Bak named IIAC Athlete of the Week

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Simpson track and field athlete Kinsey Bak earned Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Athlete of the Week honors for the period ending Sunday, May 15 after a MVP performance at the Iowa Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, May 14.

Bak, a junior from Hinton, Iowa, earned the award for the second week in a row after accounting 28 of Simpson's 55 points at the Iowa Conference Championships. She scored in five events for the Storm, earning Most Valuable Women's Field Performer honors.

Bak won the high jump for the third consecutive season with a leap of 5-3 (1.60 meters), and also finished second in the long jump (5.21m; 17-1.25), sixth in the triple jump (10.62m; 34-10.25), and seventh in the javelin (32.74m; 107-5). Bak also competed in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing fourth (15.68 seconds).

She currently owns the No. 2 high jump mark in the nation, set when she cleared 5-7 1/4 (1.71 meters) at the Monmouth Fighting Scots Invitational on May 7.

Bak - who automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships with her jump at Monmouth - and teammates Chelsey Degen (Algona, Iowa) and Ryan Edwardson (Spencer, Iowa) will travel to the North Central Last Chance Meet in Naperville, Ill. on Friday, May 20 for one more shot to improve their qualifying marks before nationals. The NCAA Championships will be held May 26-28 in Delaware, Ohio and are hosted by Ohio Wesleyan.