For Immediate Release
Monday, February 6, 2023
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Men's Track Athlete of the Week
Braxton Bruer (Distance, Jr., West Fargo, N.D. / West Fargo HS) – MSU Moorhead
- Won the 800m run at the Bison Open with a time of 1:51.95
- The converted time of 1:50.38 is the eighth fastest time in Division II this season
- Just missed the MSUM school record (which he set earlier this season) by eight-tenths of a second
- The mark set a new facility record inside North Dakota State's Shelly Ellig Indoor Track & Field Complex
- Named NSIC Track Athlete of the Week for the second time this season (1/24/23)

NSIC Men's Field Athlete of the Week
James Gilbert (Jumps, Jr., Orlando, Fla. /  Edgewater HS) – Minnesota State
- Unleashed a leap of 7.77 m (25-6) in his second attempt at the long jump en route to winning the event at the Ted Nelson Classic
- Broke the 15-year-old Myers Field House record in the event (previous record - Wilbert Walker of Lincoln - 7.69 m (25-2.75) in 2008
- Ranks second in NCAA Division II in the long jump
- Passed on all three attempts in the final round, setting the mark in the opening flight round
- Helped MSU win the team title at the Ted Nelson Classic
- Named NSIC Field Athlete of the Week for the third time this season (1/17/23 & 1/24/23) 

Other Top Track Performances
Colten Brand (AUGIE) collected his first provisional qualifying mark of the season at the Bison Open running the mile in a time of 4:10.12.
Thomas Schauerman (CSP) won the 800m at the Gopher Classic as he hit an NCAA provisional qualifying mark with a time of 1:52.97. He ranks 18th in the country in the event. 
Raheem Taitt-Best (UMary) posted a pair of NCAA qualifying performances with a big weekend at the  Bi-son Open.  He won the 200 meter dash with a winning time of 22.01, a mark that ranks him second in the NSIC and 25th in NCAA Division II. He placed second in the 400 meter dash with a clocking of 49.34 which ranks him third in the NSIC and 35th in NCAA Division II.
Abel Christiansen (MSU) won the 60-meter hurdles at the Ted Nelson Classic with a meet-record time of 7.93. He provisionally qualified for nationals with the result. He helped MSU claim it's fourth team title out of five meets in 2022-23. His career-best time vaulted him up to ninth nationally in the 60-meter hurdles this year and moved into a tie for third all-time at MSU in the event.
Jacob Jensen (MINOT) set a NCAA D II-era school record in the 3,000 meters with the third-fastest time in the NSIC this winter, finishing in 8:25.41 at the Bison Open hosted by North Dakota State. Jacob finished 6th in the event.
Tyler Smith (SMSU) won the 400-meters with a time of 51.80 and also won the 200-meters crossing the line at 22.66 at the Dakota Wesleyan Alumni Meet.
Jackson Harrison (NSU) ran to a third place finish in the 3000m at the NDSU Bison Open. He tallied a provi-sional time of 8:22.94. He ranks 34th in the nation and second in the NSIC in the event.
Jordan Porter (WSC) won the 60-meter dash at the Concordia Classic Friday evening in Seward. He crossed line in 6.93 and was sixth in 200-meter dash at 22.83.

Other Top Field Performances
Eben Mundfrom (CSP) hit an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the weight throw at the Gopher Classic. He cleared 62-8.5 to take fourth in the event. He ranks 15th in the nation in the weight throw. 
Dillan Kovash (UMary) placed sixth in the pole vault at the Bison Open. He cleared the bar at a season-high 4.46 meters that ranks 7th in the NSIC.
Shyrone Kemp (MSUM) won the triple jump at the Bison Open on Saturday, leaping 47-1 to win the event by nearly a foot. He would also place third in the men's high jump with a top jump of 6-07.
Chase Snyder (MINOT) set a NCAA D II-era school record in the shot put with the third-best effort in the NSIC this season with a throw of 53-1. Chase finished sixth in the event at the Bison Open hosted by North Dakota State.
Eli Radtke (NSU) placed seventh in the heptathlon at the NDSU Bison Open. He scored 4,043 points  as he tallied marks of 7.47 in the 60m, 5.82m in the long jump, 9.10m in the shot put, 1.74m in the high jump, 9.78 in the 60m hurdles, 4.25m in the pole vault, and 3:18.84 in the 1000m. 
Dylan Kneifl (WSC) took first place in the high jump at Concordia Classic Friday in Seward with a winning mark of 6-9.5, He also finished sixth in long jump at 22-2.25.
Men's Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
12/6/22
T: Jakob Hanna – Sioux Falls
F: Carson Dittel – Minnesota State
12/13/22
T: Brendon Hoyte - University of Mary
F: Jakob Tordsen - Concordia-St. Paul
1/17/23
T: Brendon Hoyte - University of Mary (2)
F: James Gilbert – Minnesota State
1/24/23
T: Braxton Bruer – MSU Moorhead
F: James Gilbert – Minnesota State (2)
1/31/23
T: Lawrence Lokonobei - Augustana
F: Jakob Tordsen - Concordia-St. Paul (2)
2/6/23
T: Braxton Bruer – MSU Moorhead (2)
F: James Gilbert – Minnesota State (3)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 96 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.