NEW ORLEANS, La. – Northwest Missouri State assistant coach Wick Cunningham has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Men's Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year, announced Friday afternoon.  
 
Cunningham, in his fourth year as assistant coach at Northwest Missouri, coached Bearcat distance runners to combine for 77 of the team's 119 points at the MIAA Indoor Championships, winning three events. His athletes earned seven All-America honors at the NCAA DII Indoor Championships across five events in leading the team to a fifth-place finish.
 
Cunningham gained his second USTFCCCA Central Region Coach of the Year award, as he was named coach of the year for the 2024 cross country season back on Nov. 14. 
 
Each of the eight regions – Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West – honored both gender's 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 following the conclusion of the 2025 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana. Performances from both the NCAA Championships and the regular season were considered. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.