Small Colleges Name Award Winners

Minnesota's small college conferences have named their outstanding athletes and coaches of the year on the heels of last weekend championship meets. Here's a run-down of the best and brightest from the North Central Conference, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ...

NCC: Heidi Evans, a Roseau High School alum who competes for the University of North Dakota, and Kelvin Rodgers of Minnesota State - Mankato where named the conference's Outstanding Athletes. Evans won the 1500m (4:31.77) and 3000m (10:06.71) at the championships. Rodgers, a sophomore from O'Fallon, Illinois, won the long jump (23-7 1/4), 100-meter dash (10.60), and 200-meter dash (21.57) individually and was part of the winning 4x100 meter relay. Because of the weather-accelerated schedule, all four events took place in the span of just a few hours on Friday evening.

Mankato men's coach Mark Schuck earned Coach of the Year honors. His Mavericks completed an NCC triple crown for the school year, winning cross country, indoor, and outdoor track titles in what is the final year of competition for the conference.

You can read the NCC media release HERE.

NSIC: Minnesotans claimed the field events Athlete of the Year honors in the NSIC. Bemidji State thrower Joe Remitz earned the accolade for men after wining the shot put, finishing second in the discus, and taking third in the hammer. Remitz, a North Branch native, set a new NSIC record with his shot put win of 61-6 3/4.

Minnesota State Moorhead’s Ashley Roemer earned the same distinction for women, The Maple Lake alum was a triple winner for the Dragons in the heptathlon (4,755 points), high jump (5-6), and 800 meters (2:15.36), and was a member of the winning 4 x 400m (3:59.88) and 4 x 800m (9:13.36) relay teams.

You can read the NSIC media release HERE.

MIAC: Joe Sweeney, who's University of St. Thomas women have won each and every MIAC Outdoor Championship -- 25 in all! -- was named the MIAC women's coach of the year. He cross country, indoor, and outdoor squads have now won 60 MIAC titles. Fittingly, Tommie women earned Outstanding Women's Track Athlete and Field Athlete honors after the meet. Nikki Arola won the award on the track after she earned wins in the 200m (25.91) and 400m (56.81). Arola also ran on the winning 4x100m (48.47) and 4x400m (3:55.24) relays.

Shara Guidry won titles in the discus and shot put. Guidry claimed the shot put title with a throw of 40-7 and took home top honors in the discus, where she is the defending NCAA Division III champion, with a throw of 142-11. Guidry also took second in the hammer with 152-11.

Gustavus Adolphus College's Lisa Brown won the Outstanding Performance of the Meet award for women for winning the javelin with a meet record-setting mark of 158-5. Brown was the Division III champion in the event in 2006 and is currently ranked #1 among Division III national meet qualifiers.

On the men's side, Hamline University's men's coach Lynden Reder was named Coach of the Year. Reder's squad placed 3rd in the contest, behind champions St. Thomas and runners-up St. John's.

Johnnies swept the Outstanding Athlete Awards. Chris Erichsen took the honors on the track after scoring 28 point for his team by winning the steeplechase and 5000m and finishing second in the 10,000m to a teammate. Erik Diley earned the distinction in the field for winning the long jump in 23-11 1/2 and finishing second int he triple jump in 46-2 1/2.

The Tommies' P.J. Theisen (who was recently featured in THIS College Sporting News story) earned the Outstanding Performance of the Meet award for his body of work at the championship. He won the 400 hurdles in 52.63, a time currently ranked second in Division III. Theisen also anchored the winning 4x100 relay in 42.18 and added a second in the long jump in a season-best 23-8, which ranks sixth in Division III. Theisen also took second in the 110 high hurdles (14.66) and third in the triple jump (45-10 3-4). He also ran on the runner-up 4x400 relay.

You can read the MIAC women's media release HERE ... the men's is HERE.