ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Roberts Wesleyan University sophomore pole vaulter Karis Kraf and assistant track and field coach Rick Suhr have been honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Kraf, who finished second in the women's pole vault at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships on May 21, has been named Women's  Division II Field Athlete of the Year for the East Region.

The Tampa, Fla., native cleared a season-best of 4.15 meters (13-7¼) at the DII Championships and was also named East Coast Conference Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year this week. Kraf, a first-team All-America selection, won four events this spring and finished first or second in every competition that she entered.

Suhr, a world-renowned pole vault coach, was named Women's Division II Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year for the East Region. He guided Kraf and fellow sophomore Kennedy Benjamins to the NCAA Championships this season and the Roberts women's pole vault team to the No. 3 rating in the national #EventSquad rankings.

Suhr, who recently completed the third year of his second stint at Roberts, has coached at least one All-American in each of the six seasons since his return. He has coached in four Olympics, including the 2008, 2012 and 2016 games for his wife, Roberts alum and assistant track and field coach Jenn Suhr, and once, the 2024 Paris Games with Roberts graduate and four-time NCAA Division II women's pole vault champion Brynn King. King was selected the East Region's Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in 2024 and 2025.