BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for outdoor track & field and golf on Tuesday. Student-athletes from Gustavus, Hamline, St. Catherine, Saint John's, and St. Olaf claimed the Conference's weekly honors.
The MIAC Athlete of the Week awards are nominated by the Conference's sports information directors and selected by MIAC staff. Throughout the spring season, team sports (baseball, softball, and tennis) Athletes of the Week will be recognized on Monday afternoons, with individual sports (outdoor track & field and golf) announced on Tuesday afternoons. The winners of the latest Athlete of the Week awards are listed below, along with details on their outstanding performances.
To view each sport's 2022-23 Athlete of the Week home page, navigate to the 2022-23 Athlete of the Week archive for complete details on each week's selections and winners.
MIAC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Will Kelly
St. Olaf College
Jr.
Golf, Ill. | Glenbrook South
Will Kelly won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Tomcat Invitational on 4/7, crossing the line in 9:09.75 to post the fastest time in the MIAC this season and the seventh-fastest time in NCAA Division III. The performance also bettered Kelly's own fourth-best time on St. Olaf's all-time list in the event. Kelly also was the top Division III finisher in the 800-meter run, winning his heat and placing sixth in 1:57.02.
MIAC Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Dylan Arnold
St. Olaf College
So.
Stanley, Kan. | Blue Valley
Dylan Arnold recorded the MIAC's top clearance in the pole vault this season by clearing 4.67 meters (15' 3 3/4") to win the event at the Tomcat Invitational on 4/7. The sophomore's clearance ranks 20th in NCAA Division III this season and moved Arnold up one spot to sixth on St. Olaf's all-time list.
MIAC Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Birgen Nelson
Gustavus Adolphus College
Sr.
Edina, Minn.
Birgen Nelson won the 100-meter hurdles at the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C. on 4/8. Racing against a field of Division I athletes, Nelson won with a time of 13.88, which is currently the fastest in NCAA Division III this season. Nelson competed at Colorado College on 4/4 as well, winning the 100-hurdles in 14.07. Nelson also won the 100-meter in 12.19, which currently ranks first in the MIAC. Nelson finished the meet as a member the winning 4x100 relay team with a time of 48.92, which ranks second in the MIAC.
MIAC Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Madison Reed
Hamline University
Jr.
Apple Valley, Minn.
Madison Reed threw 47.36 meters (155' 4") to place sixth overall in the hammer throw at the Central Dutch Invitational on 4/7. It was a personal record by 2.78 meters and made her the highest-placing athlete from a non-scholarship program at the meet. Her throw currently leads the MIAC and ranks 37th in NCAA Division III this season.
MIAC Men's Golf Athlete of the Week
Thomas Gutzmer
Saint John's University
Sr.
Jordan, Minn.
Thomas Gutzmer earned medalist honors among the 212 golfers as the 14th-ranked Johnnies finished second out of 37 teams at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational on 4/7-8. Gutzmer carded six birdies at Division I Illinois State's Weibring G.C. (par 71) during the final round to finish with a 3-under par 68. He tied for the tournament lead with 10 birdies over the two days and led the field across the 21 par-4 holes to win the field by four shots with a 139 (-4).
MIAC Women's Golf Athlete of the Week
Kyra Venne
St. Catherine University
So.
Woodbury, Minn. | East Ridge
Kyra Venne led the Wildcats to a first-place finish at the Division II Upper Iowa Invite on 4/7-8. Venne earned medalist honors at the 36-hole event with a two-day score of 150 (76-74). It was Venne's third individual title of her career and her second of the season.