For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
NSIC Media Relations
Full PDF Release

NSIC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week:
Minnesota State’s Chris Reed (Sr., Throw, Omaha, Neb. / Omaha Central HS) finished first in the shot put at Minnesota’s Northwest Open Saturday with an indoor school record of 62-10 (19.15m) to win by nearly six feet over Division I competition, making him the seventh-best collegiate thrower in the nation — all divisions — in 2014 and the seventh-farthest thrower in Division II history. This marks the third consecutive meet in which he has posted a winning mark better than his 60-5 (18.41m) throw to finish runner-up at NCAAs last year — which was then a personal-best. He also finished third at the Northwest Open in the weight throw with a personal-best mark of 64-10 (19.76m) to place him fourth on the Division II list for 2014.This marks the second time this season Reed has been named NSIC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week (12/10/13).

NSIC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week:
Minnesota Duluth’s Cole Toepfer (Sr., Distance, Eagan, Minn. / Eagan HS) was the top division II finisher in the mile at the Northwest Open hosted by the University of Minnesota.  Toepfer, who finished fourth overall in the race, ran the mile in  an NCAA Division II-provisionally qualifying time of 4:15.68.  That time ranks first in the NSIC this season.

NSIC Women’s Field  Athlete of the Week:
Winona State’s Hannah Mueller (Jr., Hurdles/Jumps, Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti HS) recorded a provisional qualifying distance in winning the long jump with a mark of 18’ 8” at the Saint Mary’s Early Birdinal Saturday in Winon, Minn. That distance is the longest in the NSIC this season by over two inches.  Mueller also posted an individual title in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 8.54.

NSIC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week:
University of Mary’s Cassandra Jones (Sprints, Fr., North York, Ontario) was clocked in a provisional qualifying time of 57.76 seconds in the 400 meter dash at the NDSU Bison Classic. The freshman placed third overall in the event. It is also the top mark in the NSIC this year.

NSIC Team Notes
Augustana
Augustana returned to the short oval for the first time in 2014 and crowned five champions while CJ Ham broke a school record in the men’s weight throw. Henrik Hansson and Kayla Mescher swept the men’s and women’s 600-meter run, Kyle Blakeslee took home the women’s mile title, Kelsey Kaufmann won her second consecutive high jump event, and the women’s 4x400-meter team cruised to a victory.
Men’s Field: CJ Ham (Throws, Jr., Duluth, Minn./Denfeld H.S.) broke the Augustana weight throw record while narrowly missing out on hitting a provisionally-qualifying mark. Ham’s toss of 17.02 meters (55 feet, 11 inches) was just two centimeters shy of hitting the minimum NCAA-Championship qualifying mark. Ham finished as runner-up in the weight throw competition and equaled that finish in the shot put, concluding the competition with a best throw of 15.35 meters (50 feet, 4.5 inches).
Men’s Track: Henrik Hansson (Mid-Distance, Sr., Stromstad, Sweden) turned in a 600-meter winning performance at the Dordt Open on Saturday. Hansson crossed the finish line in 1:22.50, the third-fastest time in the NSIC this season. Hansson also turned in a runner-up performance in the 1,000-meter run, finishing in 2:33.04.
Augustana (Cont)
Women’s Field: Kelsey Kaufmann (High Jump, So., Arlington, S.D./Arlington H.S.) won her second high jump competition in as many meets, taking home the Dordt Open title on Satruday. Kaufmann finished with a best clearance of 1.60 meters (5 feet, 3 inches) tying her for first, but Kaufmann had fewer misses along the way to her top height. Kaufmann has already earned a provisional mark, clearing 1.66 meters (5 feet, 5.25 inches) at the MSU Preseason Open.
Women’s Track: Kayla Mescher (Sprints/Mid-Distance/Hurdles, Jr., Brighton, Colo./Brighton H.S.) completed the 600-meter sweep for the Vikings, winning her second 600-meter race in as many meets. The junior mid-distance runner won by over three seconds, clocking a 1:36.17 at the Dordt Open. Mescher also made her debut in 55-meter hurdles, taking third with a time of 8.78 seconds. Mescher’s 600-meter time from the MSU Preseason Open is the second-fastest in the NSIC this season.
 
Bemidji State
Women’s Track:  Emily Turner (So., Bingham, Minn.)  legged out a win in the Super 8 Open 1,000-meters Jan. 18, breaking the tape in a time of  3:26.21 seconds, finishing nearly a full second ahead of her closest competitor. The sophomore led a trio of Beavers to finish in the top eight in the race. In addition, Turner placed fourth in the mile (5:53.02).
Women’s Field: Hailey Horob (So., Williston, Minn.) cleared 10-6 in the pole vault and surpassed the rest of the field by nearly a foot to claim top honors at the Super 8 Open Jan. 18. The mark matched her season-best of a year ago and currently places her 16th on the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference performance list.
The Beavers next travel to Menomonie, Wis. Jan. 25 to participate in the University of Wisconsin-Stout Open. Events are set to get underway at noon on the lower level of the UW-Stout Sports and Fitness Center.

Concordia-St. Paul
The Concordia University track and field team had a solid day with 14 PR’s highlighted by a school record performance in the 200m by Alyssa Christianson and a school record tying performance by Michelle Ndely in the 60m hurdle at the Minnesota State Alumni Open.
Women’s Field: Erica Young (Multi-Event, 5’5”, So., Bradford, Minn., Cambridge-Isanti HS) finished second in the BSU Super 8 Multi-Event with 2578 points.  She set PRs in the 60m hurdles (10.65), the high jump (1.22m), the shot put (9.29m) and the 800m run (2:34.58).
Women’s Track: Alyssa Christianson (Sprints, 5’6”, Sr., Marshall, Minn. / HS) continued her excellent start to the season with first place finishes in both the 200m and 400m in the SCSU Van Nelson Invitational.  She finished with a time of 26.37 in the 200m and set a new PR in the 400m with a time of 59.42.
Men’s Track: Nic Rudolph (Mid Distance, 6’2”, Jr., Waseca, Minn. / HS) finished second in the 800m with a time of 2:01.97 in what was a tough field in the SCSU Van Nelson Invitational.  The time put him just under a second behind the winner of the event.
Men’s Field:  Colin Goligoski (Multi-Event, 6’5”, Jr., St. Paul, Minn. / Central HS) hit an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the heptathalon in the BSU Super 8 Multi-Event with a 4613 points.  He finished first in the event and ran the 60m dash in 7.57, the 60m hurdles in 9.71, the 1000m run in 2:56.36 and put up 6.55m in the long jump, 11.04m in the shot put, 1.83m in the high jump and 4.35m in the pole vault.

University of Mary
Men’s Field:  Aaron Teigen (Jumps, Sr., Rugby, N.D.) was a double winner at the NDSU Bison Classic in Fargo, N.D., on Saturday, Jan. 18. The senior captain from Rugby, N.D., leaped 22’ 1 3Z4” to win the long jump. He came back later to claim the triple jump title with an effort of 44’ 11 1Z2”. He currently ranks second in the NSIC in the long jump and sixth in the triple.
Women’s Field: Danylle Kurywchak (Jumps, Soph., Sacramento, Calif.) posted a provisional qualifying mark in the triple jump at the NDSU Bison Classic on Saturday, January 18. The sophomore from Sacramento, Calif., sailed 38’ 1/4” on her first effort of the day to claim second. Her distance is second best in the NSIC this season.
Women’s Track: Cassandra Jones (Sprints, Fr., North York, Ontario) was clocked in a provisional qualifying time of 57.76 seconds in the 400 meter dash at the NDSU Bison Classic. The freshman placed third overall in the event. It is also the top mark in the Northern Sun this year.
 
Minnesota Duluth
Men Track/Field: The University of Minnesota Duluth took its indoor track and field show to the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis, Minn on Saturday for the Northwest Open and received solid performances from a number of Bulldogs.  Headlining that list was senior Cole Toepfer who finished fourth in the mile rule and did so with an NCAA Division II-provisionally qualifying time of 4:15.68.
Women Track/Field: Amelia Maher headed the list of top performers for the University of Minnesota Duluth at the University of Minnesota’s Northwest Open Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn.  Maher had the second-best mark in the high jump (5’5 1/4 / 1.66 meters) which provisionally qualifies for the NCAA Division II indoor championship. She also placed seventh in the 400-meter dash (1:01.24).
The Bulldogs will be in St. Paul, Minn., this Friday (Jan. 24) for the University of St. Thomas Invitational.

Minnesota State
Men’s Track:  Freshman Myles Hunter won the title in the 60-meter hurdles with a provisional-qualifying and personal-best time of 8.25.
Men Field: Chris Reed (Senior – Omaha, Neb.) finished first in the shot put at Minnesota’s Northwest Open Saturday with an indoor school record of 62-10 (19.15m) to win by nearly six feet over Division I competition, making him the seventh-best collegiate thrower in the nation — all divisions — in 2014 and the seventh-farthest thrower in Division II history. This marks the third consecutive meet in which he has posted a winning mark better than his 60-5 (18.41m) throw to finish runner-up at NCAAs last year — which was then a personal-best. He also finished third at the Northwest Open in the weight throw with a personal-best mark of 64-10 (19.76m) to place him fourth on the Division II list for 2014.
Women Track: Holly Suss (So., Parker S.D.),  at the Norhwest Open on Saturday, finished in first in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.87. She also came in third-place in the 200-meter dash crossing the finish line with a time of 25.74.
Women Field:  Anna Veroeven (North Mankato, Minn.), at the Northwest Open on Saturday, had a first-place finish with a jump of 37’ 5.75” in the triple jump.
The Minnesota State men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Minneapolis to take part in the Northwest Open on Saturday. In the 60-meter dash senior Carmono Lane finished in second-place with a time of 6.96. Lane also finished in second-place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.38 while junior Anthony Gustafson finished just behind him in third-place with a time of 22.60. Fellow freshman Benjamin Ojika finished in second with a time of 8.29.In the high jump senior Keyvan Rudd had a leap of 6’ 10.75” to take the top spot in that event. Sophomore Khalil Jor’dan had a jump of 47’ 5.75” placing him in first in the triple jump. Senior David Pearcill placed third with a jump of 45’ 1.75”.
On the women’s side the Mavericks had the top three finishers in the 60-meter dash finals as sophomore Holly Suss finished in first-place with a time of 7.87. Freshman Brieanna Puckett took second-place crossing the finish line with a time of 7.87 while sophomore Rachel Lindquist placed third with a time of 8.01. In the 200-meter dash Suss had a time of 25.74 coming in third-place while Puckett placed fifth with a time of 26.13. Junior Madison Alexander had a time of 1:00.53 placing fourth in the 400-meter dash. Junior Bonnie Pickford finished in sixth-place crossing the finish line with a time of 1:01.20. Junior Jenni Vanttinen had a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles crossing the finish line with a time of 8.95. The 4x400-meter relay team consisting of freshman Taylor Glover, freshman Taylor Naatz, Pickford, and Alexander had at time of 3:59.92 which gave them a second-place finish. Sophomore Faryn Wirkus had a vault of 11’ 11.75” in finishing in fourth-place in the pole vault. Puckett finished in the top spot in the long jump with a leap of 18’ 1.00” while Vanttinen placed third with a jump of 17’ 0.50”. In the triple jump junior Anna Veroeven took first-place with a jump of 37’ 5.75”. Freshman Eden Rogers place third leaping 30’ 8.50”.

MSU Moorhead
Men’s Track: Ryan Olson (Sr., Sprints, White  Bear Lake, Minn. / White Bear Lake HS) had a solid season-opening meet for the Dragons at the Northwest Open in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday. Olson was part of the 4x400 relay that finished second at 3:19.84 and also placed fifth in the 200-meter dash at 22.97. Next action for the Dragon men is at the St. Thomas Showcase on Jan. 24.
Women’s Track: Tia Knight (Jr., Sprints/Hurdles / Spring Valley, Calif. / Steele Canyon), making her Dragon debut, won the 60-meter hurdles during the Northwest Open in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday. Knight won the event with a time of 8.86, beating several runners from Minnesota. Knight was also part of the 4x400 relay which finished seventh at 4:12.28.
Next action for the Dragon women is at the St. Thomas Showcase on Jan. 24.

Minot State
Men’s Field: Kirk Capdeville (Jr., Pole Vault, Hinsdale, Mont. / Hinsdale HS) appeared in mid-season form at the Bemidji State Super 8 Open as he won the pole vault, clearing a height of 15 feet, 11 inches in his first action of the season. With that clearance, he passed the NCAA Division II qualifying height and is currently, unofficially, ranked No. 4 in all of NCAA Divison II in pole vault.
Women’s Field: Mary Roy (Fr., Jumps/Sprints, Mount Vernon, Ore. / Grant Union HS) stole the show at the Bemidji State Super 8 Open as she recorded three event victories in her first ever collegiate meet. Roy captured titles in both the long jump and triple jump, jumping 36‘ 7.75” in the triple and 17’ 1.25” in the long. She also opened the entire meet with a win in the 60 meter dash as she ran it in 8.12 seconds.
MISU opened their 2014 season with a bang Saturday. The Beavers had 11 event wins and 14 personal bests as they competed in the Bemidji State University Super 8 Open. On the women’s side of competition, Sienna Dailey (Jr., Sprints, Glasgow, Mont.) in the 400 meter dash with a time of 59.32 seconds and Catie LeDesma(Fr., Distance, Chula Vista, Calif.) in the one mile run with a time of 5 minutes, 39 seconds. For the men, Adedamola Sobande (Sr., Throws, St. Paul, Minn.) broke a Minot State indoor record in the weight throw. Sobande placed at the Super 8 with a throw of 49 feet, 9.75 inches. The throw beats an 11-year old school record previously held by Tony Fugelburg. Tyler Flatland (Jr., Sprints, Watford City, N.D.) picked up where he left off last season as he placed first in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.19 seconds while also placing second in the 400 meter dash with a time of 51.57 seconds. Also capturing a win for men’s track & field was Cyrille Litche Zouogbo (Jr., Jumps, Abidjan, Ivory Coast) who won the men’s long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 3.25 inches. The Beavers will be in action on Saturday Jan. 25 as they travel to Spearfish, S.D. to compete in the Black Hills State Yellowjacket Invite.

Northern State
Men’s Track: Andrew Johnson (Jr., Aberdeen, S.D.) took home first-place in the 55-meter dash Saturday running a career-best time of 6.51 in the event. Johnson was also a part of the Northern 4x400 relay team, along with Nick Lindwurm, Raekwon Robinson and Zach Six that placed second with a time of 3:29.54 as Northern opened its 2014 indoor track season Saturday at the NSU Open.
Men’s Field: Salih Mohamed (Fr., Rosemount, Minn.) had an impressive debut for Northern. Mohamed took home the triple jump title Saturday with a leap of 43’-4.5”
Women’s Track:  Sasha Hovind (Fr., Stirum, N.D.) had a great debut for the Wolves as the freshman won her individual event. Hovind won the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:55.38.
Women’s Field: Gena Burley (So., Pierre, S.D.) set a new career-best in the high jump to win the event for Northern Saturday at the NSU Open. Burley recorded a leap of 5’-5” which is tied for tops on the NSIC performance list this season.

Southwest Minnesota State
Men Track: Freshman Jay Schneider (Mequon, Wis.) finished second in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.42 and was also a member of the SMSU’s 4x400 meter relay team that finished second with a time of 3:26.53.
Women Field: Freshman Rylee Armstrong (Peace River, Alaska) finished third in both the high jump and long jump at the Dordt Invite on Saturday. She recorded a jump of 1.60m in the high jump and a 5.19m in the long jump.

Sioux Falls
The University of Sioux Falls Track & Field team competed at the Dordt Indoor Invitational this weekend and came away with eight event titles and seven runner-up places. The Cougars will compete next at the Stadium Sports Grill Open in Spearfish, S.D. on Saturday, January 25.
Women Field:  In the weight throw, Marissa Whipple took second place overall with her throw of 54-4.75 (16.58m). The throw is the sixth farthest in the conference this season and is a NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Whipple also hit a NCAA provisional qualifying mark and broke the school record in the Shot Put with her throw of 44-1.5 (13.45m).
Women Track: Kendra Knight ran the second fastest 400m Dash time in the NSIC this season as she claimed the title with her time of 58.26. Knight was also a member of the runner-up 4x400m Relay that ran the sixth fastest time in the conference this season with their time of 4:05.62. Knight anchored the relay to a victory with her split of 57.1 seconds.
Men Track: Tanner Townsend claimed the title in the 200m Dash with his time of 22.74 which is the sixth fastest time in the NSIC this season. Townsend also finished third overall in the 55m Dash with his time of 6.49
Men Field:  Jordan Bents claimed the title in both the Weight Throw (56-4.5/17.18m) and in the Shot Put (51-0/15.54m). Bents’ mark in the shot put is the second farthest in the conference this season while his mark in the weight throw is the third farthest. Bents also put his name on the national lists by hitting the NCAA provisional qualifying mark in both events.

St. Cloud State
The St. Cloud State men’s and women’s track and field teams hosted the 3rd Annual Van Nelson Invite Saturday afternoon and both teams came away with second place finishes in the Triangular. The women’s team placed second with 85 points, while the men totaled 82 points for their second place finish.
Women’s Track & Field: The St. Cloud State women posted four first-place finishes.  Sam Sunstrom (Sauk Rapids) won the 1-mile run in 5:23.98. Kassie Vaness (Oxford, Wis.) was victorious in the 3000 meter run in a time of 10:56.23 and Heather Clankie (Brodhead, Wis.) won the shot put with a throw of 42-01.5. The Huskies 4x400 relay team of Jasmine Grant (Surrey, Canada), Jenny Gilbreath (Burlington, Wis.), Alicia Lipka (Princeton) and Alicia Evans (Melrose) won their race in 4:05.20 setting a new Van Nelson Invite record. Grant and Evans had second and third place finishes respectively, in the 400-meter dash with Grant running in 59.82 and Evans in 1:00.43. In the 800-meter run Kylie Baas (Cambridge) place second in 2:21.69 and Rachel Sakry (Milnor, N.D.) in third in 2:34.97. Baas also had a third place finish in the high jump. Laure Olson (Hawley) placed in several events, finishing third in the 60-meter hurdles in 9.36, second in the triple jump and fifth in the shot put.
Men’s Track & FIeld: Ryan Johnson (So., Amery, Wis.) had an outstanding weekend for the Huskies at the Van Nelson Invite posting top finishes in the weight throw and shot put. Johnson took the title in the weight throw posting a career best mark of 60-05.25. Not only did he shatter his personal best and meet record in the weight throw, but ranks him 9th nationally and provisionally qualified him for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Johnson’s other top finish was in the shot put, taking second with a mark of 47-05.75.
 In the men’s 200m dash it was freshman Dillando Allotey finishing fourth (22.41).
The Huskies earned top finishes in the men and women’s 4x400m relay as the men took second place (3:26.96) and the women fourth (4:05.33).

Wayne State
Men’s Track: Zach Thomsen (Jr., Wayne, Neb.) recorded a 4th place finish in the 600 meter run at the Dordt College Invite.  He had a time of 1:22.74.  His season best came at the UNK Open where he recorded a time of 1:21.78, which currently leads the NSIC.  He also placed tenth in the 1000 meter run and ran a leg on the 4 x 400 meter relay team that placed 5th.
Men’s Field: Derek Lahm  (Fr., Columbus, Neb.) leaped to a 2nd placed finish in the triple jump with a mark of 44’ 8 3/4” and also a 4th place finish in the long jump at 22’ 1”.  In addition he earned an 8th place finish in the 200 meter dash at 23.38.
Women’s Track: Lexi Guhl (Sr., Omaha, Neb.) raced to a 2nd place finish in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 8.76 seconds in the Dordt College Invitational.
Women’s Field: Carly Fehringer (Sr., Wayne, Neb.) threw a winning mark of 59’ 7” to win the weight throw at the Dordt College Invite.  She also placed 3rd in the shot put with a mark of 44’ 3 1/4”.  She currently leads the NSIC in the weight throw by four feet over her next competitor.
The WSC Track & Field team will host the Wayne State College Open on Saturday, Jan. 25 for their next competition.

Winona State
The Winona State track and field team won 11 events while also posting a pair of NCAA Indoor Championship Provisional Qualifying marks to take home the team title at the Saint Mary’s Early Birdinal Saturday in Winona.
Women’s Field: Hannah Mueller was able to record a provisional qualifying distance in the long jump with a mark of 5.69 meters while Elisa Kupferschmid earned one in the weight throw with a toss of 16.92 meters. Both Warriors also claimed the individual title in the events. Mueller also posted an individual title in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 8.54. Warriors claimed the top four finishes in the high jump, with Alyssa Weiler posting a mark of 1.57 to win the title. Andrea Bartz won the triple jump with a total of 10.84 while Annie Weinrich was second and Hailey Deschaine third. Paige Garriga won a final title for Winona State, posting a throw of 12.80 meters to claim the shot put.
Women’s Track: Catherine Whitcomb also won two events for Winona State, taking home the title in the 55 meters and in the 200 meters. Teammate Kelsey Bethke finished second in both events as WSU claimed the top five finishers in the 55 meters. Taylor Vogel (400 meters), Katie Bagley (600 meters) and Tiffany Sunderland (800 meters) also ended the day with titles on the track.
The Warriors totaled a team score of 186, easily topping runner-up Viterbo who had 61.
   
Past NSIC Athletes of the Week
Men’s Field
12/10/13    Chris Reed, Minnesota State
1/13/14    Keyvan Rudd, Minnesota State
1/21/14    Chris Reed, Minnesota State (2)
Men’s Track
12/10/13     Harald Karbo, Augustana
1/13/14    Jerrell Hancock, Minnesota State
1/21/14    Cole Toepfer, Minnesota Duluth
Women’s Field
12/10/13    Brigitte Gross, Sioux Falls
1/13/14    Brigitte Gross, Sioux Falls (2)
1/21/14    Hannah Mueller, Winona State
Women’s Track
12/10/13    Kristin Brondbo, Augustana
1/13/14    Zevin Carter, Minnesota State
1/21/14    Cassandra Jones, University of Mary