5/16/2012 - http://www.miac-online.org/news/2012/5/16/MOTRACK_0516121024.aspx

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The 2012 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships featured a number of outstanding performances and unforgettable moments over the weekend at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. Wednesday, the best of those performances were honored as the conference announced the 2012 MIAC Men's Outdoor Track and Field Awards.

The University of St. Thomas built a comfortable lead Friday and continued the pace Saturday en route to the conference team championship. As a result, the Tommies headlined the awards, taking three of the four honors. Mike Hutton was named Outstanding Men's Track Athlete, Eyo Ekpo received Men's Outstanding Performance-of-the-Meet award for his showing in the high jump, and Head Coach Steve Mathre shared Men's Co-Coach-of-the-Year honors.

The other individual honors went to Gustavus' Blair Riegel, who was named the Outstanding Men's Field Athlete, and Hamline Head Coach Paul Schmaedeke shared the outdoor coaching honor with Mathre.

The top three finishers in each individual event were named automatic All-Conference, as well as the first-place team in each relay race. Individuals in places 4-6 and relay teams in places 2-6 received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors. To see the All-Conference honorees, view results from the meet here.

As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC selected the sixth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for Men's Outdoor Track & Field. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

Outstanding Men's Track Athlete - Mike Hutton, St. Thomas
-UST's Mike Hutton (Apple Valley, Minn.) closed the books on his incredible MIAC track career with one final virtuoso performance at the MIAC Outdoor Championships. He was involved in three first-place finishes in stadium records, starting with his individual title in the men's 800-meter run. Hutton - the Division III indoor champ in the 800 - won his second-straight MIAC outdoor title in the event with a first-place time of 1:51.27, which is a new Irv Christenson Stadium record. He also anchored both of UST's winning relay teams - the 4x400 and 4x800 - which also set new stadium records. The 4x400 team won with a time of 3:16.39, and the 4x800 team's record time was 7:40.64. Hutton adds the Outstanding Men's Track Athlete outdoor honor to his trophy case, after winning the same honor for the indoor meet in both 2011 and 2012.

Outstanding Men's Field Athlete - Blair Riegel, Gustavus
-Versatile Gustavus' star Blair Riegel (Lakeville, Minn./South) contributed to the Gusties' success over the weekend in an number of ways, but first and foremost with his performances in the jumping events. Riegel claimed his second-straight MIAC outdoor title in the long jump by recording a distance of 22-10.50 feet. He added a second-place finish in the triple jump with a 46-0.50 feet performance. The Gustavus sophomore also added seventh-place performances in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and anchored Gustavus' first-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay.

Men's Outstanding Performance-of-the-Meet - Eyo Ekpo, St. Thomas

-Eyo Ekpo's (Andover, Minn.) excellence at MIAC Championship events continued over the weekend, as the St. Thomas star was honored for his jaw-dropping performance in the high jump. Ekpo was not only the MIAC high jump champion while setting a new Concordia stadium record, he blew away the rest of the field by more than four inches. Ekpo cleared the high jump bar at 6-10.75, with the next closest competitor at 6-6.25. The Men's Outstanding Performance-of-the-Meet award is the latest in Ekpo's decorated career, as the junior received the same honor at this year's indoor meet for his win in the triple jump. He also was named the outdoor Outstanding Field Athlete in 2010, and has been the Outstanding Field Athlete in each of his three indoor performances.

Men's Co-Coaches-of-the-Year - Steve Mathre, St. Thomas; Paul Schmaedeke, Hamline

-St. Thomas Head Coach Steve Mathre earned his share of the MIAC Coach-of-the-Year award thanks to his team's championship performance over the weekend in Moorhead. The Tommies won the title with 187.0 points with a 34-point margin of victory over runner-up Hamline. Mathre's team racked up seven first-place finishes, including a pair of relay wins and UST swept the top three spots in the decathlon. This is Mathre's 17th season as St. Thomas' head coach, and this is just the latest coaching honor in his decorated career. He last won the MIAC's outdoor award in 2009.

-Hamline Head Coach Paul Schmaedeke is no stranger to MIAC success, evidenced once again by his team's 2012 outdoor performance. The Pipers were the runners-up in the team competition with a total of 153.0 points. Hamline was especially good in the distance and field events, capturing titles in the 1,500-, 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs as well as the triple jump, shot put and hammer throw. Schmaedeke's Hamline career spans more than 30 years as both a coach and a student-athlete, and he now has 12 total MIAC Coach-of-the-Year awards, including at least one in each of the last six seasons. He was named the MIAC Cross Country Coach-of-the-Year in the fall, and last won the outdoor honor in 2010.

2012 All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team
Augsburg - Rick Wolke (Sr., Belle Plaine, Minn.)
Bethel - Gabe Hymer (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.)
Carleton - Jordan Butler (Jr., El Mirage, Ariz./Dysart)
Concordia - Caleb Giesen (Sr., Henderson, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson)
Gustavus - Anders Bowman (Sr., Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata)
Hamline - Ellis Richardson (Sr., Roseville, Minn.)
Macalester - Dan Voss (So., Willmar, Minn.)
Saint John's - Aaron Koenig (Sr., St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral)
Saint Mary's - Peter Borash (Jr., Bowlus, Minn./Royalton)
St. Olaf - Peter Johnson (Sr., Libertyville, Ill./Lake Forest Academy)
St. Thomas - Ben Yorkovich (Sr., Maplewood, Minn./North St. Paul)

2012 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Website