Outdoor Track & Field

MIAC announces 2026 Outdoor Track & Field awards

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its 2026 award recipients for outdoor track & field on Thursday.
 
The top three finishers in each individual event and the top three teams in each relay at the 2026 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships received All-MIAC honors. Finishers 4-6 in each event received honorable mention. 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 senior Grant Nelson and Hamline sophomore Isaiah Watson were named the Men's Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year, respectively.
 
Carleton senior Hannah Preisser was voted the Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, while Bethel senior Ellie Hernes was selected as the Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.
 
St. Olaf first-year Paxon Myers received the Men's Outdoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year award, with St. Olaf first-year Claire Stein collecting the most votes for Women's Outdoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year.
 
Bethel head coach Andrew Rock was recognized as the Men's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year, and Concordia head coach Marv Roeske received the Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year award.
 
Nelson (Minneapolis, Minn. / Providence Academy) was voted MIAC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the first time in his career. Nelson came away with individual MIAC championships in the 200-meter dash (21.11) and 400-meter dash (46.06), and helped the Royals to victory in the 4x100-meter relay (40.74) at the 2026 conference meet. His time in the 400 meters set a new program record and is the fastest in NCAA Division III this season. This is Nelson's first Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honor, though he has been named the Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year following each of the last two MIAC Indoor Championships. Nelson is the first Royal to receive MIAC Men's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honors since Jordan Spronk in 2011.
 
Preisser (Chapel Hill, N.C. / Carrboro) was named MIAC Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year after claiming MIAC titles in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs. Preisser ran away with the 10K crown, finishing in a facility record time of 35:30.60 – 69 seconds faster than the next closest competitor. Preisser took the 5K lead with 1,000 meters remaining to earn the sixth individual MIAC distance championship of her career, and her third in 2026, having also won the 3K at the MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in February. Previously named the MIAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2024, Preisser is now the first Knight to be selected as the Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year since Simone Childs-Walker in 2011.
 
Watson (Fridley, Minn. / Fridley) was selected MIAC Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year after setting new program and facility records in the triple jump with a leap of 15.32 meters. Watson's mark currently ranks second in NCAA Division III this season. He also picked up honorable mention accolades with a long jump of 6.76 meters. Watson is the first Piper to be voted MIAC Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year since Brennan McKeag in 2011.
 
Hernes (Fairmont, Minn. / Fairmont) was named MIAC Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year after winning MIAC titles in the long jump (5.62m) and triple jump (12.04m), in addition to collecting honorable mention accolades in the 100-meter hurdles (15.23) and heptathlon (4,440) competitions. Her marks in the triple jump and heptathlon set new program records. Hernes, who was also selected as the Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year following the 2026 MIAC Indoor Championships in February, is the first Royal in recorded conference history to be named MIAC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in women's outdoor track & field.
 
Myers (Minneapolis, Minn. / St. Louis Park) was named MIAC Men's Track & Field Rookie of the Year after winning the conference title in the 800-meter run. The first four finishes in the race were all Oles, with Myers claiming the win by a margin of .07 seconds. Myers earned a second All-Conference honor as a member of the runner-up squad in the 4x400-meter relay that crossed the finish line in 3:19.17. Myers is the first Ole in program history to receive MIAC Men's Track & Field Rookie of the Year honors since the award's inception in 2023.
 
Stein (Mendota Heights, Minn. / Two Rivers) was voted MIAC Women's Track & Field Rookie of the Year after winning conference titles in the heptathlon (4,604) and 400-meter hurdles (1:01.45), in addition to a runner-up performance in the 100-meter hurdles (14.77) and an honorable mention distinction in the long jump (5.50m). All told, Stein scored a meet-best 32 points at the 2026 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Stein is the first Ole in program history to receive MIAC Women's Track & Field Rookie of the Year honors since the award's inception in 2023.
 
Rock (14th season) was honored with MIAC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year honors for the third consecutive season after leading the Royals to their third-straight conference title in the sport. Bethel racked up five individual MIAC titles and a relay win at the 2026 MIAC Outdoor Championships. This is Rock's third MIAC Coach of the Year award in men's outdoor track & field, and his 14th MIAC Coach of the Year honor overall. He is also a five-time MIAC Coach of the Year for Men's Indoor Track & Field, and has received the award five times in Women's Indoor Track & Field and once in Women's Outdoor Track & Field.
 
Roeske (30th season) was honored with MIAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Cobbers to the program's first outdoor title since 2004. Concordia collected a pair of individual event titles and a relay win, along with at least one top-three performance in 11 of the 22 scored events. This is Roeske's eighth MIAC Coach of the Year award, and his sixth specific to Women's Outdoor Track & Field. Roeske also received the honor for Women's Cross Country in 2000 and received his first Coach of the Year award in Women's Indoor Track & Field following the Cobbers' MIAC title win in February.
 
A complete listing of All-MIAC honorees and honorable mention recipients is linked below.
 
| 2026 Men's OTF Awards | 2026 Women's OTF Awards |