By: by Emily Diekelmann
MACON, Ga.- After a weekend that saw a new school record set and a first place finish, Jaakko Nieminen can now add Atlantic Sun Track Athlete of the Week to his list of accomplishments, the conference announced on Wednesday. This is the first outdoor track award for Nieminen who won earlier this year for breaking the school record in the 3,000 meters during indoor.
Already the proud owner of the 3,000 and 5,000 indoor records, Nieminen added the outdoor 5,000 meter mark to his achievements. During the Georgia Intercollegiate Invitational on Friday, Nieminen would finish the race in 14:41.05 and earn a first place finish. His time beat the previous record by five seconds and gives him the fastest time in the conference by 14 seconds.
"The honor is special to me because it is my first one for outdoor track," Nieminen said. "It was my first win in an outdoor race and gave me a great personal record to measure myself by. It is just a sign that all of our training methods are working for us. It was a great way to kick off the outdoor season."
Nieminen will get a shot at the 10,000 meter record at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday.
