Completed Event: Track & Field versus Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship on February 24, 2026 , , 11th of 13
T-F
Final
James Madison
vs Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship
11th of 13
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Viparina Named CAA Track & Field Rookie of the Year
6/27/2016 4:30:00 PM | Track & Field
RICHMOND, Va. - James Madison distance runner Olivia Viparina was recognized as the conference's top freshman on Monday afternoon, as she was named the 2016 Colonial Athletic Association Track & Field Rookie of the Year in a vote by the league's head coaches.
Viparina became just the second JMU athlete in school history to garner the CAA Rookie of the Year accolade, joining Keisha Banks, who won the award in 1998. It is also the fifth major CAA award for JMU and the first since 2012 when Ta' Frias was named CAA Coach of the Year.
"Olivia is a very talented young lady," Distance Coach Dave Rinker said. "The key with her was to figure out how to make the training work so she could perform to her maximum capability. It takes time, so that's what we did. We used cross country in the fall as a learning experience, we refined it during the indoor season and she ran well indoor, and in outdoor, it all came together. She's a real competitor, she hates to lose, she'll run the race she needs to and she did a fantastic job at conference. She had a great year and with the experiences she had her entire freshman year, hopefully she'll use it as a springboard to bigger and better things."
The Ledgewood, N.J., native captured the CAA championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal-best time of 10:24.58, which ranks third all-time at JMU. Viparina qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Championships in Jacksonville in the event, finishing in 25th place out of 48 runners.
She concluded her freshman campaign in Clovis, Calif., last weekend where she earned a spot on the podium at the USA Track & Field Junior Outdoor Championships with a fourth-place showing in the steeplechase.
The CAA also announced its All-Academic Team for the 2016 season, and senior Kathleen Stewart was honored on the list after graduating from JMU with a 3.99 cumulative GPA while majoring in communication sciences and disorders. She was twice named CAA Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was the 2015-16 JMU Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.
The Dukes claimed five individual CAA titles this spring and a total of 11 individuals and one relay earned All-CAA status after finishing in the top three of their respective events at the CAA Championships.
JMU's All-Time CAA Annual Award Winners
2016 - Olivia Viparina - Rookie of the Year
2012 - Ta' Frias - Coach of the Year
2002 - Mollie DeFrancesco - Athlete of the Year
1998 - Keisha Banks - Rookie of the Year
1991 - Julie Speights - Athlete of the Year
Players Mentioned
Distance (CC)
/ Track & Field
Distance (CC)
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