NEW ORLEANS — Goshen College senior Jacob Gerber made Maple Leaf program history on Thursday, becoming the first GC track and field athlete to be named Regional Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Gerber, a senior from Goshen, Indiana, was the NAIA-level winner in the Great Lakes region, one of five regions in which the USTFCCCA picks winners. The awards are determined by a vote of the association's member coaches.

The Goshen High School graduate won his second consecutive Crossroads League championship in the men's hammer throw earlier this month, extending the GC school record to 203 feet, 8 inches and winning the meet by 23 feet. That performance was the second-best throw in the 54-year history of the conference meet and earned him the Most Valuable Field Athlete crown from the conference coaches.

He ranks second in the NAIA in the hammer throw, which is expected to make him the second seed at nationals when the NAIA releases the qualifiers list later this week. He was a national finalist in the weight throw at the indoor meet earlier this year and is a four-time all-conference performer between indoor and outdoor competitions. The outdoor national championship next week will mark his fourth appearance on the national stage and the second of its kind after a 14th-place finish at outdoor nationals in 2019.

Gerber is one of six Maple Leafs who appear to be set for the outdoor national meet beginning Wednesday, May 26 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The men's hammer throw is slated for 6 p.m. EDT on the opening day of competition. Full qualifier lists will be released tomorrow and a preview of Goshen's events will be posted next week.