BILLINGS, MT – The men's and women's track and field teams return to competition this Saturday at the Yellow Jacket Open in Billings as the outdoor season continues.
The Blue Hawks opened their outdoor season with event titles and national qualifying marks at the Marauders Outdoor Opener.
Women's Throws Lead the Way
Senior Chloe Gunderson delivered a top performance for the Blue Hawks by hitting a national qualifying mark in the shot put with a throw of 14.18 meters, passing the NAIA A standard. She also hit the provisional mark in the discus at 47.42 meters.
The women's throws group continued to show depth with Klaire Gunderson winning the hammer throw with a mark of 47.60 meters, while Chloe Gunderson placed second at 46.77 meters. Alician Parks and Rebecca Eacker added scoring marks in both the shot put and hammer throw.
In the javelin, Codi Nagle claimed first place with a throw of 40.77 meters and Mya Sheldon followed with a runner up finish with a mark of 38.61 meters.
On the track, Mia Handran had a second-place finish in the 400 meters with a time of 1:02.46. Jane Harrison also placed in the top five in the event as well. Lauren Taylor placed third in the 1500 meters with a time of 5:19.79. In the 4x400 meter relay team of Handran, Mady Willis, Lauren Taylor, and Abby Talkington finished first in the event with a time of 4:15.28.
Men's Throwers and Vault Highlight Opener
Senior Dylan Dahlgren opened the outdoor season with a provisional qualifying mark in the hammer throw at 55.81 meters, finishing first overall. He also placed second in the shot put at 15.50 meters and fourth in the discus at 45.83 meters.
The Blue Hawks also dominated the pole vault, with Ty Leischner and Adrien Calderon each clearing 4.65 meters to finish first and second. Hold Will added a third-place clearance at 4.35 meters, giving Dickinson State a sweep in the top three.
In jumps, Ethan Schiller won the triple jump at 13.12 meters and placed fourth in the long jump. On the track, Logan Borden posted a second place finish in the 400 meters with the time of 51.00 seconds, while Kyler Holinde and Hudson Atkinson finished second and fourth in the 1500 meters. The men's 4x400 relay team of Borden, Holinde, Kohbe Smith and Atkinson secured a first-place finish with a time of 3:29.79.
Looking Ahead
Saturday's competition offers another opportunity for the Blue Hawks to add to their list of national qualifiers, sharpen event groups and continue building consistency early in the outdoor season. With strong depth across the throws, jumps and relays, Dickinson State will look to translate last week's results into another complete team performance in Billings.
