Nelson became the first NCAA Division III runner since 1994 to break 14-minutes in the 5,000-meter run when he ran a 13:57.02 at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., on April 20. The field consisted of NCAA Division I and II runners and Nelson finished sixth in the event and was less than four seconds off the first-place time. The time is currently the No. 1 time in the NCAA Division III and Nelson broke the school record of 14:10.00 set by Jeff Wachter in 1984, topping his previous best in the outdoor 5,000-meter run (14:33.11) set last season. Nelson became only the fourth NCAA Division III runner to break 14-minutes in either the indoor or outdoor 5,000-meter run.
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Thurgood Dennis, Freshman, Allouez, Wis. (Green Bay Notre Dame)
UW-La Crosse, Terrance Thigpen, Senior, Palatine, Ill.
UW-Oshkosh, Corey Wilch, Sophomore, Waukesha, Wis. (North)
UW-Platteville - 4x100-Meter Relay Team - Aaron Hrubes, Junior, Madison, Wis. (Lakeside Lutheran); Jordan Olp, Junior, Reedsville, Wis.; Casey Goffinet, Junior, Platteville, Wis.; Lynn Oyawiri, Senior, Platteville, Wis.
UW-River Falls, Jordan Crockett, Freshman, Burnsville, Minn. (Apple Valley)
UW-Stevens Point, Dan Sullivan, Sophomore, Elkhorn, Wis.
UW-Superior, Matt Reijo, Sophomore, Oulu, Wis. (South Shore)
UW-Whitewater, Mathias Werve, Senior, Kenosha, Wis. (Tremper)