New Orleans, La. – The office of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has announced that Minnesota State senior Katelin Rains (Spring Lake Park, Minn.) has been named the Central Region Field Athlete of the Year, and MSU head coach Jen Blue has been named the Central Region Coach of the Year.

This is Rains’ second regional Field Athlete of the Year award with the first coming in the 2007-08 season as a member of the North Central Region. In the NSIC Indoor Conference Championship, Rains won the pole vault and the long jump events with marks of 14’-1 1/4 and 19-4 3/4, respectively.

Rains will compete in the pole vault, long jump, triple jump and 4x400 relay events at the NCAA Championships.

This is Blue’s first regional Coach of the Year award. Blue has earned two conference Coach of the Year awards in 2003, as a member of the North Central Conference, and the 2008 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Blue guided the Mavericks to the NSIC Indoor Championship this year. It is the Mavericks first conference title in track and field since the 1987 and first indoor title in the program’s history.

The Mavericks wrap up their indoor schedule at the NCAA Championships in Houston, Tex., beginning Friday.

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