Track and Field 6/5/2025 3:00:00 PM Dusty Sloan, Ashland University Director of Athletic Communications

Kruger, Winner Garner Top 2025 Great Midwest Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Plaudits

The 2025 Great Midwest Athletic Conference women's outdoor track and field awards were released on Thursday (June 5) afternoon, and Ashland University head coach A.G. Kruger (Coach of the Year) and sophomore thrower Molly Winner (Field Athlete of the Year) lead the Eagle honorees.

Kruger led the AU women to the program's first outdoor conference championship since 1999 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Eagles' 209 team points at the conference meet at home were 41 more than second-place Findlay.

"Last year, it was we win the indoor conference meet, and we were set up outdoors, but it didn't go our way," said Kruger. "They came out focused and ready to go, and it started on Day 1. They kind of put it all together. It is a team thing that everyone put in points.

"Being both Coaches of the Year, the honor doesn't come from me. It comes from the athletes, all the time and dedication, all the coaches and family, my own family, all their time and dedication. And it's all the fans and families of all the athletes that make it possible.

"It's a team award. It's not an individual award. Everyone puts things together to make it an experience for our kids, and that's what makes it great."

Kruger is the first Eagle outdoor women's track and field conference Coach of the Year since Bill Gallagher in the GLIAC 29 years ago.

Winner was a two-time Great Midwest champion at the outdoor meet, winning the women's hammer throw on Day 1 (60.18 meters/197-feet-5) and the women's shot put on Day 2 (15.17 meters/49-feet-9¼). She is the women's program's first conference outdoor Field Athlete of the Year since Lindsay Baker in the GLIAC in 2019.

"She wins the two events by a pretty good margin, and she's such a good kid," Kruger said. "She wants to keep getting better. Being able to place in both at the national meet…hard worker, dedicated to getting better. Prepared, ready to go, and focused. Such a great person to work with."

Eagles who won conference titles are league first-teamers, and those who were conference runners-up are second-teamers:

FIRST-TEAM ALL-GREAT MIDWEST