NEW ORLEANS – Friends University head coach Henry Brun and junior student-athlete Carter Giittinger has received top honors in the 2026 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NAIA Outdoor Track & Field regional awards, the organization has announced.

Brun is the Men's South Central Region Coach of the Year, while Giittinger is the Men's South Central Region's top field athlete.

After leading the Falcon Men to the KCAC Indoor Track & Field championship, Brun presided over a double victory as the Men's Falcons also captured the KCAC Outdoor Track & Field title earlier this month. Under Brun, the men's squad have set multiple school records and national standards this outdoor season and are in prime position to make noise at next week's NAIA Outdoor Track & Championship.

Fresh off an NAIA Indoor National Championship in the Men's Heptathlon in March, Giittinger picked right back up in the outdoor season and won the Decathlon at the Friends Spring Invitational in April. Giittinger's 6754 points in the Decathlon rank sixth in the NAIA this season and the Russellville, Ark. finished second at the KCAC Outdoor Championship in the Pole Vault with a PR mark of 4.90m that is tied for fourth in the nation.

The Falcons will begin the upcoming NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Wednesday (May 20) in Asheville, N.C.