April 15, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Bemidji State University sprinter Kristi Buerkle (Fr., Forest Lake, Minn.) has been named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Female Track Athlete of the Week in an announcement by the league today. The freshman garners the award for her record-setting performance at the Bison Open in Fargo, N.D. Sunday April 13.

Buerkle headlined the BSU women's performance at the talent-laden Bison Open taking first place in the 400-meter dash with an 2008 NSIC-best time of 57.03 while also finishing the 200-meters in third posting her fastest time of the outdoor season (25.82).

Her 400-meter time, breaks a 21-year-old BSU record and leaves her on the fringes of the top-20 400s of the NCAA Division II track and field season and falls just a fraction of a second from the national championship provisional qualifying mark (56.80). Sue Johnson owned the previous BSU 400-meter outdoor standard at BSU with a 57.84 set in 1987.

Sharing NSIC Athlete of the Week honors with Buerkle are: Field Athlete of the Week Lacey Jensen of Wayne State College, University of Mary’s Josh Obrigewitch who was named Male Field Athlete of the Week and the Track Athlete of the Week for Men, Wayne State’s Tim Pilakowski.

The league honor marks the first for BSU this outdoor season and the first of the sprinter's young collegiate career.

Buerkle and nine other members of the Bemidji State track and field team continue the outdoor season today when they travel to Moorhead, Minn. to participate in the Cobber Outdoor Open.

2008 NSIC Track and Field Honorees
Indoor:
Joe Remitz, Men’s Field Athlete of the Week, 1/22/08
Zac Preble, Men’s Field Athlete of the Week, 2/19/08
Joe Remitz, Men's Field Athlete of the Week, 2/26/08

Outdoor:
Kristi Buerkle, Women's Track Athlete of the Week, 4/15/08

--bsu--