Indoor Track & Field

MIAC announces 2023-24 Indoor Track & Field awards

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its 2023-24 award recipients for indoor track & field on Thursday.
 
The top three finishers in each individual event and the top three teams in each relay at the 2024 MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships received All-MIAC honors. Finishers 4-6 in each event were given honorable mention distinction. MIAC track & field coaches also voted on individual award recipients for Men's and Women's Track, Field, Rookie, and Coach of the Year honors.
 
Bethel's Jacob Parent and Saint Benedict's Fiona Smith were named the MIAC Indoor Track Athletes of the Year, while Bethel's AnnaGrace Nelson and Concordia's Wade Rhonemus were selected as the MIAC Indoor Field Athletes of the Year. Bethel's Victor Lelinga joined Macalester's Diarra Chatham as the MIAC Rookies of the Year, and Bethel head coach Andrew Rock was celebrated by his peers as both the men's and women's MIAC Coach of the Year.
 
Smith (Jr. | Dharan, Saudi Arabia) was unanimously voted the Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year by MIAC head coaches, receiving the award for the third consecutive season. Smith claimed three individual conference titles, one relay championship, and set a new meet record at the 2024 MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Smith placed first in the mile, 3000 meters, and 5000 meters, in addition to anchoring Saint Benedict's victorious distance medley relay team. Smith's time of 16:40.72 surpassed her own previous meet record set at last year's conference championships. She is the first woman in recorded conference history to win three straight MIAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors.
 
Parent (Sr. | New Richmond, Wis.) was voted the Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after setting MIAC Championship records in both the 200- and 400-meter races. Parent won the 200 in 21.80, breaking the previous mark of 21.96 set in 2009. He broke a 20-year-old record in the 400, winning in 48.58 to beat the 2004 mark by 0.2 seconds. Parent also anchored the Royals' victorious 4x400 relay to pick up his third conference title of the weekend. He is the sixth Royal in recorded conference history - and the second in as many seasons - to receive Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors following the MIAC Indoor Championships.
 
Nelson (Sr. | Cambridge, Minn. | Cambridge-Isanti) was selected by MIAC head coaches as the Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after earning four All-Conference honors, including three in field events. Nelson won the high jump, placed second in the pentathlon, and took third in the triple jump, in addition to a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles. She is the first Royal in recorded conference history to receive MIAC Indoor Field Athlete of the Year honors. 
 
Rhonemus (Sr. | Foley, Minn.) was selected as the MIAC Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year after claiming victory in the men's heptathlon competition. He set personal records in the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault, and 1000 meters, and scored at least 600 points in six of the seven events, with 700 points or more in four events. He is the first Cobber to receive Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year honors since track & field standout-turned-NFL wide receiver Brandon Zylstra in 2015.
 
Chatham (Fy. | Woodbury, Minn. | East Ridge) was a unanimous selection for the Women's Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year award. Chatham won the MIAC title in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.73 in finals. She also placed fourth in the 200 meters to earn honorable mention distinction in that event. Chatham is the first Macalester track & field athlete (men's or women's) to receive Indoor Rookie of the Year honors.
 
Lelinga (Fy. | New Brighton, Minn. | Mounds View) was a unanimous selection for the Men's Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year award. Lelinga won the 600 meters with a time of 1:20.57 and picked up honorable mention distinction with a fifth-place finish in the 800-meter run. He is the second consecutive Royal to receive Men's Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year honors, joining 2023 recipient Landen Liu.
 
Rock (12th Season) led the Royals to a team title sweep for the second consecutive season. The Bethel women's team finished with three individual event champions and one relay title along with 13 All-Conference individuals and a pair of All-MIAC relays. Rock's men's team totaled five individual event champions and two relay titles with eleven All-MIAC individuals and two All-Conference relays. This is Rock's fourth Women's Coach of the Year honor (2015, 2022, 2023, 2024) and his third Men's Coach of the Year award (2017, 2023, 2024).
 
A complete listing of All-MIAC honorees and honorable mention recipients is linked below.
 
| 2023-24 Men's ITF Awards | 2023-24 Women's ITF Awards |