2022 Bellevue Women's Distance Track News
Eve Fountain (volleyball) and Madison Nelson (cross country/distance track) were named the co-Female Athletes of the Year. Andy Wilkinson (men's socder) and Elijah Johnson (baseball) were the co-Male Athletes of the Year. Tylah Saifoloi (women's golf) and Tibor Stankovic (men's soccer) were honored as the Academic Athletes of the Year.
Bruin freshman Madison Nelson added the crowning achievement to her record-setting freshman year with an All-American finish at this morning's NAIA Half Marathon Championship. The Half Marathon is a part of the NAIA outdoor track and field championships held in Gulf Shores, Ala. All-American status is accorded to the top eight finishers in each event and Nelson secured that spot with her seventh-place showing, in just the second half marathon of her young career.
Bellevue University will have its first-ever participant in the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships which will be held in Gulf Shores, Alabama between May 25-27. Madison Nelson will represent BU in the half marathon event which will take place on Friday, May 27.
Collin Kotz and Madison Nelson win NSAA Track titles in Day 2 of the 2022 NSAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Madison Nelson captured her third NSAA championship of the year crossing the line first in the women's 10,000-meter run at the 2022 North Star Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field Championships being hosted by Valley City State University. She set a new meet record in the process, finishing in 39:26.38. She previously won titles in cross country and the indoor 3,000-meter run.
The Bruin men's and women's track squads returned to the track on Thursday for the Prairie Wolf Invite hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln. For the first time this season, the winds relented and the Bruins took advantage of the great track and field conditions to record three school records.
The Bellevue University track teams were back in action on Saturday at the Jim Dutcher Memorial Track Invitational on the campus of Doane University. Persistent winds near 25 mph hampered all the athletes and personal bests were nearly impossible to accomplish in the conditions.
A pair of podium (top five) finishes and a pair of school records stood out as highlights for the Bruin track team competing at the Sioux City Relays on Friday and Saturday (April 8-9). The meet, held at Sioux City's Elwood Olsen Stadium near the campus of Morningside University, features a competitive collegiate field as well as the top high school athletes in the area. Cold and blustery conditions on Friday gave way to sunshine and calmer winds on Saturday allowing some good early season performances.
In just his second competition as a Bruin, Collin Kotz established his second school record at Saturday's Dordt Invitational in Sioux Center, Iowa. Kotz would return later in the afternoon to narrowly miss a third record as he highlighted the Bruin performances on the day.
Cool and windy conditions greeted the Bruin track team as they opened their outdoor campaign at Saturday’s Viking Relays hosted by Grand View University at Des Moines’ Duke Williams Stadium.
The Bellevue University women's distance track team had their best showing at a conference meet in the short life of the program at the NSAA Indoor Track Championship on Sunday held at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D. The day was highlighted by Madison Nelson and the Bruin's first conference title in the final event of the day for the Bruins, the 3,000-meter run. Nelson also brought home an all-Conference award in the 5,000-meter race and Lorelei Hayden added the honor in the mile run.
In their final tune-up before the NSAA championships next weekend in Brookings, the Bruin women’s track squad returned to the 200 meter oval on the campus of Concordia University for Saturday’s Concordia Invite. The women once again showed their steady improvement as three school records were lowered, bringing the season tally to ten marks either set or re-set during the 2022 campaign.
The Bruins men's and women's indoor track squads continued their season with meets at Doane (Fred Beile Invite) and Concordia (Concordia Classic) over the past two weekends. Those meet saw time improvements by every member of the squad.
Sophomore Lorelei Hayden has started the Bruins indoor track schedule in fast fashion as she has set or been a part of four new school records at the first two meets of the season. At last week's Scott Nisely Invite at Doane, Hayden joined teammates Caroline Feig, Sarah Felten, and Alisiara Hobbs in establishing a school record with a 10:57.06 clocking, good for a runner-up finish. She came back later in the meet at 1000 meters and took twelve seconds from the old mark with a 3:32.45 although that record would be subsequently broken by Feig a week later.
Josè Luiz Barbosa, a Brazilian native and former Olympic 800-meter distance runner, joined the Bellevue University cross country and track teams this week as an assistant coach, stated Bruin head coach Craig Christians.
The Bellevue University men's and women's distance track teams both were named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic teams announced today.