Last weekend, the North Dakota State men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their 2025 indoor season at the SDSU Holiday Open in Brookings.
Women’s
Starting off with the 200-meter dash, the Bison swept the first, second, and third place. Freshman Elise Wisnewski claimed victory with a time of 24.53 in her collegiate debut, which ranks ninth on NDSU’s all-time list. Riika Tirkkonen and Jasmine Williams followed in second (25.01) and third (25.12). In the 300-meter dash, Allie Niska took second place with a time of 38.73, making her the fourth-fastest performer in school history. Reese Rogowski rounded out the Bison presence with a fifth-place finish in 40.32. Sophomore Anika Larson delivered a strong performance in the 60-meter dash, finishing second with times of 7.51 in the preliminaries and 7.53 in the final. In the 60-meter hurdles, Sydney Arndt took second place, clocking 8.54. Teammates Marvelous Onwualo (8.70) and freshman Aizlynn Krafka (8.80) also made their mark, finishing fifth and sixth. The 800-meter run featured a debut from two Bison freshmen. Carsyn Brady placed third with a time of 2:17.22, while Madison Johnson followed closely in sixth at 2:17.61.
In the weight throw, Merrideth Spiers recorded a mark of 64-02.25 (19.56m), her second-best career throw, earning her a runner-up finish. Adison Kapitzke, competing for the first time since missing the 2024 season due to injury, placed second in the shot put with a throw of 47-01.00 (14.35m).
Men’s
Heading over to the men’s results, sophomore Trey Heinrich, from Kindred, North Dakota, achieved a personal best of 7.92 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, securing second place at the meet and ranking him second all-time in NDSU history for this event. In his collegiate debut, freshman Jeran McNichols from Bismarck, North Dakota, clocked in at 6.76 seconds in the 60-meter dash, earning third place at the meet. This recorded time places him third on NDSU’s all-time list for the 60-meter dash after just one competition. In the 300-meter dash, Cullen Curl finished second with a time of 34.57 seconds, and Blake Boyster took third at 34.62 seconds. These performances ranked them ninth and tenth on NDSU’s all-time list for the event. Competing unattached, redshirt freshman Jonah Dafoe posted an indoor personal best of 1:55.03 in the 800-meter run.
In the field events, Bison throwers Kaden Pastian and Zack Ramos secured second and third places in the shot put. Pastian achieved a throw of 56 feet, 3.25 inches (17.15 meters), while Ramos recorded a mark of 56 feet, 0.50 inches (17.08 meters).
The Bison will head home next weekend. On Friday, Dec. 13, they will host the Dakota Alumni Classic in Fargo.