Chris Daymont
A pioneer of women in sport for both the MIAC and college athletics as a whole, Chris Daymont served as the head women's cross country coach at St. Olaf College for 37 years, leading the Oles to nine conference championships during her tenure. Daymont also served as the Oles' head women's track and field coach through the 2010 season. Her impact has reached far beyond athletic success, however. Not only did she grow the Oles' cross country program from three competitors in 1976 to 30 just two years later, but she also mentored more than 1,200 female student-athletes and served as a trailblazer for female coaches throughout collegiate athletics. Her role also afforded her the opportunity to coach her children, all three of whom were MIAC student-athletes. Her impact on the MIAC and Division III athletics has been significant, from serving as meet director for both Conference and National Championships to sharing her insight and expertise in order to continue to enhance the female student-athlete experience and facilitate more opportunities for women in sport. She was recognized with the MIAC's Distinguished Service Award upon her retirement from coaching in 2018.
Perhaps no individual is more synonymous with MIAC volleyball than Cindy Book, who spent more than three decades in the conference as a coach, educator, and administrator. Book spent her first eight years as a coach at Bethel and went on to serve 22 more at St. Olaf, accumulating 716 wins, nine NCAA Tournament appearances, six MIAC championships, and one trip to the Final Four during her career. In addition to head coaching duties, she assumed the role of athletic director at St. Olaf from 1998 to 2003. She also had teaching responsibilities and served as chair of the exercise science department for the College. Her coaching did not cease when her student-athletes graduated, either, as she continued to mentor her former pupils well into their professional careers. Book received the MIAC's highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, in 2016 and was inducted into the St. Olaf Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.