CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the 2023 Outdoor Track & Field post season awards on Wednesday. All awards are voted on by the head coaches in the conference, with the exception of All-MAC Teams and Freshmen Performers of the Year, which are determined on points earned at the conference championship meet.

Baldvin Magnusson of Eastern Michigan won the 1500m, took second in the 10,000m, and 3rd in the 5000m to take home the Outdoor Most Outstanding Track Performer.  Magnusson’s was also the Indoor Track and Field Most Outstanding Track Performer.

Ryan Smith of Miami earned Most Outstanding Field Performer. Smith scored a total of 24 points by placing in all four throwing events.  He finished 5th in the Hammer, 3rd in the Javelin, 3rd in the Shot Put, and walked away as the MAC Champion in the Discus, in his final event as a RedHawk.

Mark Rinker's distance group scored 71 points for the Eagles, including winss in the 800m and the 1500m.

Eastern Michigan's Angel Gazaway won the 100m hurdles (13.38) and the 400m hurdles (59.16), along with leading off the winning 4x400 relay scoring a total of 22.5 points.

Jenelle Rogers earned the women's field most outstanding performer after winning the MVP award at the meet. Rogers helped guide the Ball State to its first MAC title since the 2001 season, and just the fifth team championship in program history, by scoring 29 total points over the three-day Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships, with 26 of those points coming in field events. Rogers started with a dominating performance in the heptathlon, earning the event win with a track and program record score of 5,632 points. Among the heptathlon competitors, Rogers won the shot put (13.74m / 45’-1”), 200m (24.38), and long jump (6.11m / 20’-0.5”), placed second in the 100m hurdles (14.16) and high jump (1.73m / 5’-8”), placed fourth in the 800m (career-fast 2:24.80) and took sixth in the javelin throw (28.93m / 94’-11”). She was not done there, however, starting with a silver medal and career-best distance of 6.21m (20’-4.5”) in the long jump. Rogers also placed fourth in the shot point with a career-best toss of 14.46m (47’ - 5.25”) and sixth in the high jump at 1.69m (5’-6.5”). Rogers rounded out a solid MAC Outdoor Championship performance with a sixth-place effort in the 100m hurdles at 13.84.

Ball State's Matt Bigelow was the 2023 MAC Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year and has now earned the title for outdoors. Bigelow’s jumps/multis/throws group continued to excel at the 2023 MAC Outdoor Championships, leading the Cardinals to its first MAC title since the 2001 season and just the fifth team championship in program history. The student-athletes he mentored accounted for 62 of the team’s 108 points over the course of the three-day meet, earning 57.4% of Ball State’s total points.