MIAC FIELD ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg College track and field athlete Nick Ward (SO, Coon Rapids, Minn.) was named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Week, it was announced on Monday.

On Friday at the St. Thomas TomCat Twilight Meet, Ward recorded a personal-best 6.94-meter (22-feet-9.25) effort in the long jump to place third in a very competitive field, an effort just two-and-a-half inches short of the NCAA Division III national championships provisional qualifying distance of 7.00 meters (22-feet-11.75). Ward also finished fourth in the 200-meter dash (22.76 seconds) and ninth in the 100-meter dash (11.26 seconds) at the St. Thomas meet.

On the season, Ward currently ranks second among MIAC men's track and field athletes in the long jump, while ranking third in the 100-meter dash (11.02 seconds) and 13th in the 200 (22.76 seconds).

Ward has emerged as one of the top sprinters and jumpers in the MIAC during his two seasons at Augsburg. Last year, Ward won the conference title in the outdoor 100-meter dash, while finishing sixth in the outdoor long jump and fourth as part of the outdoor 400-meter relay squad. In the 2008 indoor season, Ward finished sixth in the 55-meter dash at the conference meet.

This season, Ward won the MIAC indoor 55-meter dash title with a school-record 6.43-second clocking, while also finishing third in the conference indoor long jump competition.

The award is the latest this week for Ward, who was also named Augsburg's Male Rookie of the Year at Sunday's Auggie Awards.

Augsburg's men's track team returns to action on Wednesday with competition at the Macalester Twilight Meet in St. Paul.