NEW ORLEANS – Minnesota State senior Grace Johnson was named NCAA Division II Central Region Track Athlete of the Year and Associate Head Coach Chris Parno was named NCAA Division II Central Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year by USTFCCCA on Monday (June 2).
 
Johnson, a senior who hails from Detroit, Michigan, won the 100-meter hurdles in a personal best 13.01 at the NCAA DII Outdoor Championships, which is the fourth fastest wind-legal mark in NCAA DII history. Earlier in the season, Johnson took top individual honors in that event at the Mt. SAC Relays.
 
Parno is in his 13^th year as Associate Head Coach at Minnesota State. He coached the Maverick sprinters to combine for 20 of the team's 32 points in finishing sixth at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. He led the top-ranked 100 hurdles group in the national DII Event Squad Rankings which was rated No. 4 across all divisions.