University of West Alabama

The St. Catherine University track and field team couldn't have asked for a better way to end the 2015 season than placing with its highest finish in six years at the Minnesota Intercollegaite Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Championships. The squad's ninth-place finish came due in part to an unexpected victory in the javelin from Alyssa Besch (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview). For her outstanding performance, Besch ahs been named the Wildcat Athlete of the Week. 

This spring was just the first time in her three years at St. Kate's that Besch competed with the track and field team, and she hasn't disappointed. Having already set the school record twice, Besch certainly saved her best for last capturing the Wildcats' first individual MIAC title since 2010 and first overall title since 2011. 

Friday, Besch threw a mark of 41.17 meters (135-1) on her final throw of the prelims which ended up being the best of the day and second-best mark in the MIAC all season. Her throw was nearly five meters further than her previous best school record of 36.45 meters (119-10). It also ranks 25th in all of Division III. 

The Wildcats ended the season with a ninth-place finish and 46 points – the most in five years for a Wildcat team at the outdoor meet. The team finished 14 points ahead of Macalester College and just eight points behind Bethel University in seventh.