Jan. 28, 2018
Wrestling
In a week where North Dakota State fell out of the Top 25 rankings, the Bison bounced back with a win over No. 19 Central Michigan.
After Cam Sykora opened the duel with a major decision win in the 133-pound division, the hosts pulled back two wins of their own to take the lead.
The Bison swung momentum at 157 with redshirt sophomore Luke Weber. A takedown late in the match with No. 19 Logan Parks gave the Forsyth, Nebraska product the upset win.
NDSU won three of the next four matches. No. 21 Andrew Fogarty put in a dominant performance at 165, gaining a technical fall. Lorenza De La Riva and Cordell Eaton both picked up wins to give the Bison an unassailable lead.
The Bison returned to action Sunday, hosting Northern Colorado in a Big 12 duel at the SHAC. It is the beginning of a three-match home stand for the Bison, which continues Friday against Utah Valley.
Men’s track and field
Spectators at the University of Nebraska’s Mark Colligan Memorial saw a rare occurrence for Bison thrower Payton Otterdahl. The senior pushed his world No. 1 season record in the shot put to 71-00, ranking third in NCAA indoor history and just 3.5 inches from the record.
Alex Talley made it a Bison one-two in the shot put. The toss of 62-02.25 elevated him to No. 18 in the nation this year.
The sophomore then moved up to No. 13 in the nation for the weight throw, winning with a throw of 67-11.50. It was a very green podium with Trevor Otterdahl and Michael Keogan finishing second and third for the Bison.
The NDSU distance squad rounded out two more event wins at the meet. Alex Bartolomay picked up the victory in the 3,000m with a time of 8:24.13. Elliot Stone clocked a time of 4:12.15 to take the mile, which was a personal best time.
The Bison return home for the final time of the season next weekend to host the Bison Open.
Women’s track and field
The Bison women cleaned up both throwing events at the Mark Colligan Memorial. Maddy Niles led the charge in the weight throw. A toss of 67-03.50 put the junior ahead of fellow Bison Kelsey Laufenberg, Bailey Retzlaff and Shelby Gunnells.
Retzlaff won the shot put with a mark of 53-11.00. Following the junior was Akealy Moton, Maggie Schwarzkopf and Gunnells.
A pair of senior distance runners took victories for the Bison. Annika Rotvold put in a time of 9:41.70 to take the 3,000m. Katie Bostrom took the mile run at a time of 4:56.91.
Bailey DeMar leaped for a distance of 41-11.25 in the triple jump. The mark was only good enough for third on the day, but sent the senior to second in program history and No. 25 in the nation this season.