University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI Athletics celebrates May 2026 Student-Athletes of the Month
5/18/2026 12:39:00 PM | Softball, Track and Field
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI Athletics is proud to honor four outstanding student-athletes with Athlete of the Month awards for May 2026.
The award recipients, voted on by members of UNI's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for their achievements in the month of April, include Carter Morton and Carson Lienau (men's track and field), as well as Emma Randecker (women's track and field) and Skylar Benesh (softball).
Carter Morton – Men's Track & Field
The Jefferson, Iowa native continued his strong senior season in style by placing fourth in the decathlon at the Bryan Clay Invitational, setting a new UNI and Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) record with 7,782 points, along with career-best marks in the discus, 110-meter hurdles and 100 meters. Morton also won the men's long jump championship division at the Drake Relays with a new personal best of 25' 4 while also finishing sixth in the high jump (6' 10 ¾). He was also named the MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week on April 29.
Carson Lienau – Men's Track & Field
Helping lead the charge for Panther throwers, Lienau opened April with a second-place showing in the discus (167' 2) and fifth-place effort in the shot put (56' 9 ¼) at the Jim Duncan Invitational in Des Moines. At the Phil Esten Challenge, he won the shot put with a toss of 59' 11 and took eighth in the discus (163' 9) to earn MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors on April 19. Lineau also placed seventh in the shot put (58' 4 ¾) and ninth in the discus (167' 10) at the Drake Relays.
Emma Randecker - Women's Track & Field
One of UNI's fastest young talents, Randecker continued her impressive freshman season with wins in the 100, 200 and 4x400-meter relay at Drake's Jim Duncan Invitational. A week later at the Phil Esten Challenge, she swept three more event titles in the 200, 400 and the 4x400-meter relay again. Randecker etched her name further into the UNI record books at the Drake Relays, posting the fifth-fastest time in team history in a ninth-place prelim finish in 11.72 seconds, while also taking third in the 400 meters with the second-fastest time in program history in 54.28 seconds. She closed out the Drake Relays with a school record alongside Joey Perry, Jersey Jones and Darci Wiseman in the 4x400-meter relay (3:35.26).
Skylar Benesh - Softball
The Walker, Iowa native, put together a strong April with a batting average of .517 in 16 games, leading Northern Iowa with 30 total hits and 21 runs scored. Benesh also posted a team-high .897 slugging percentage with a .606 on-base clip, along with six home runs and 17 runs batted in. Her month included ten extra-base hits with four doubles, while her defensive performance resulted in 31 putouts and 34 assists.
UNI Athletics action can be followed all year long on social media on Facebook (UNI Athletics), X (@UNIAthletics) and on Instagram (@uniathletics). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
