PORTLAND, Ore. --- After a historical year on the track, the University of Portland has selected distance runners Woody Kincaid and Lauren LaRocco as its 2015-16 Fr. Chester Prusynski Student-Athletes of the Year. The award annually recognizes the top University of Portland student-athletes based on athletic and academic credentials.
 
Kincaid, who originally hails from Littleton, Colo., capped his remarkable senior year by nearly qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 5000 meters. At the Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Kincaid won his heat, advancing to the finals with the fastest qualifying time in the field. He then jumped into the lead during the finals, before settling for a eighth-place finish, just ahead of Olympic medalist Galen Rupp.
 
In qualifying for the trials, Kincaid topped his own previous UP program record in the 5000 by running a 13:27.49 at the Stumptown Twilight on June 24.
 
Previously, Kincaid nabbed All-American Second Team honors by placing ninth in the 5000m at the 2016 NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene. His time of 13:32.49 was at the time eight seconds better than UP's previous program record and 16 seconds faster than his PR. He would top this mark by five seconds two weeks later.
 
At one time during the indoor track & field season, he held the top times in the nation in both the 3000 and 5000 meters, helping the Pilots reach a No. 20 national ranking. Kincaid was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Men's Student-Athlete of the Week twice and he was the US Bank UP Student-Athlete of the Month for January.
 
LaRocco had a stellar sophomore campaign, earning First Team All-American honors in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters. At the 2016 NCAA Track & Field Championships, LaRocco finished fourth in the 10,000, claiming the program's best finish ever at the NCAA's. Her time of 32:47.30 was one of the fastest in program history. 48 hours later, the native of Sacramento, Calif., returned to the podium with a sixth-place finish in the 5000m.
 
At the Occidental Invitational on May 7, LaRocco finished on top of the field in the 5000 with a time of 15:58.31, which is the second fastest ever by a Pilot in the event.
 
During the cross country season last fall, LaRocco landed on the All-West Coast Conference First Team. She just missed a top-five finish at the WCC Cross Country Championships, crossing the finish line in sixth place. LaRocco was also named to the WCC's All-Academic Team
 
LaRocco is next scheduled to run for Team USA at the NACAC U23 Championships in the 5000m later this month.
 
The Fr. Chester Prusynski Student-Athlete of the Year award is the most prestigious University honor for student-athletes and is presented annually to one male and one female who have excelled both in athletics and in the classroom. Winners are selected by a vote of athletic administrators. The name of the award was changed in the summer of 2010 in honor of Rev. Chester Prusynski, C.S.C., who served the University community and was a fixture at Pilot athletic events for nearly 50 years.