BURNSVILLE, Minn. - For the second time in three weeks, University of Sioux Falls Track & Field sophomore Kimberly Peterson was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference field athlete in an announcement by the league on Tuesday morning. This is the second honor for Peterson this season and her fourth NSIC athlete of the week honor in her career.

Hailing from Elizabeth, Colo., Peterson won the Minnesota State Alumni & Open women's pole vault competition by clearing 4.00 meters (13 feet-1.5 inches), the automatic qualifying standard for this year's NCAA Indoor Championships. Peterson's automatic mark currently ranks second in NCAA Division II and is an indoor personal best while tying her overall collegiate personal best.

It only took a few meets as a freshman for Peterson to establish her presence in the NSIC and NCAA Division II pole vaulting scene. She entered both NSIC Indoor and Outdoor Championship meets as the top-seeded individual and emerged victorious in his first year as a collegiate vaulter. Advancing to both NCAA Championships, Peterson placed fourth at the indoor championships to earn All-American honors, and finished ninth at the outdoor championships, one spot from an All-American finish.

This season, Peterson has won the women's pole vault competition at two of the four meets in which she has competed and placed top-five in all four. She has cleared 3.85 meters (12-7.5) twice, which had her ranked fourth in Division II entering this past weekend's meet, and has cleared the provisional standard in all four meets.

This weekend, Sioux Falls Track & Field heads to Wayne, Neb. for the Wayne State Invite on Saturday, Jan. 30.