Neeia Cooperwood and Jay Welp were named the Mustangs’ track & field MVPs.

Neeia Cooperwood and Jay Welp received Morningside College’s Most Valuable Player awards for the 2015 track & field season.

Cooperwood, a senior from Omaha, Neb., earned NAIA All-America honors in three events in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the women’s 400-meters at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. She finished her career as a 13-time NAIA All-American. Cooperwood won four events at both the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Indoor and Outdoor Championships and was an 18-time GPAC champion during her career.

Welp, a senior from Marcus, Iowa, earned All-America honors with a fifth place finish in the men’s 1000-meters at this year’s NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships and was a 1500-meter national qualifier during the outdoor season. Welp won three events at the GPAC Indoor Championships with a distance triple in the mile, 1000, and 3000-meter runs.

Morningside’s other award winners were:

Most Improved – Quin Groff, a sophomore from Sheldon, Iowa, and Kyle Hiser, a sophomore from Shenandoah, Iowa.

Comeback Performers of the Year – Taylor Wood, a junior from Cherokee, Iowa, and Tiffany Shepherd, a sophomore from Corning, Iowa.

Give Back Award – Ethan Van Briesen, a senior from George, Iowa.