NDSU Men, Women Sweep Summit League Track & Field Championships

The Bison women won their 12th title in a row, while the men picked up their 10th in a row

MACOMB, Ill. (Summit League) –The North Dakota State men’s and women’s teams extend their league record win-streak by sweeping the team titles at The Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships Friday at Hanson Field.

Final Standings

For the 12th consecutive outdoor season, the Bison women earned the league crown with a total of 255 points with South Dakota finishing runner-up with 189.5 points. North Dakota took the third-place spot with 105.5 points followed by Oral Roberts (103), South Dakota State (85.5), Western Illinois (33.5), Purdue Fort Wayne (25) and Omaha (21).

On the men’s side, NDSU earned the league title for the tenth straight year after scoring a total of 272 points. South Dakota State earned runner-up status after posting 230 points followed by South Dakota (155.5), Oral Roberts (85), North Dakota (43.5) and Western Illinois (22).

Individual Honorees

In addition to team awards, eight student-athletes were given individual honors based on individual point totals accumulated throughout the events this week.

Oral Roberts’ Sasha Wells took home her first outdoor track MVP award with a total of 30.50 points for the Golden Eagles. Wells secured league titles in the 100-meter hurdles with a meet record time of 13.44 and the 100-meter (11.83). She finished second in the 200-meter (24.48), while also picking up points in the 4×100 meter relay (46.52).

Wells’ teammate Gabrielle Gibson earned Newcomer of the Championship status after scoring 15 points for ORU. Gibson ran the first leg of the victorious 4×100 relay and was a member of the 4×400 meter relay (3:45.75) that also earned a gold medal. In addition, she finished fourth in the 200-meter (24.53) and the 100-meter hurdles (14.09).

The Bison continued to show strength in the field events as teammates Payton Otterdahl and Akealy Moton took home the Field Championship MVP awards, respectively.  Moton extended her school record and took home a gold medal in the women’s shot put after launching a mark of 56-10.25 (17.33m) and finished second in the javelin with a toss of 161-5 (49.19m).

Otterdahl earned the accolade on the men’s side after competing in the hammer, shot put and discus. Otterdahl defended his shot put title (65-10.50, 20.08m), took home the second league discus title of his career (193-02, 58.89m) and mustered up a throw of 195-11 (59.71m) to place sixth in the hammer.

Kyle Burdick was awarded the Track Championship MVP for the third consecutive outdoor season. He has become the first Summit League athlete to win three-straight outdoor track MVP awards. Burdick secured the award when he won the second 10,000-meter title of his career (31:16.94) and finished second in the 1,500-meter (3:50.45) and the 5,000-meter (14:35.17). In the 5,000-meter, Burdick finished behind teammate Joseph Minor-Williams who clocked a personal-best 14:34.98 and ended up taking home the 2019 Summit League Outdoor Most Outstanding Performer award. Minor-Williams finished second to Burdick in the 10,000-meter (31:23.03).

Fellow Jackrabbit Rachel King took home the championship’s most outstanding performer award on the women’s side after winning her only two events of the championship. King went back-to-back in 3,000-meter steeplechase league titles after clocking a time of 10:09.85 on Thursday. She turned around today and won her first career outdoor 5,000-meter race with a time of 16:40.98.

Finally, South Dakota’s Chris Nilsen captured the men’s most outstanding performer of the championship accolade after capturing his third consecutive league pole vault title with a meet record vault of 19-0.75 (5.81m). Nilsen’s last year’s championship title mark was 19-0.25 (5.80m). This is the seventh year in a row that a Coyote has won the league’s pole vault title.

Other Notable Performances

Reigning champion Zack Anderson of South Dakota defended his title after clearing a personal-best and meet record 7-04.25 (2.24m). This is his third-straight high jump title for Anderson. With today’s victory, it marked the fifth year a Coyote has taken home the gold medal in the event.

Oral Roberts’ Emmanuel Mwewa defended his title in the 400-meter dash after clocking a 47.23 to take home the gold, while teammate Israel Nelson also went back-to-back in 110-meter hurdle titles after clocking a winning time of 14.01.

The Oral Roberts women’s 4×100 relay team consisting of Gibson, Kayvon Stubbs, Christina Ollison and Wells won the league title on the women’s side for the second year in a row with a final time of 46.52 while the ORU men’s 4×400 relay team of Colby Adams, Bradley Dormeus, Cameron Neely and Mwewa capture the Golden Eagles fourth consecutive relay title with a time of 3:12.73.

The Jackrabbit quad of Emmanual Phoulom-Smith, Coby Hilton, Daniel Clark and Sam Zenner clocked a time of 40.99 to secure SDSU’s second straight 4×100 meter relay title.

Men’s Championships Won

Pole Vault: Chris Nilsen, South Dakota

High jump: Zack Anderson, South Dakota

Discus throw: Payton Otterdahl, North Dakota State

Triple jump: Jaden Purnell, Oral Roberts

4×100 relay: South Dakota State

1,500-meter: Eldon Warner, South Dakota

110-meter hurdles: Israel Nelson, Oral Roberts

400-meter: Emmanuel Mwewa, Oral Roberts

100-meter: Coby Hilton, South Dakota State

800-meter: Cal Lawton, South Dakota State

400-meter hurdles: Connor Wendel, North Dakota State

200-meter: Coby Hilton, South Dakota State

5,000-meter: Joseph Minor-Williams, South Dakota State

4×400 relay: Oral Roberts

Women’s Championships Won

Discus throw: Amanda Anderson, North Dakota State

Triple jump: Bailey DeMar, North Dakota State

4×100 relay: Oral Roberts

1,500-meter: Kelby Anderson, North Dakota State

100-meter hurdles: Sasha Wells, Oral Roberts

400-meter: Christina Ollison, Oral Roberts

100-meter: Sasha Wells, Oral Roberts

800-meter: Oksana Covey, South Dakota State

400-meter hurdles: Paige Harris, North Dakota State

200-meter: Kayvon Stubbs, Oral Roberts

5,000-meter: Rachel King, South Dakota State

4×400-meter: Oral Roberts

Men’s Individual Awards

Newcomer of the Championship: Joseph Minor-Williams, South Dakota State

Most Outstanding Championship Performer: Chris Nilsen, South Dakota

Field Championship MVP: Payton Otterdahl, North Dakota State

Track Championship MVP: Kyle Burdick, South Dakota State

Women’s Individual Awards

Newcomer of the Championship: Gabrielle Gibson, Oral Roberts

Most Outstanding Championship Performer: Rachel King, South Dakota State

Field Championship MVP: Akealy Moton, North Dakota State

Track Championship MVP: Sasha Wells, Oral Roberts