BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its Athlete of the Week award winners for outdoor track & field Tuesday. Student-athletes from Bethel, Carleton, Saint Benedict, and Saint Mary's 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 (golf and indoor track & field) 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 2023-24 Athlete of the Week home page, navigate to the 2023-24 Athlete of the Week archive for complete details on each week's selections and winners.
MIAC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Joel Smith
Bethel University
Gr.
Shoreview, Minn. | Mounds View
Joel Smith recorded a come-from-behind victory in the 400-meter hurdles, pulling in front on the final hurdle to win the event in 52.26 at the Redlands Invitational on 3/15. His time is the second-fastest in NCAA Division III this season.
MIAC Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Soren Kaster
Carleton College
Fy.
Horace, N.D. | West Fargo Sheyenne
Soren Kaster posted the fifth-best decathlon score in the nation after accumulating 5,612 points at the Klein/Nwaba Combined Events hosted by Westmont College. The 15-entrant field included 2020 Olympic champion Damian Warner and multiple former NCAA Division I athletes. Kaster posted overall collegiate bests in eight of the 10 events and set his collegiate outdoor top marks in the other two events. On the first day, he completed the 100-meter dash in 11.86 seconds and measured 5.57 meters in the long jump. He had a distance of 9.93 meters in the shot put and cleared 1.66 meters in the high jump before completing the 400-meter dash in 52.56 seconds. On day two, he clocked 16.81 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles, measured 24.75 meters in the discus, and cleared 4.00 meters in the pole vault. Kaster heaved the javelin 41.10 meters and concluded the decathlon by winning the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:42.82.
MIAC Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week
Fiona Smith
College of Saint Benedict
Sr.
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Fiona Smith recorded the second-fastest 10,000-meter time in NCAA Division III history, crossing the finish line in 32:57.28 at the Stanford Invitational on 3/29. The time represents a new program record and makes Smith just the second D-III runner in history to break 33 minutes in the outdoor 10K.
MIAC Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week
Samantha Kubes
Saint Mary's University
Sr.
New Prague, Minn.
Samantha Kubes won the hammer throw at the WashU Distance Carnival and Invitational on 3/29 with a toss of 49.27 meters (161' 8"). The distance ranks 13th in NCAA Division III this season.