter hurdles following her first spring in collegiate track. She was 12th in the prelims at NCAAs with a school-record time of 14.08 seconds. The five-time Rookie of the Week selection earned All-Liberty League second-team honors as the runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 14.17 seconds.
Coaching Staff of the Year: University of Rochester – Head Coach Sam Albert; Assistant Coaches Barbara Hartwig, Eddie Novara, Paul Rose & Jay Petsch
University of Rochester head coach Sam Albert and his staff were selected as the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year as the Yellowjackets claimed their second straight Liberty League outdoor women's track and field title. Rochester narrowly edged runner-up Ithaca by three-and-a-half points en route to claiming the team title, thanks to a pair of winning relays and four individual champions. The Yellowjackets had six qualify for the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and five earned All-America honors. The 4x400-meter relay (Susan Bansbach, Megan Bell, Kristin Hardy, Madeline O'Connell), who were the indoor national champions at NCAAs, finished as the national runner-up with a school and conference record time of 3:41.17, which also ties for the seventh fastest time in Division III history. Bansbach was also named an All-American following her seventh-place showing in the 400-meter dash (56.58 seconds).
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
100 – Madeline O'Connell, Rochester, 12.21
200 – Susan Bansbach, Rochester, 24.59
400 – Susan Bansbach, Rochester, 55.47
800 – Paloma DeMonte, Ithaca, 2:17.69
1,500 – Allison Sibold, St. Lawrence, 4:33.46
5,000 – Morgan Lee, RPI, 17:30.54
10,000 – Nia Goddard, RPI, 37:25.92
100-hurdles – Logan Bruce, Ithaca, 13.93*
400-hurdles – Megan Bell, Rochester, 1:03.18
3,000 steeplechase – Haylei Coolican, St. Lawrence, 10:42.88*
4x100 Relay – Rochester (Isaac, Bansbach, Heffernan & O'Connell), 47.27*
4x400 Relay – Rochester (O'Connell, Hardy, Bell, Bansbach), 3:48.75*
High Jump – Charly Slusser, Ithaca, 1.63m
Pole Vault – Meghan Matheny, Ithaca, 3.87m*
Long Jump – Logan Bruce, Ithaca, 5.76m*
Triple Jump – Jahmilia Dennis, Vassar, 11.72m
Shot Put – Marinna Heichberger, RIT, 12.31m
Discus – Cora Rose, Rochester, 39.97m
Hammer Throw – Gillian Reeder, Rochester, 46.75m
Javelin – Lily Seyfert, Ithaca, 38.95m
Heptathlon – Ashley Heffernan, Rochester, 4642 points
* = Liberty League Championship record
First Team = Event Champions at 2023 Liberty League Outdoor Track & Field Championship
Second Team = Second Place at 2023 Liberty League Outdoor Track & Field Championship
Honorable Mention = Third Place at 2023 Liberty League Outdoor Track & Field Championship