Saksa is MIAC's track athlete of the week

Mike Ludwig and Matt Higgins (MIAC)
February 21, 2012

ST. PAUL, Minn. - St. Olaf sophomore Brian Saksa was named the MIAC's men's track athlete of the week on Monday after he raced to a pair of first place finishes over the weekend.

Saksa set a pair of records while winning two different events at different meets on Friday and Saturday. He set a new Snowshoe Open record Friday at the University of Minnesota, and a new record on his home indoor track Saturday with a pair of first-place finishes against great competition.

Saksa's big weekend started Friday at the University of Minnesota's Showshoe Open by winning the men's mile against a field of Division I, II and III competitors. His winning time of 4:10.37 is a new meet record, the top time in the MIAC this season and it ranks him in the top five in Division III in 2012. Saturday, Saksa set a new Tostrud Center record by winning the men's 1,000-meter run with a first-place time of 2:30.39. That time ranks third in the MIAC this season and is within three seconds of the league leader.

The Oles and their star sophomore have just one more chance to prepare for the 2012 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held at Macalester College March 1-3. St. Olaf will host the Ole Open Qualifier this weekend with multi-events on Friday and the rest of the action on Saturday in Northfield, Minn.

Contact media relations specialist Mike Ludwig at (507) 786-3834 or ludwigm@stolaf.edu.