Women's Track's Nikki Arola gets MIAC meet honor

May 14, 2009

St. Thomas junior sprinter Nikki Arola was named the Outstanding Women's Track Athlete of last weekend's MIAC Championships.

Arola (JR-Chisholm) contributed 41 points as the St. Thomas women rallied from a 40-point deficit on the final day to capture their 23rd MIAC team title in 25 seasons. Arola won the 200-meter dash (25.60) and 400-meter dash (57.32) and ran on the winning 4x100 (48.57) and 4x400 relays (3:51.56, meet record). She also ran the 100-neter dash and placed eighth. She ran in nine prelim or final races over two days.

St. Thomas is 6-for-6 in MIAC team crowns indoors and outdoors in Arola's era. She has contributed to 18 MIAC individual or relay championships in the last five MIAC indoor and outdoor meets. She's a two-time All-American on the indoor distance medley relay and ran on the Tommies' first-place distance medley team last month at the Drake Relays -- the MIAC's first relay win at Drake in 77 years.

Arola is a three-time MIAC Athlete of the Week winner since March 2008.

Arola is provisionally qualified for nationals in the 400 meters and on the Toms' 4x400 relay.

Click here to see MIAC news release:

http://www.miac-online.org/News/woutdoortrack/2009/5/12/wotfawards09.asp?path=woutdoortrack