Gustavus Adolphus senior indoor track and field athlete Janey Helland was named the Central Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Helland, who led the Gusties to a 14th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships held March 11-12, in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Capital University, also earned USTFCCCA All-America honors in the pentathlon and long jump following the NCAA Championships. She was one of 135 women to earn USTFCCCA All-America distinctions for the 2011 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field season.
Helland was awarded All-American distinction after she placed second in the pentathlon with 3, 526 points, and fifth in the long jump with a leap of 18’ 2.50” at the national meet. Helland entered the meet ranked second in the pentathlon and fourth in the long jump.
To earn All-America honors, athletes must have scored any portion of a team point at the NCAA Championships. USTFCCCA membership by a program is required to earn All-America awards.
Both honors are among a list a accolades Janey Helland has received in the last month of the season. The Mapleton, Minn. native was named the most Outstanding Women’s Field Athlete following the MIAC Championships in early March. Helland won her third-straight MIAC Title in the long jump after going 18’ 3.25”, while also winning the pentathlon with a new MIAC record score of 3, 445.
Simone Childs-Walker of Carleton (5000m run), Emily Van Heel of St. Thomas (triple jump), and Helland were the only three female athletes from the MIAC to be named All-American.