Sean Seefeld - Dickinson State Sports Information Graduate Assistant
Bismarck, N.D. - Blue Hawk track and field delivered a strong showing at the Al Bortke Open, boasting multiple wins and national qualifying marks across a dominate weekend of performances.
On the men's side, Hudson Atkinson claimed victory in the 800 meters, clocking a time of 1:56.40 and setting a new personal best time, putting him at second in the NSAA in the 800m. Griffin Obrigewitch secured third place in the 5000 meters with a time of 16:39.93. In the 110-meter hurdles, Jarett Schuchard finished second in 16.30 seconds, followed by Cole Skabo in fifth and Garin Opdahl in seventh. Schuchard also placed eighth in the 400-meter hurdles.
In the sprints, Christian Bowden claimed fourth place in the 100 meters, finishing in 11.04 seconds. Kaholo Toves placed 10th in the 200 meters, while Hayden Lockie matched that finish with 10th in the 400 meters.
The Blue Hawks dominated the pole vault, with Ty Leischner winning the event by clearing 4.35 meters. Holden Will followed in second place, while Jeremy Harms took fourth. Andy Williams and Chris Kistler rounded out the top 10 in sixth and seventh, respectively. Leischner also finished seventh in the high jump.
In the jumps, Kohbe Smith claimed first in the triple jump with a mark of 13.08 meters and took fifth in the long jump. Ethan Schiller earned fourth in the triple jump and finished in the top 10 for the long jump.
In throwing events, Galen Brantley III won the shot put with a throw of 16.05 meters and placed fourth in the discus. He also secured seventh in the hammer throw. Dylan Dahlgren took first in the hammer with a mark of 56.87 meters, a distance good enough for third in the NAIA and meeting the NAIA B standard. Corbin Harris finished third in both the shot put and hammer.
The women's team turned in a string of standout performances, highlightighted by Kori Nagel's sweep of the throwing events. Nagel continued her stellar outdoor campaign, winning the shot put (14.43m), discus (47.87m), and hammer throw (49.42m), hitting the NAIA "A" standard in both shot and discus. Her efforts currently rank her No. 2 nationally in the shot put, No. 3 in the discus, and No. 14 in the hammer throw — numbers that put her firmly in the conversation for NAIA National Field Athlete of the Week honors.
The Blue Hawks also found success on the track, with freshman Mia Handran earning a runner-up finish in the 800m (2:20.27), and Jewel Olson claiming fourth in the 400m with a time of 56.14 — the ninth-fastest time in the NAIA this season.
In the mid-distance events, DSU placed four in the top six of the 800m, including a fourth-place finish from Morgan Aune (2:23.17), and top-five efforts from Natalie Lile and Loli Jarrett.
Adarra Hagelund cleared 1.80m to win the high jump and hit the NAIA "A" standard — a mark that ranks as the third-highest jump in NAIA history and puts her atop the national leaderboard this season. Madison Wahl vaulted to victory in the pole vault (3.50m). Faith Brennan claimed the triple jump title with an NAIA "B" mark of 11.80m and added a 10th-place finish in the long jump. Abby Talkington also had a strong meet, placing sixth in long jump and fifth in triple jump.
Other top field event performances came from Chloe Gunderson, who finished top-three in both shot put and discus, and Taylor Laumeyer, who added a pair of runner-up finishes in the discus and hammer.
UP NEXT
Blue Hawk Track and Field head to Fargo, N.D. to compete in the NDSU Spring Invite, Friday April 11th.
