BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – As the 2023-24 academic year comes to a close, membership of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) celebrated four deserving individuals with the conference’s Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented annually to an individual or individuals who have made a significant contribution to their institution and the conference. It is the highest honor bestowed upon an individual from the MIAC.
The recipients of the 2024 MIAC Distinguished Service Award are Bethel University faculty athletics representative Bruce Olsen, Carleton College director of athletics Gerald Young, Saint John’s University cross country and track & field coach Tim Miles, and Saint Mary’s University sports information director Donny Nadeau.
Bruce Olsen, Bethel University, Faculty Athletics Representative
Bruce Olsen is retiring in the spring of 2024 after having served as the Royals’ faculty athletics representative since the 2005-06 academic year. An associate professor of business, Olsen’s financial and accounting background has been invaluable to both Bethel and the MIAC where he has helped the conference develop sound budget and policy processes that best support the interests and experiences of Division III student-athletes. As a conduit between athletics and academics, Olsen has served on nearly every head coach hiring committee at Bethel during his tenure to best ensure candidates match the values and standards of competing in the MIAC.
“Bruce’s fingerprints are all over the Bethel University athletic department, and he has served the MIAC in a thorough and painstaking way behind the scenes with his committee involvement,” Bethel head volleyball coach and senior woman administrator Gretchen Hunt said. “Bruce has attended FAR programming with the NCAA, has diligently administered hundreds of student-athlete surveys when requested by the NCAA, and consistently opened the lines of communication prior to MIAC meetings with both Athletics Administration and the President's Office.”
Olsen was presented with the award at the MIAC FAR Council business meeting in May. He is Bethel’s third Distinguished Service honoree all-time, joining 2004 recipient Dave Klostreich and 2021 recipient Bob Bjorklund.
Gerald Young, Carleton College, Athletics Director
Gerald Young will be retiring at the end of the 2023-24 academic year after 32 years at Carleton. He spent 17 seasons as an assistant football coach, 10 seasons as an assistant softball coach, and assisted with the Knights’ men’s and women’s track & field programs before taking over as athletics director in 2010. He has served on the NCAA Division III Management Council, the MIAC Budget Committee, and has been an active leader in the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association among numerous other roles and responsibilities in and around college athletics.
“Gerald has left an important impact on Carleton, the MIAC, and the NCAA in his extensive years of service,” Carleton associate athletics director and senior woman administrator Heidi Jaynes said. “Whether through his leadership on the Division III Management Council to the working groups making change at the conference level, he is thoughtful, inclusive, kind, and cares about the student-athletes and coaches. He is a champion for women in athletics and is always available to listen, give advice, and remind us how lucky we are to get to work with amazing student-athletes every day!”
Young is the second Distinguished Service honoree from Carleton College, joining his predecessor former Knights AD Leon Lunder, who received the award in 2010. Young was celebrated by his peers at the MIAC AD Council meetings at Saint Mary’s University in May.
Tim Miles, Saint John’s University, Head Coach Track & Field / Cross Country
Tim Miles formally retired last August after 44 years of coaching cross country and track & field at SJU, though he continued on as a volunteer assistant throughout the 2023-24 academic year. Over four decades in Collegeville, Miles coached more than 1,500 athletes from 29 different states and 12 different countries. He also played a pivotal role in organizing the conference’s rules and policies to create the best possible competitive experience for MIAC student-athletes.
“Tim Miles’ tremendous coaching career has impacted the world of cross country and track & field almost immeasurably,” Saint John’s head cross country coach Maxwell Kuzara said. “The conference championships and All-American honors he helped his athletes earn are meaningful, but his real impact came away from the awards podium where he has shaped the character and development of thousands of student-athletes and guided them to success and happiness in their lives away from cross country and track & field. That is Tim Miles’ real impact.”
Miles is the fourth Johnnie to be presented with the award, joining John Gagliardi (2013), Jim Smith (2015), and Dr. Ken Jones (2022). He was recognized as a Distinguished Service Award recipient at the 2024 MIAC Track & Field Championships in St. Paul earlier in May.
Donny Nadeau, Saint Mary’s University, Sports Information Director
Donny Nadeau is transitioning out of his role as the sports information director at Saint Mary’s after 29 years in the position where he has overseen statistics, media relations, video streaming, social media, and more in a constantly evolving world of college sports communications. A previous recipient of the MIAC Mike Augustin Award, which honors an individual who has made significant media contributions to the conference, Nadeau’s commitment to supporting and celebrating MIAC student-athletes has been second to none.
“Professionally, no colleague over nearly 30 years in athletics has a negative word to say about Donny,” MIAC Associate Commissioner BJ Pickard said. “His work is first-class, he is an outstanding mentor and example for others in the industry, and above all else, he is a truly wonderful person whose passion and attitude are both admirable and inspiring. The MIAC is infinitely better for his service, as are all those who have been privileged to work with him.”
Nadeau was presented with the award at the MIAC AD Council meetings at Saint Mary’s earlier in May. He is the third honoree from Saint Mary’s all-time, joining Don Olson (2001) and Linda Anderson (2004).
| All-Time MIAC Distinguished Service Award Honorees |