OXFORD, Ohio. - The River States Conference has announced the selection of Indiana University Kokomo track and field athlete Sydney Duncan as the 2024-25 River States Conference Female Athlete of the Year. The 2025 RSC Female Field Athlete of the Year earns the award as the top female athlete in the entire conference, which includes nine RSC championship sports for women.

The Athlete of the Year is selected via a vote of conference athletic directors, and comes from a pool of all Player of the Year recipients. Duncan is the first athlete from Indiana University Kokomo, male or female, to win the RSC's top athletic honor since the Cougars joined the conference prior to the 2013-14 school year.

Having entered the 2024-25 school year with high expectations after an eye-opening freshman season, Sydney took her dominance to new heights at both the conference and national levels this season. She won shot put National Championships at both the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships, launching the third best outdoor throw in NAIA history this May en-route to the athletic department's third-ever National Championship.

Duncan, a sophomore thrower from Anderson, Indiana, ended the season as a five-time River States Conference champion. She won titles in shot put and weight throw at the indoor championships before adding three more in shot put, discus, and hammer throw at the outdoor championships. In all five events, Duncan's top throw was a River States Conference Championship record.

In addition to her accolades from the NAIA, Duncan also accumulated a number of awards from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. She was named the Great Lakes Regional Field Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons, and was then honored as the National Field Athlete of the Year following the NAIA Championships in both seasons.

In order to view the River States Conference release in its entirety, click HERE.

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