Bowling Green, KY – Bears sophomore Noah Thomas has been named the Mid-South Conference Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year. This is the first time in program history that a Bear has been honored. Thomas scored 26 total points over four events at the MSC Outdoor Championships in Williamsburg, KY over the past two days.

On Sunday, he won the hammer throw with a personal best mark of 51.35m, which beat the field by over four meters and gave him 10 points. In the javelin Sunday, he earned eight points with a personal best toss of 47.59m, giving him second place. This gives him First Team All-Conference honors in the hammer throw and Second Team in the javelin. During the indoor season, he was Second Team in the weight throw and Third Team in the shot put.

This afternoon, he finished fifth in both the shot put and discus throw, earning a total of eight points. He posted a throw of 13.63m in the shot put and 42.28m in the discus.

Throughout the whole season, Thomas has won 11 events and placed in the top three in 20 events. During the indoor season, he won the shot put at four meets and the weight throw at two. He qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships in the weight throw.

During outdoor season, he won the hammer throw at four meets and the javelin at one meet.

"What an honor it is to be coaching the MSC Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year" said head coach David Espinoza. "For Noah to be at his best in four events and compete against some other great athletes over two days and to score more points than any other athlete at the MSC Championship is amazing."