General | 9/26/2023 1:45:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The NCAA Division II announced the nominees for the 50^th Anniversary Gold Award on Monday. There were 231 total nominees put forth from all of DII and 38 from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Bloomsburg athletics nominated Jan Hutchinson and Jahri Evans for this prestigious award.
 
The Gold Award recognizes two individuals (one who identifies as male and one who identifies as female) who have made a positive impact in Division II—whether it be a current or former student-athlete, coach, faculty member, or administrator from an active member school or conference who has distinguished themselves in the areas of athletics, professional achievement, service, and leadership and who have helped shape Division II over time.
 
The PSAC's total of 38 nominations is most among all 23 Division II conferences, which collectively put forth 231 nominees for consideration. The PSAC's athletic directors, senior woman administrators, and sports information directors will now hold a vote to determine which two nominees will be selected as the conference's representatives in the national vote. The results of the PSAC's vote will be announced by Nov 6, 2023.
 
Jan Hutchinson • Former Coach, Field Hockey/Softball
A true coaching legend, Jan Hutchinson spent 33 years as the Huskies coach of field hockey and softball. Hutchinson is still a member of the Bloomsburg field hockey coaching staff.

As head field hockey coach she coached the program to 16 national championships and 16 conference titles, while as softball coach she is the NCAA Division II all-time leader in career wins and made an NCAA-record 28 consecutive trips to the Division II championships. She also is the winningest college coach in any division with 1,806 combined wins between field hockey and softball.
 
Hutchinson's field hockey squads posted winning records in 31 of her 32 seasons and amassed an overall record of 591-75-20, for a winning percentage of .872. She is the winningest coach in NCAA field hockey history and is the only coach with over 500 victories.

Under Hutchinson, the Huskies enjoyed many outstanding seasons and won 16 or more games on 26 occasions. The Huskies string of four straight titles (1996-99) was the first time in the history of NCAA field hockey that the feat was accomplished (and was repeated from 2006-2009). Her teams also registered nine national runner-up finishes.

Hutchinson was chosen as the national Division II Coach of the Year seven times in her career, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009. Her 2006 team went undefeated and untied on its way to the NCAA D-II championship, the fourth time in school history for that to happen.
 
As softball coach of the Huskies, Hutchinson posted a record of 1,215-288-2 and made an NCAA record 28 consecutive trips to the NCAA championship tournament (31 including AIAW and NCAA Division III). She has the most wins of any NCAA Division II coach in history and is sixth on the all-time win list regardless of division. She is also second on the NCAA Division list and seventh overall for highest winning percentage.
 
Bloomsburg went to the championship round 10 times, twice finishing as the national runner-up with losses each time in extra innings in the national title game. She also has six third-place showings and two fourth-place finishes. The Huskies also won the 1982 AIAW national championship. In only her fourth season, Hutchinson won the national championship "double" in the 1981-82 school year, claiming the field hockey title in the fall and the softball championship that spring.
 
Hutchinson's achievements in coaching did not go unnoticed by her peers. She has been honored with induction into both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Halls of Fame. In addition, Hutchinson was named the winner of the C. Vivian Stringer Award by the United States Sports Academy in the summer of 2006.
 
"There is no doubt that Jan embodies the spirit of NCAA DII and made a tremendous impact on the world of field hockey and softball during her time as head coach here at Bloomsburg," remarked director of athletics Dr. Michael McFarland. "Jan continues to positively impact the lives of our women student-athletes through her support of Bloomsburg athletics."
 
Jahri Evans • Former Player, Football
Jahri Evans is one of the most decorated offensive linemen to put on a Bloomsburg University football jersey. He then went on to have a prolific career in the National Football League, primarily playing for the New Orleans Saints.
 
Evans took over as a full-time starter on the Huskies' offensive line in 2003 but it was in 2004 that the awards started rolling in for the left tackle. He was an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) First Team All-American as a junior while earning Second Team All-American honors from both the Associated Press and from the Don Hansen Football Gazette. Then, as a senior in 2005, Evans helped the Huskies to an average of 284.3 rushing yards per game – eighth-most in the country. He went on to earn First Team All-American honors from five different organizations – the AFCA, Daktronics, Don Hansen Football Gazette, Associated Press, and D2Football.com. He was also a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award, which honors the nation's top lineman in Division II, in each of his last two seasons.
 
He earned both the Danny Litwhiler Award as Bloomsburg's Male Underclass Athlete of the Year in 2005 and the Robert B. Redman Award as Bloomsburg's Male Senior Athlete of the Year in 2006.
 
Evans was then selected in the fourth round (108th overall) by the New Orleans Saints in the 2006 NFL Draft, becoming the first Huskies' player chosen in the draft since 1992. He was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls (2009-14) and was named a First Team All-Pro in four consecutive seasons from 2009-12 while earning Second Team All-Pro accolades in 2013. Evans was also named to the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team in 2006, was a two-time Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award recipient (2009, 2011), and was a member of the New Orleans Saints' 50th Anniversary Team in 2016.
 
Among Saints' offensive linemen, his six Pro Bowl appearances ranks second all-time in team history. He also ranks second all-time in Saints' history with 169 career games played. He helped the Saints finish in the top six in the league in total offense in all 11 of his seasons (2006-2016), including six number-one rankings. He also helped New Orleans finish in the top ten in scoring in nine of his 11 seasons, including number one rankings in 2008 and 2009. Evans was named to his first Pro Bowl and earned First Team All-Pro recognition for the first time in 2009 – a season that was capped off with the Saints' victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
 
In 2008, The Jahri Evans Foundation was created to illustrate to student-athletes that academic excellence paves the way to athletic excellence through encouragement, determination, and hard work. The Jahri Evans Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of youth by improving their quality of education and promoting the overall health, safety, and physical fitness of all children. Evans and his foundation have sponsored free youth football and cheerleading camps each year in Philadelphia with over 325 youth participating annually. Evans also assists former Bloomsburg assistant coach, Brian McBryan, at the annual McBryan Clinic which is designed to give high school offensive linemen the skills they need to be successful.
 
He and his foundation have provided over $1.5 million in charitable donations to date including donations to The Philadelphia School District and the building and rebuilding of homes along with Habitat for Humanity, The Wounded Warrior Project, United Way, and Operation Home in New Orleans for residents and military veterans as well as donations to many other youth organizations and community groups. The Frankford Alumni Association awarded Evans with The Pioneer Achievement Award in 2010 for distinguished leadership, achievement, and service and in 2014, he was awarded The Hope Award given by The Irving Morris Foundation for his many charitable donations, his concern with the welfare of others and his support, time, dedication, and generosity and love in helping our communities thrive.
 
Evans graduated from Bloomsburg in 2007 with a degree in exercise science. In 2009, he established a full scholarship for out-of-state minority students enrolled in Bloomsburg's Master of Science Clinical Athletic Training Program. The Jahri Evans Football Endowed Scholarship was established in 2014 and will carry on forever. Then, in 2017, Evans received his MBA from The University of Miami in Executive Business Administration.
 
"Jahri was clearly an outstanding athlete on the field for Bloomsburg, but his work through The Jahri Evans Foundation and his Jahri Evans Football Endowed Scholarship has changed the lives of student-athletes beyond the gridiron," said Dr. McFarland. "He is a tremendous supporter of Bloomsburg athletics and a phenomenal example of the opportunities that NCAA DII athletics provides student-athletes."
 
The NCAA Division II Management Council Identity Subcommittee will review the finalists and select the two overall winners, who will be recognized at the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., while each individual PSAC nominee will be recognized by each nominating institution during the 2023-24 academic year.

As part of the anniversary celebration, Division II also will provide a commemorative scholarship opportunity for student-athletes from active member schools who exhibit the core values of Division II and have not yet exhausted their athletics eligibility. Two recipients from each conference and two representing the independent institutions will be announced in May during the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in Orlando, Florida. Nomination procedures for the scholarship will be announced to the Division II membership in January.