A PAIR OF NEW SCHOOLS etched their names on the lists as our Collegiate Outdoor Athlete Of The Year awards went to Leo Neugebauer of Texas and Parker Valby of Florida. To be more precise the Longhorns and Gators have been our AOYs before, but for the opposite sex.
Neugebauer, a 23-year-old German, had a pair of brilliant 2-day runs in the decathlon, first totaling 8708 — then the No. 3 collegiate total ever — at the Texas Relays. That was nothing compared to his Collegiate Record 8961 at the NCAA, moving to No. 6 on the all-time world list. He was an honorable mention last year.
Honorable mention on the men’s side to a trio of NCAA champions: Caleb Dean of Texas Tech (400H), Rowan Hamilton of Cal (HT) and Christopher Morales-Williams of Georgia (400). Dean set an American CR at 47.23, the undefeated Hamilton became the No. 8 collegian ever and Morales-Williams heads the world list at 44.05.
In a year in which women’s CR-setters ran rampant, the 21-year-old Valby sewed up top honors by uniquely adding a pair of NCAA crowns to her trio of CRs (2 in the 5000, 1 in the 10,000).
HMs to CR setters Nickisha Pryce of Arkansas (400), Doris Lemngole of Alabama (steeple), Jaida Ross of Oregon (3 in the shot) and Rhema Otabor of Nebraska (javelin). And we’ve got to mention NCAA doublers McKenzie Long of Ole Miss (100/200) and Ackelia Smith of Texas (LJ/TJ).
The all-time winners, since we began this award in ’95 (women are listed with the last name they were using at the time):
| Year | Men’s AOY | Women’s AOY |
| 2024 | Leo Neugebauer (Texas) | Parker Valby (Florida) |
| 2023 | Jaydon Hibbert (Arkansas) | Julien Alfred (Texas) |
| 2022 | Trey Cunningham (Florida State) | Abby Steiner (Kentucky) |
| 2021 | JuVaughn Harrison (LSU) | Athing Mu (Texas A&M) |
| 2020 (none) | ||
| 2019 | Grant Holloway (Florida) | Sha’Carri Richardson (LSU) |
| 2018 | Michael Norman (USC) | Maggie Ewen (Arizona State) |
| 2017 | Fred Kerley (Texas A&M) | Raevyn Rogers (Oregon) |
| 2016 | Jarrion Lawson (Arkansas) | Courtney Okolo (Texas) |
| 2015 | Shawn Barber (Akron) | Jenna Prandini (Oregon) |
| 2014 | Trayvon Bromell (Baylor) | Courtney Okolo (Texas) |
| 2013 | Derek Drouin (Indiana) | Brianna Rollins (Clemson) |
| 2012 | Cam Levins (Southern Utah) | Brianne Theisen (Oregon) |
| 2011 | Ngoni Makusha (Florida State) | Sheila Reid (Villanova) |
| 2010 | Ryan Whiting (Arizona State) | Queen Harrison (Virginia Tech) |
| 2009 | Galen Rupp (Oregon) | Jenny Barringer (Colorado) |
| 2008 | Richard Thompson (LSU) | Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech) |
| 2007 | Walter Dix (Florida State) | Natasha Hastings (South Carolina) |
| 2006 | Xavier Carter (LSU) | Ginnie Powell (USC) |
| 2005 | Kerron Clement (Florida) | Monique Henderson (UCLA) |
| 2004 | Alistair Cragg (Arkansas) | Sheena Johnson (UCLA) |
| 2003 | Daniel Lincoln (Arkansas) | Sanya Richards (Texas) |
| 2002 | Justin Gatlin (Tennessee) | Lashinda Demus (South Carolina) |
| 2001 | Janus Robberts (SMU) | Brianna Glenn (Arizona) |
| 2000 | Gábor Máté (Auburn) | Seilala Sua (UCLA) |
| 1999 | Terrence Trammell (South Carolina) | Suziann Reid (Texas) |
| 1998 | Angelo Taylor (Georgia Tech) | Amy Skieresz (Arizona) |
| 1997 | Robert Howard (Arkansas) | Tiffany Lott-Hogan (BYU) |
| 1996 | Ato Boldon (UCLA) | Tonya Williams (Illinois) |
| 1995 | John Godina (UCLA) | Diane Guthrie-Gresham (George Mason) |