NEW ORLEANS- After winning his third consecutive outdoor long jump national title at the NCAA Division III Championship on May 21, Joshua Rivers (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) was tabbed as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association's North Region Field Athlete of the Year Thursday (May 28).
 
Rivers, who was named the indoor region field athlete of the year following the 2025 season, became the sixth Titan to earn outdoor region athlete of the year and the first since Nick Baatz earned field athlete of the year honors in 2012.
 
The only six-time national champion in program history, Rivers concluded his collegiate career with the third of his back-to-back-to-back Division III long jump titles both indoors and outdoor this year. He won the outdoor long jump crown with a 7.86-meter distance during the national championship in La Crosse last week.
 
Each of the ten regions – East, Great Lakes, Metro, Mid-Atlantic, Mideast, Midwest, Niagara, North, South, West – honored both genders' top track athletes and field athletes as well as the top men's and women's head coaches and assistant coaches.
 
Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.