Men dominate 400m, Emineth undefeated in the long jump

North Dakota State University’s track and field teams continue to shine early in the indoor season. This past weekend, the men’s and women’s squads competed in the University of North Dakota Open in Grand Forks, N.D. Of the 19 events scored, the Bison men won their division with 188 points over their closest competition, the host Fighting Hawks, which earned 99. Meanwhile, the women finished in second behind the Hawks, 167-160.5.

NDSU men win –

 Senior Jacob Rodin continued to leave his mark as one of the best Bison runners in recent history, highlighting the efforts of the North Dakota State men’s track & field team at the UND Open on Saturday. The Bison men swept the top four places in three different events.

Rodin (Kenmare, N.D.) raced to a new 400m personal best of 47.39, winning the meet and ranking second-fastest in NDSU indoor history.

The Bison men claimed the top four places in the 400m, with Josh Knutson second in 47.93, Jacob Levin third in 48.42, and Cullen Curl fourth in 48.81. NDSU also took first in the 4x400m relay.

Junior thrower Cam Landis led a Bison sweep of the top five places in the shot put, throwing 58-03.25 (17.76m) for the win. Levi Rockey took second, and Clayton Hannula was third.

The NDSU men captured the top four spots in the weight throw. Unattached NDSU graduate Trevor Otterdahl won at 70-5 (21.46m), and Kaden Pastian was the runner-up at 61-10 (18.85m). Rockey took third, and senior Tristan Bush finished fourth.

Levin won the 200m dash in an indoor personal best of 21.89, standing 10th-fastest all-time at NDSU. Knutson ran a personal-best 21.97 for second place.          

Sophomore Zach McGlynn won the pole vault, and Jacob Van Dusseldorp was second with both clearing 15-07.75 (4.77m).         

Drake Daniels won the 60m hurdles in 8.27, tying his personal-best time.

NDSU women finish second –

Several standout sprinters and a dominant day in the horizontal jumps headlined the performances of the North Dakota State women’s track & field team at the UND Open on Saturday.

Sophomore Kendra Kelley tied the NDSU record in the 60m dash, running 7.50 to win the event and match Antoinette Goodman’s school record from 2014.

Bison junior Nell Graham ran the second fastest 300m dash in NDSU history, winning with a time of 38.87. Graham also clocked an indoor personal-best 24.63 for second place in the 200m dash, making her No. 9 all-time at NDSU.

Freshman sprinter Jasmine Williams ran 24.71 in the 200m to rank 11th-fastest in school history. She also recorded a personal-best 7.70 to place second in the 60m dash on Saturday behind Kelley.

NDSU’s Grace Emineth remained unbeaten in the long jump this season, winning her fourth straight meet with a jump of 19-07.00 (5.97m). The Bison women finished 1-3-4-5-6 in the long jump, with five NDSU jumpers surpassing 18 feet – Jenna Parent in third at 18-11.75 (5.78m), Angel Pratt fourth, Jodi Lipp fifth, and Makenna Vollmer sixth.

Lipp led a Bison sweep of the top four places in the triple jump, winning with a leap of 40-01.25 (12.22m). Parent is now No. 10 in NDSU indoor history for the triple jump, going 39-06.50 (12.05m) for second place in the meet.

Salmata Korgho claimed the 60m hurdles title in 8.62 – the third-fastest time of her career.

Senior Daejha Moss won the high jump, clearing 5-03.75 (1.62m).

Women’s jumpers/hurdlers ranked –

The North Dakota State University women’s track & field team has three event groups ranked highly in the latest indoor event squad rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) this week.

The event squad rankings rank every Division I team within every single event, averaging the best performances from the top four athletes at each school in each event.

The Bison women are No. 5 nationally in the triple jump, No. 7 in the long jump, and No. 14 in the 60m hurdles in the latest rankings.

NDSU’s Alissa Melvin, Jodi Lipp, Jenna Parent and Grace Emineth combine for an average triple jump mark of 39-08.75 (12.11m) this season. The Bison are one of only two schools in Division I with four women surpassing 39 feet in the event this year.

In the long jump, Emineth, Daejha Moss, Christie Collins and Parent are No. 7 in the event squad rankings with an average of 19-05.25 (5.92m).

Next up for the Herd –

            Both squads will compete in the Bison Open here on campus at the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track and Field Facility on Friday and Saturday. Student tickets are still available at gobison.com/students.