NDSU’s Otterdahl Advances to NCAA Championships in Discus

Bison Thrower finished seventh in the West Prelims.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (NDSU Athletics) – North Dakota State junior thrower Payton Otterdahl punched his ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the discus on Friday, placing seventh at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds.

Otterdahl threw 182-9 (55.70m) on his final attempt to lock up his place in Eugene, Ore., on June 8. He will be making his first NCAA Championships appearance, with a chance to qualify in a second event when he competes in the shot put on Saturday.

The discus competition was a tight one, with only two feet separating 5th and 13th place.

“I know it was really tight,” said Otterdahl. “On the scoreboard there were a lot of really close marks. I threw a couple feet further on my last throw, and it moved me up about four spots. It was a tight competition, but I knew that if I could improve just a little, it would move me up quite a bit.”

Otterdahl becomes the eighth NDSU men’s outdoor NCAA qualifier in a throwing event in the past four seasons. He joins senior Jacob McBride, who qualified in the hammer throw Thursday, representing the Bison in Oregon.

Otterdahl is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the shot put entering Saturday’s NCAA Prelims.

“I’m really excited to show these other schools what NDSU can do and put up some big marks,” Otterdahl said.