NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has named Wartburg College senior JoJo Tyynismaa the 2026 Women's Track Athlete of the Year in the Midwest Region.

Tyynismaa (Tama, Iowa/South Tama) capped off a standout outdoor campaign by earning three First-Team All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She finished as the national runner-up in the 400-meter hurdles, placed seventh in the 100-meter hurdles, and helped the Knights secure a fifth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay – also earned Second Team accolades in the 100-meter dash (15th).

At the American Rivers Conference Outdoor Championships, Tyynismaa was selected as the A-R-C Women's Track Athlete of the Year after scoring 35 total points. She claimed conference titles in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 100-meter hurdles while also running on the championship-winning 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relay teams.

Tyynismaa also earned A-R-C Women's Track Athlete of the Week honors three times during the outdoor season. She currently holds Wartburg outdoor school records in the 100-meter dash (11.64), 100-meter hurdles (13.83), and 400-meter hurdles (59.26), with all three marks set during the 2026 campaign.

Tyynismaa is just the seventh Knight to earn USTFCCCA Outdoor Regional Track Athlete of the Year in program-history - first since 2021. 

USTFCCCA OUTDOOR REGIONAL TRACK ATHLETES OF THE YEAR (Women)
2003 Missy Buttry
2007 Heidi Porter
2008 Hannah Baker
2012 Nevada Morrison
2014 Tashina McAllister
2021 Aubrie Fisher
2026 JoJo Tyynismaa

Each of the ten regions – Great Lakes, Metro, Mid-Atlantic, Mideast, Midwest, Niagara, North, Northeast, South, West – honored both genders' top track athletes and field athletes as well as the top men's and women's head coaches and assistant coaches.

Award winners were determined by a vote of USTFCCCA member coaches. Only those individuals from USTFCCCA member programs are eligible for awards.