NEW ORLEANS, La. (3/2/16) – Arkansas State University's Roelf Pienaar is now a two-time recipient of the Sun Belt Conference Men's Most Outstanding Indoor Field Athlete Award after being selected by the league's coaches in an announcement made Wednesday by the league office.

“Roelf has been a great athlete for us,” said A-State head coach Jim Patchell.  “We are certainly pleased that he has been named indoor field athlete of the year.”

Pienaar, a junior, took home his seventh individual championship by winning the triple jump last week at the 2016 SBC Indoor Championships. Pienaar posted a leap of 15.73m (51-7.25) to collect his third triple jump championship, two of which have come indoors. With a second place finish in the long jump (7.57m/24-10.00), Pienaar and the A-State men logged a third place finish at the SBC Indoor Championships.

A-State claimed a total of four individual championships in the meet, two on the men's side and two on the women's side. Keturah Smith (400m) Samone Thompson (pentathlon), Jamil Peeples (60m hurdles) and Roelf Pienaar (triple jump) each took the top spot on the podium in the respective event.

The Red Wolves added 10 other top-three finishes to garner all-conference recognition. Kristina Knott (60m/200m), Samone Thompson (60m hurdles), Alexandra Pevtsova (pole vault), Erin Farmer (shot put) earned all-conference for the women while Jaylen Bacon (60m/200m), 4x400m relay (Peeples, Clarence Simpkins, Henry Offiah, Travius Chambers), Tiaan Steenkamp (high jump) and Roelf Pienaar (long jump) posted all-conference finishes for the men's squad.

Pienaar and Knott are both qualified for the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Ala., at the Birmingham CrossPlex on March 11-12. Pienaar will compete in the long jump on Friday, March 11 at 5:20 p.m. while Knott will race in the 60-meter dash preliminaries at 6:20 p.m. on Friday, March 11. Should Knott advance, the 60-meter dash final is slated for 4:35 p.m. on Saturday, March 12.