Ottumwa, IA – Freshman Tate Joens (Cedar Rapids, IA/Cedar Rapids Prairie) of the No. 4 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men's Track & Field team has been named the 2024 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Male Field Athlete of the Year, announced by the conference office on Monday.

Following a record-breaking performance at the 2024 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 11 Outdoor Track & Field Championship, Joens collected his second Field Athlete of the Year honor after previously winning the award following the NJCAA Region 11 Indoor Track & Field Championship. Joens becomes the first athlete in conference history to claim both the Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year in the same season. In total, five track & field athletes have earned multiple Athlete of the Year honors from the ICCAC, four of which are from Indian Hills.

"Tate has been an amazing athlete to work with the entire year," stated Indian Hills Track & Field Assistant Coach Elijah Barnes who oversees the throws program. "We have asked a lot from him by throwing three events in one season. Tate has never been the kind of person to back down from a challenge. His competitiveness and drive is the reason why he is so deserving of this award in a very loaded Region of throwers. Tate has been a staple to this program in its success. I am excited to see how his career continues to unfold."

Joens reached new heights during the outdoor championships in Council Bluffs. The freshman took home the Region championship in the hammer throw by extending his nationa-leading mark with a distance of 58.72 meters, a new Region championship meet record.

Joens also took home a second-place showing in the discus with a mark of 49.23 meters and placed third overall with a mark of 15.08 meters in the shot put.

With the three top-three performances, Joens has now secured five NJCAA All-Region 11 honors in his first season with the Warrior program.

Joens will head to the upcoming NJCAA DI Men's Track & Field Outdoor Championships in West Monroe, LA with the No. 1 hammer throw mark in the nation, the No. 8 discus mark, and the No. 9 shot put mark.

Action from the NJCAA DI Men's Track & Field Outdoor Championship gets underway Thursday.