More Honors for Madden

by KDLT Sports
July 29, 2010


NEW ORLEANS, La. – Northern State University graduate Amanda Madden added one final award to her pile of collegiate accolades on Thursday when she was named as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s (USTFCCCA) Outdoor Field Scholar Athlete of the Year. 

Madden was one of three NSU athletes honored by the organization, as it released its 2010 women’s honorees Thursday afternoon. Sophomore Mikayla Barondeau and freshman Yvonne Freese were also named to the All-Academic team.  To be eligible for the honor, athletes must have posted cumulative GPA of 3.25 and met either the NCAA provisional or automatic qualifying standard (indoor or outdoor) in their respective event.  Barondeau was a provisional qualifier in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, while Freese met the provisional standard in the discus.  Neither athlete was selected to participate in the national meet. Madden, meanwhile, capped a stellar senior season and NSU career with a pair of national champion performances. 

The first of those came in March at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, when she captured the weight throw crown with a mark of 19.81 meters (65.00 feet).  She followed that up during the outdoor season when she won the hammer throw by more than 10 feet with her toss of 58.70 meters (192 feet, 7 inches). A Herreid, S.D. native, Madden posted a 3.72 GPA while majoring in art/graphic design at NSU.