The 2024-25 Liberty League Men's Indoor Track & Field major awards as voted by the conference's head coaches following NCAA Championships.
Track Athlete of the Year: Nick Lyndaker, Junior, St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University junior Nick Lyndaker earned Liberty League Track Performer of the Year honors. Lyndaker qualified for two events at the 2025 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships: the mile and 3,000 meters. He was the National Champion in the mile, crossing the finish line in 4:06.45, and placed 20th in the 3,000 with a time of 8:47.45. Lyndaker was a dual champion at the Liberty League Championship as he claimed gold in both the mile (4:14.01) and 3,000 (8:20.83). He recorded a season-best time in the mile (4:03.36) in February at BU's Valentine Invitational. The 4:03.36 mark set a new program record at St. Lawrence and a new Liberty League record. The four-time Liberty League Track Performer of the Week also shattered the St. Lawrence program record in the 3,000 with a season-best time of 8:10.14 in February at the Fasttrack Invitational. Lyndaker posted a season-best time of 1:53.33 in the 800 meters at the All-Atlantic Regional Championship, ranking him 25th nationally. He was named the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Mideast Region Track Athlete of the Year.
Field Athlete of the Year: James Zeolla, Graduate Student, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPI graduate student James Zeolla was named the Liberty League Field Performer of the Year. Zeolla garnered All-America accolades at the 2025 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championship with a fourth-place finish in the pole vault, thanks to a season-best leap of 5.05 meters. He set a RPI program record, and it was the top pole vault height in the Liberty League over the past two seasons. Zeolla, the five-time Field Performer of the Week, was the runner-up at the 2025 Liberty League Championship at 4.77 meters. He won the event six times this season and entered NCAAs ranked 16th in Division III (4.92m). Zeolla also earned United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Mideast Region Field Athlete of the Year honors.
Rookie of the Year: John Elliot, Rochester Institute of Technology
RIT first-year John Elliot was recognized as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Elliot was part of the Tigers' 4x400 relay quartet that earned All-America honors at the 2025 NCAA Division III Track & Field Championship. He, along with teammates Noah Flanders, Max Stein, and Jack Defeo, combined for a time of 3:17.67, good for seventh. As an individual, Elliot set the RIT program record in the 800 meters (1:54.00) with a fourth-place finish at the All-Atlantic Regional. At the Liberty League Championship, Elliot earned silver in the 800 with a time of 1:54.05. In the 4x400, Elliot and his teammates set RIT's program record with a time of 3:16.60 at the conference championship to win the event.
Coaching Staff of the Year: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Colin Tory, Head Coach; Assistant Coaches Karina Bolton, Rick Choppa, Jessica Craven, Ben Fazio, Warren Lutes, John Lynch, and Allison Thayer
RPI head coach Colin Tory and his staff were named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. The Engineers claimed their second straight Liberty League title, repeating as the conference champions in Indoor Track & Field for the first time since 2009 and 2010. The 2025 Liberty League Championship was highlighted by RPI scoring in every event. The Engineers won the Distance Medley Relay as well as seven individual events. RPI had a league-high 11 men's track & field athletes compete at the 2025 NCAA Division III Championship, including both relays (DMR, 4x400). Four individuals (Zeolla, Moss Dengler, Vince Simonetti, and Owen Haas), as well as the Distance Medley Relay squad comprised of Danny Gall, Dominic Pena, Jack Czarenecki, and Alex Flynn, earned All-America honors.
ALL-LIBERTY LEAGUE FIRST TEAM (Event Champions at Liberty League Championship)
60-Hurdles – Cortez Garrett, RPI, 8.40
60-Dash – Josh Ihegihu, RPI, 6.87
200-Dash – Josh Ihegihu, RPI, 22.15
400 – Jack Defeo, RIT, 48.88 (MR)
800 – Dominic Pena, RPI, 1:54.04
3,000 – Nicholas Lyndaker, St. Lawrence, 8:20.83
5,000 – Tobin Durham, RPI, 14:56.49
Mile – Nicholas Lyndaker, St. Lawrence, 4:14.01
DMR – RPI (T. McLaren, S. Fajen, D. Gall, C. Goldschmidt), 10:23.95
4x400 Relay – RIT (J. Elliot, M. Stein, N. Flanders, J. Defeo), 3:16.60 (MR)
Pole Vault – Moss Dengler, RPI, 4.92m
Long Jump – Cole Goodman, Rochester, 7.26m (MR)
High Jump – Erich Brown, RIT, 1.95m
Triple Jump – Owen Haas, RPI, 14.16m
Shot Put – Jordan Johnson, Rochester, 15.23m
Weight Throw – Jordan Johnson, Rochester, 18.70m
Heptathlon – Gabe Thyne, Rochester, 4,828 points
(MR) = Meet Record
Note: The Liberty League also recognizes second-place finishes at the championship as All-Liberty League Second Team and third place garners All-Liberty League Honorable Mention.