Blakelee Winn, a redshirt senior from Pittsburg State University, has been named a finalist for the Division II Honda Athlete of the Year award in track & field as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA), presented by Honda.

The announcement comes during a landmark moment for the organization, as the CWSA celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2025–26 collegiate athletics season. Winn is now among 11 elite finalists for this prestigious award, which recognizes the top NCAA Division II athletes across various sports. The DII Honda Athlete of the Year will be selected by senior women administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools and will be honored during a live broadcast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, July 27th, at 7:00 pm ET, in New York City.

“Being a part of the Pittsburg State track & field program has been one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Winn said. “The coaches, teammates, and support staff have challenged me to grow not only as an athlete, but as a person. To be nominated for the Honda Athlete of the Year Award is incredibly humbling because it reflects the support and belief that so many people have poured into me throughout my journey. I’m proud to represent Pitt State, my teammates, and everyone who has helped me reach this point.”

Winn, a native of Pea Ridge, Ark., capped a remarkable season by earning 2026 United States Cross Country and Track & Field Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII National Outdoor Women's Field Athlete of the Year honors after previously being named the USTFCCCA Central Region Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. A two-time USTFCCCA All-American, Winn cemented her legacy as one of the nation's premier field athletes, capturing the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championship in the long jump while also finishing as the national runner-up in the heptathlon. Her performance at the NCAA Championships alone accounted for 18 of Pittsburg State’s 63.2-point total as the Gorillas finished as the national runner-up at the NCAA DII Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Earlier in the season, she claimed the long jump title at the 2026 MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and played a key role in Pittsburg State's ninth MIAA outdoor championship title in the last 11 seasons.

During the indoor season, Winn placed third at the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championship at Virginia Beach, Va., helping the Gorillas to a repeat national crown. Pitt State placed second in the team standings at D2 Indoor Nationals in 2024, prior to the back-to-back titles in 2025-26.

Her contributions overall helped Pittsburg State athletics finish at the top of the standings to claim its fifth straight MIAA Commissioner’s Cup, the league’s all-sports trophy awarded to the league’s top-performing institution at the end of each academic year.

Winn, who carries a perfect 4.00 GPA pursuing a master’s degree in human, health performance & recreation (will complete master’s in July 2026), wrapped up her decorated collegiate career as a 12-time NCAA-II All-American. She captured three national crowns - in the pentathlon in 2024, the heptathlon in 2025 and the outdoor long jump last month. She twice finished as the national runner-up in the heptathlon (2024, 2026) and helped the Gorillas' 4x100m relay to a national runner-up finish in '24 as well. She also earned All-MIAA honors on 15 occasions, including six MIAA Championship efforts.

A multiple-time MIAA Scholar Athlete and MIAA Academic Excellence Award recipient, Winn garnered first-team Academic All-America accolades in 2024 and third-team Academic All-America honors in 2025 from the College Sports Communicators (CSC). She completed her undergraduate studies in exercise science with a 3.74 GPA in July 2025.

“Blakelee has been one of the most dominate and versatile athletes in Division II since she was a true freshman,” said Kyle Rutledge, Director of Cross Country and Track & Field at Pittsburg State. “She has been a three-time National Champion (Heptathlon, Indoor Pentathlon and the Outdoor Long Jump), she has been a 12-time All-American between the Heptathlon, Pentathlon, Long Jump, Hurdles and Relays.

“At the conference level she has been a six-time MIAA Champion and she holds school records in the Heptathlon and Long Jump. She ranks No. 3 on the All-Time Heptathlon List for Division II and is ranked in the top 10 in Pittsburg State History in seven different events.  

“Blakelee didn't just shine on the track but she has been a valuable part of the program off the track with her leadership and her work ethic. She has been a team captain four times in her career. Her leadership went far beyond her performance. This team would not have had the success it did if it wasn't for her guidance and leadership that she demonstrated every day at practice. Blakelee is someone I could always rely on when we needed a person to step up for the team and give us the performance that we needed whether it was at practice or at a competition. There will never be another Blakelee Winn; and it has been an honor to have her part of this program for the past five years.”

Now in its 50th year, the CWSA continues to honor the nation’s top female collegiate athletes for excellence in athletics, leadership, academics, and community service. Since partnering with Honda in 1986, the program has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants, strengthening and advancing women’s athletics programs nationwide.

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Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.