Gustavus Adolphus senior track and field athlete Janey Helland (Mapleton, Minn.) has been named the Central Region Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Helland, who earns Field Athlete of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, will compete in the long jump and heptathlon competitions at the 2011 NCAA DIII Track and Field Championships on May 26-28 in Delaware, Ohio.
The senior standout ranks third in the heptathlon with a score of 4,735. Helland won the MIAC Heptathlon title for the second straight year with a mark of 4,595. Her NCAA Championships qualifying score of 4,735 came in a fifth place finish at the Drake Relays. Helland also ranks 14th in the long jump with a leap of 18-8 entering the NCAA Championships. The Mapleton, Minn. native won the long jump at the conference meet with a mark of 18-4.5.
Janey Helland earned Outstanding Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet and Outstanding Performance of the Meet honors following the MIAC Championships. The NCAA Championships will begin at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 26 with the heptathlon.
