Feb. 11, 2019
NDSU football scores invite to White House
On Friday, Feb. 8, Sen. John Hoeven announced that President Donald Trump had invited the North Dakota State football team to visit the White House. The visit is in commemoration of the Bison’s seventh FCS title victory in eight seasons.
NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen revealed that Hoeven had been working behind the scenes to arrange a potential visit. Larsen met with head coach Matt Entz Friday morning, from which “things escalated quickly,” Entz said.
“After a meeting with the president, I spoke with him about the Bison’s championship win. We appreciate him extending the invitation for the team to visit the White House,” Hoeven said. “With NDSU’s history of excellence, it is only fitting that they be honored at the White House, and we look forward to working with the president to coordinate the visit.”
Logistics for the trip, such as the traveling party, dates and finances, are still to be determined. Larson stated he hopes to have details finalized by the end of the week.
Men’s track and field
The NDSU men’s track and field competed at the South Dakota State Indoor Classic this past weekend, where they finished third, trailing the Jackrabbits and Iowa Central Community College.
Sophomores Tim Heikkila and Alex Bartholomay notched points for NDSU with times of 4:08.75 and 4:10.37 in the mile run. Both marks were personal bests.
Ben Klimpke and Kelle’Mon Hinton placed third and fourth in the long jump for the Bison. Noah Shafer tied for second place in the pole vault with a height of 4.8 meters.
Led by senior Payton Otterdahl, the Bison maintained their stranglehold in the shot put. Otterdahl’s 20.27-meter throw paced the field, as Alex Talley, Kristoffer Thomsen and Michael Keogan swept the top four for the Bison.
Otterdahl ranks No. 1 in the world in the event and is among the watch list for the Bowerman Award, the highest honor in collegiate track and field.
The senior wasn’t finished, however. Otterdahl took home first place in the weight throw as well with a toss of 24.06 meters. He is the only athlete in college track and field history to rank in the top five in both the shot put and the weight throw. Talley finished third in the event, and Keogan sixth.
Women’s track and field
The Bison women’s track and field team also featured at the SDSU Indoor Classic. NDSU finished first at the event, securing 163 points, more than doubling any other team.
NDSU’s Kelby Anderson and Annika Rotvold finished first and second in the mile run, both with sub 5-minute times. Meanwhile, freshman Michaela Baker placed third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.63 seconds, a personal best.
Bailey DeMar and Baker placed in the top two in the long jump, posting marks of 5.75 and 5.48 meters. DeMar also came in first in the long jump and was joined by Jodi Lipp and Jenna Kes in the top four.
The Bison added a second-place finish in the 4×400 meter relay with a time of 3:52.61.
Shelby Gunnells posted a career best in the shot put with a distance of 16.9 meters. The mark was good enough for first place and is the 12th best in the NCAA this year. The Bison took each of the top six places in the event.
Bailey Retzlaff came in second in the weight throw, with fellow Bison Maddy Nilles, Kelsey Laufenberg and Gunnells rounding out the top seven in the event. Retzlaff’s throw of 21.13 meters was an improvement of 0.76 meters in the event. Retzlaff trails only Nilles in the NDSU record book for the event.
Both Bison track and field teams will be in action again Feb. 16 at the University of North Dakota Indoor Tune-Up.
Softball
The Bison softball team opened their season with a 6-2 triumph over University of Texas-San Antonio Saturday night in San Marcos, Texas.
NDSU scratched across an early run in the second inning, as a fielding error allowed Maddie Hansen to race home. The Bison doubled their advantage in the following inning. Vanessa Anderson scorched a double down the left field line to drive in Zoe Stavrou.
Stavrou hit a key one-out single in the fifth inning to put the Bison ahead 4-0. It was all the run support KK Leddy would need. Leddy struck out 13 batters in a complete game effort. The senior maneuvered through two bases loaded situations as UTSA left a dozen runners on base.
For foot measure though, the Bison plated two more runs in the sixth inning via a Hansen home run and a Madyson Camacho bases loaded walk. It was the first home run of Hansen’s career.
The Bison also squared off with Abilene Christian and Texas State in a Sunday doubleheader.