For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 30, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Minnesota State Selected as Preseason Favorite in NSIC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Coaches' Poll
BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The defending NSIC Champions of Minnesota State University, Mankato were picked to win the NSIC in the preseason men's outdoor track & field coaches' poll. The Mavericks received nine first place votes and tallied 97 points, ranking them ahead of Augustana, which was second with 84 points and a first place vote. Sioux Falls was third with 82 points and the other first place vote, while the University of Mary was fourth with 61 points.
Minnesota State's Michael Sandle (field) and Augustana's Glen Ellingson (track) were selected as the preseason athletes of the year. Both athletes are coming off indoor season where they were named NSIC Athletes of the Year.
The 2017 NSIC outdoor track & field teams will compete in multiple events this spring, with the season culminating on Friday-Saturday, May 12-13 at the NSIC Championship held at Sea Foam Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota, hosted by Concordia University, St. Paul.
| 2017 Preseason Coaches' Poll |
Points |
| 1. Minnesota State (9) |
97 |
| 2. Augustana (1) |
84 |
| 3. Sioux Falls (1) |
82 |
| 4. University of Mary |
61 |
| 5. Wayne State |
60 |
| 6. MSU Moorhead |
57 |
| 7. Minnesota Duluth |
49 |
| 8. Northern State |
37 |
| 9. Southwest Minnesota State |
31 |
| 10. Concordia-St. Paul |
31 |
| 11. Minot State |
16 |
| first place votes in ( ) |
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Glen Ellingson
(Distance, Sr., Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead HS)
Augustana
- Outdoor personal best performances are 4:01.10 (1500m), 14:43.52 (5000m) and 31:08.28 (10000m)
- In 2015 (junior year), took 8th at the NSIC Championships in both the 5,000-meters and the 10,000-meters
- In 2014 (sophomore year), finished in 6th at the NSIC Championships in the 10,000-meters
- In 2013 (freshman year), took 13th at the NSIC Championships in both the 5,000-meters and the 10,000-meters
- Named NSIC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year for the 2016-17 season
- Earned two second team All-American honors during the indoor season in the 3,000-meters and the 5,000-meters
- Two-time NSIC Cross Country champion and two-time All-American
- Earned Academic All-NSIC the past three seasons
- Two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree
- Sat out last outdoor season as a redshirt
Michael Sandle
(Jumps, Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie HS)
Minnesota State
- Captured 2016 NCAA DII Outdoor title in the triple jump (53-2.75)
- Broke his own school record and earned All-America honors in his first NCAA DII national meet appearance
- Captured 2016 NSIC Outdoor triple jump title (49-9.0 an NSIC Record)
- Took first place at the 2016 Drake Relays with a leap of 52-8.25
- Two-Time NSIC Outdoor TF Athlete of the Week
- Captured 2016-17 NCAA DII Indoor title in the triple jump (52-10.25) and earned All-American honors
- Captured 2017 NSIC Indoor Triple jump title and set a new school record (53-10.5)
- Finished fourth at 2017 NCAA DII Indoor championship high jump with a height of 6-11.75 making All-American in two events
- Finished twelfth at 2017 NCAA DII indoor championship in the long jump with a leap of 23-3.25
- Finished second in the 2017 NSIC Indoor long jump and high jump with marks of 24-3.5 and 6-10.75 respectively and earned the top performer with 26 points scored
| Augustana University Vikings |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 2nd |
2nd |
| Team Preview |
| The Vikings are selected to finish second in the conference after taking second last outdoor season. Glen Ellingson earns NSIC Preseason Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year after taking home two second team All-American honors during the indoor season. Ellingson was the Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and was the Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The Vikings field athlete to watch is true freshman pole vaulter Matt Pohlmann, who had an indoor personal best of 4.27 meters at the NSIC Championships. Augustana will return All-Region honorees Josh Barrows and Nick Larsen for this outdoor season. Barrows is also a returning All-NSIC winnings along with Jesus Urtusuastegui and Dylon Van’t Hof. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- Glen Ellingson (Sr., Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead HS)
- Matt Pohlmann (Fr., Harrisburg, S.D./ Harrisburg HS) |
| First Event |
| Friday, April 7 at Vance Butler/Rich Greeno Dual in Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 11th |
10th |
| Team Preview |
| The Golden Bear men’s squad hopes to see a young core of athletes along with a handful of veterans take a step forward in the outdoor season after taking 10th in the NSIC Indoor Championships. One of the athletes to watch in the group of talented, young mid/long distance runners is sophomore Caleb Troe. Troe joined up with Benjamin Allen, Tyler Naumowicz and Cory Warner to take third in the distance medley while also grabbing a seventh place finish in the 5000m in the indoor championships. Allen also took home four points in the 800m as well. On the field side of things, CSP will rely on a mix veterans and rookies as Antony Odera, Tyler Naumowicz, Josh Johanson and Marcus Gustaveson return as point scorers in the indoor season. Odera, Naumowicz and Johanson have all put together consistent track records of production while Gustaveson burst onto the scene as a solid performer in his first season on the team. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- Caleb Troe (Mid-Long Dist., So., Albert Lea, Minn. / Albert Lea HS)
- Antony Odera (Jumps, Sr., Burnsville, Minn. / Burnsville HS) |
| First Event |
| Saturday, April 1 at Hamline Invitational |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 6th |
4th |
| Team Preview |
| After a strong showing at the Northern Sun indoor championships, a young University of Mary squad hopes to take a similar march forward outdoors. Mary improved two slots over a year ago to finish fifth at the 2017 indoor meet. Luxon Glor headlines the Marauders efforts. The sophomore sprinter/jumper owns the school record in the long jump and placed third outdoors last year. He also took fifth in the triple jump. At the indoor championships Glor won the 60 meter dash and was second in the 200. Fellow sophomore Sam Mackedanz is the Marauders field athlete to watch after placing 5th indoors in the high jump with an NCAA provisional mark. All-conference performers Teegan Olson and Derek Myers will lead the distance runners. Already this season Glor and Tyrell Rosencranz have posted NCAA provo marks in the long jump. Jack Lamb and Shenley Allen will compete with Mackedanz for top honors in the high jump. |
| Athletes to Watch |
– Luxon Glor (Sprints/Jumps ,So., Winnipeg, Manitoba / Vauxhall HS)
– Sam Mackedanz (Jumps, So., Richmond, Minn. / Rocori HS) |
| First Event |
| April 1-2 at Southwest Minnesota State |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 8th |
7th |
| Team Preview |
Seventh-year head coach Paul Nisius will retain the services of nearly three dozen lettermen from his 2016 team. Among those are seven individuals who produced points at last year’s NSIC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, including juniors Austin Carlson, Connor Behm, and Frank Deluca, who took fourth place in the 4x400 Meter Relay, as well as Blake Anderson (10,000-meter run), Logan Rubeck (javelin throw), Alex Naughton (1,500-meter run), and Henry Jessen (5,000-meter run)
|
| Athletes to Watch |
- Jason Lilja (Jumps, Jr., Andover, Minn. / Coon Rapids HS)
- Cody Sedbrook (Distance, Jr., Rosemount, Minn. / Rosemount HS) |
| First Event |
| Saturday, April 1 at Hamline Invitational Meet – 10 a.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 1st |
1st |
| Team Preview |
| The Mavericks set out to achieve their sixth consecutive outdoor NSIC championship in 2017. Coming off earning this season’s NSIC indoor championship, Minnesota State will field returning national champion in the triple jump Michael Sandle who earned All-American honors in the high jump as well. Also returning is last season’s NSIC outdoor champion in the 400-meter dash John Schuster. Minnesota State will once again be on the road for all but two events this season meaning travel will play a large role in the season before the NSIC championship multis will be hosted in Mankato along with the Twilight Open the following weekend. Head Coach Jim Dilling will look to continue the program’s success and growth after the Mavericks sent eight athletes to indoor nationals in Birmingham Alabama just a couple of weeks ago. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- John Schuster (400m, So., Wells, Minn. / United South Central HS)
- Michael Sandle (Jumps, Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn. / Eden Prairie HS) |
| First Event |
| Saturday, April 1 at Hamline Invitational |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 5th |
6th |
| Team Preview |
| MSUM will be led by a veteran distance corps which includes senior Brady Speicher (indoor All-American in the mile in 2016), senior Cody Christ and junior Josh Young (indoor All-American in the mile in 2017). Brian Huber, a three-time All-American in the long jump, leads the Dragon field athletes. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- Josh Young (Distance, Jr., Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead HS)
- Brian Huber (Jumps, Jr., Staples, Minn. / Staples-Motley HS) |
| First Event |
| March 31-April 1 at Mustang Open, Marshall, Minn. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 12th |
11th |
| Team Preview |
| Minot State finished 12th overall at 2016 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Outdoor Championship, scoring 8.5 points. MISU is led by senior Joel Cartwright and junior Tanner Gust. Cartwright has been a leader for the Beavers in the distance program for five seasons. He was the team’s top performer in cross country this season taking 80th at the Central Regional and was 44th overall at the NSIC Championships. He finished 19th in the men’s 5K at the NSIC Indoor Championships this year. Gust had a breakout 2016 outdoor season, finishing seventh in the men’s hammer throw at the 2016 outdoor championships with a toss of 50.39-meters. The Beavers relay teams finished sixth (4x100) and eighth (4x400) at the outdoor championships last year and return Daniel Daffinrud and Tyler Bates off the 400 relay team and Bates, Dylan Harvey and Chiti Nkhuwa from the 1,600 team. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- Joel Cartwright (Distance, Sr., Great Falls, Mont. / Charles M Russell HS)
- Tanner Gust (Throws, So., Minot, N.D. / Minot HS) |
| First Event |
| Friday-Saturday, March 31-April 1 at Southwest Minnesota State Open – 9 a.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 10th |
8th |
| Team Preview |
| The Wolves finished up the indoor season NCAA Championships Deshonn Brown competing for the Wolves in his first National Championships. The sophomore earned All-American second team honors for the Wolves in the high jump. The Wolves finished ninth as a team from the NSIC Indoor Track and Field Championships in late February. Itoitz Rodriguez and Deshonn Brown were picked as the Northern State track and field athletes to watch this spring. Rodriguez concluded the indoor season with two school records in the 400m and 600m runs, and opened the outdoor season with a school record in the 400m. Brown will look to build off the first All-American honors of his career. He finished third from the NSIC Indoor Championships in the high jump with a personal best 2.10m jump. The Wolves will continue the outdoor season April 6-8 at the Northwest Missouri State NSIC vs. MIAA meet. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- Itoitz Rodriguez (Sprints, So., Usurbil, Spain)
- Deshonn Brown (Mulit-Events, So., Prior Lake, Minn. / Prior Lake HS) |
| First Event |
| Friday-Saturday, April 17-18 at Jerry Quiller Invite – All Day |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 4th |
2nd |
| Team Preview |
| Sioux Falls enters the 2017 outdoor track and field season with sights set on stopping Minnesota State’s reign in the league. At the NSIC Indoor Championships, the Cougars were second by just 29.5 points, MSU’s smallest margin of victory of the past five years. Leading the way are USF’s pole vaulters and distance/mid-distance runners. Scott Greenman earned the NSIC title last outdoor season in the pole vault with an NSIC meet record and he comes into the season off a national championship during the indoor season three weeks ago. Greenman is joined by Jagger Gran, Jacob Zebedee, who won the 2015 NSIC Outdoor pole vault title, and Chase Jensen in the vault, all coming off All-American finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The distance quartet of sophomores Jase Kraft, Mason Phillips, and Billy Beseman freshman Zach Lundberg scored big for USF at the NSIC Indoor Championships and look to replicate that during the outdoor season. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- Jase Kraft (Mid-Distance, So., Wessington Springs, S.D. / Wessington Springs HS)
- Scott Greenman (Pole Vault, Sr., Clovis, Calif. / Clovis HS) |
| First Event |
| Saturday, April 1 at NSIC Invite Meet – 9 a.m. |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 9th |
9th |
| Team Preview |
| The SMSU men’s outdoor track & field team returns one conference champion from 2016. Senior Alex Weis won the shot put last spring and also earned All-NSIC honors in the shot put during the 2017 indoor season. Jordan Flinn earned All-NSIC indoor honors in the weight throw this winter, while Josh Behning placed third in the shot put at the 2017 NSIC indoor championships to earn All-NSIC accolades. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- Gabe Galamue (Sprints, Fr., Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo HS)
- Josh Behning (Discus, So., Crystal Lake, Ill. / Prairie Ridge HS) |
| First Event |
| Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1 at Mustang Open |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| 2016 NSIC Championship Finish |
2017 Preseason Poll |
| 7th |
5th |
| Team Preview |
| Wildcats look to improve off last season’s finish, coming off strong indoor season where Wildcats placed third with 69 points. WSC returns All-NSIC sprinter Clay Kramper (2nd in 200 last year) along with junior sprinter Braxton Adams and senior pole vaulter Josh Spenner, who both placed fourth last spring. ‘Cats bring back NSIC Indoor Heptathlon Champion and national qualifier Robert Sullivan and junior Derek Lahm, who scored points in three events during NSIC indoor meet. |
| Athletes to Watch |
- Antoine Bardou (Mid-Distance, Jr., St. Chely-D’apcher, France / Indian Hills CC)
- Robert Sullivan (Multi, Sr., Bennington, Neb. / Omaha Burke HS) |
| First Event |
| Saturday, April 1 at Emporia State Relays |
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