Men’s track and field
North Dakota State thrower Payton Otterdahl broke two school records and sits at No. 1 nationally in the shot put after competing Saturday, March 17 at Arizona State.
Otterdahl added to his own discus school record, throwing 182-9 (55.70m). He added 3 feet, 2 inches to his previous record, finishing third at the meet.
Otterdahl was named the Summit League Track and Field Athlete of the Week.
Later during the meet, Otterdahl claimed his second NDSU record, throwing 64-11.25 (1979m) to win the shot put. The throw passed NCAA All-American Alex Renner’s 2007 record by 7 inches. Otterdahl sits at the top of the shot put by more than 4 feet in this early outdoor season.
Alex Talley took runner-up in the shot put, throwing 59-03.50 (18.07m) to stand at No. 6 on the Bison all-time list.
Michael Keogan sits at No. 7 on the NDSU all-time top 10, registering a personal-best throw of 56-05.25 (17.20m).
Women’s track and field
NDSU javelin thrower Alyssa Olin broke her own school record on three consecutive attempts this past Friday, March 16 at the Arizona State’s Baldy Castillo Invitational.
Olin threw 191-6 (58.36m), an improvement of 17 feet over her previous school record, winning the meet by more than 20 feet.
Her throw would have won every NCAA javelin title from 2011-2014. Olin ranks ninth in the world.
For the 2017 season, Olin’s throw would have ranked her third among all American women, professionals included.
Olin joined Otterdahl as Summit League Track and Field Athlete of the Week, giving the Bison a sweep of the awards this week.
Maddy Nilles threw 209-0 (63.70m) in the hammer throw for a runner-up finish to start her outdoor season. The mark was a personal-best by six and a half feet, and it ranks her second in NDSU history.
Amy Herrington sits at fifth all-time at NDSU in the hammer throw, recording a personal-best 194-7 (59.32m) for fifth place Friday.
Bailey Retzlaff finished ninth, throwing a personal-best 186-3 (56.78m) to enter the NDSU all-time top 10 at No. 8.
On day two of the meet, Maggie Schwarzkopf entered the NDSU all-time top 10 with an outdoor personal-best of 48-10.00 (14.88m).
Amanda Anderson now ranks sixth in NDSU history in the discus after her first collegiate meet, throwing 155-5 (47.38m) to take fourth place Saturday.
Softball
NDSU pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week.
This is Sertic’s third Pitcher of the Week award this season and 13th of her career. Her total of 13 Pitcher of the Week awards is tied for the third-most in league history.
Sertic struck out 54 in 31.2 innings pitched with a 1.11 ERA. She recorded a 5-0 record with wins over California State Northridge, Loyola Marymount, Fairfield and two against Monmouth.
In her outing against LMU, Sertic gave up three hits and recorded her second shutout of the season and the 15th of her career. In one outing against Monmouth, Sertic struck out 12 in her fifth career one-hitter.
Sertic finished the week with an 11.94K/7.