California track & field's Mykolas Alekna was named the West Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Friday after a superb 2025 season with the Golden Bears, which included a substantial improvement on his own world record in the discus as well as three facility records, four meet records, an ACC title and an NCAA runner-up finish.
 
This is the Lithuanian native's second time winning the award, having also done so as a freshman in 2022 after setting the collegiate record twice; it is also the third time that a Cal athlete has received the award, following alumnus Rowan Hamilton's recognition in 2024 after winning the hammer national title. Just four other men have been honored as the West Region Men's Field Athlete of the Year multiple times in their careers: Oregon's Ashton Eaton (2009-10), Arizona's Nick Ross (2012, 14), Arizona's Jordan Geist (2018-19) and Arizona State's Turner Washington (2021, 23).
 
Alekna has appeared on The Bowerman Watch List eight times this season, bringing his career total to 23 – third-most by any man in history. He surpassed the 70-meter barrier on four occasions, two of those in Berkeley: a then-ACC-record 70.09m (229-11) at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, his world-record effort of 75.56m (247-10) at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, a meet-record 71.29m (233-10) at The 130th Big Meet and a meet-record 72.12m (236-7) at the NCAA West Regional, which was also an E.B. Cushing Stadium facility record.
 
Along with the other regional winners, Alekna will now advance to consideration for the National Men's Field Athlete of the Year, which will be announced June 23.
 
2025 USTFCCCA Regional Men's Field Athletes of the Year
Jason Swarens, Wisconsin (Great Lakes)
Greg Foster, Princeton (Mid-Atlantic)
Ralford Mullings, Oklahoma (Midwest)
Texas Tanner, Air Force (Mountain)
Tito Alofe, Harvard (Northeast)
Peyton Bair, Mississippi State (South)
Aleksandr Solovev, Texas A&M (South Central)
Tommy Kitchell, North Carolina (Southeast)
Mykolas Alekna, California (West)
 
 
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