Dickinson State University athletes excell at NAIA Championships, secure historic victories

Gaylon Wm. Parker, The Dickinson Press, N.D.
·2 min read

Jun. 1—MARION, Ind. — Dickinson State University's Kaitlyn McColly became the first Blue Hawk to earn national championship honors in the heptathlon last week, while leading the women's track team to an 11th-place finish in the NAIA Track and Field Championships in Marion, Ind. Her teammate Kori Nagel earned a pair of All-American honors for placing in the top-8 in the shot-put, where she finished fourth, and the hammer throw, where she was eighth overall, and she finished ninth in the discus, which was just outside of All-American contention.

Wrenzi Wrzesinski also performed well and was an All-American in the 400m hurdles while finishing 22nd in the 100m hurdles.

Jewel Olson placed 23rd in the 400m dash in her first national meet appearance, and Madison took 11th in the pole-vault. Tori Nygard joined Nagel in the hammer-throw finishing 14th, Jocelyn Ott finished in 19th place in the long-jump and Grace Timm earned 15th place in the 3000m steeplechase to round out the Blue Hawk performances on the women's side.

McColly, who recently was named the NAIA track & field female athlete of the year, is still a sophomore and is originally from Hinsdale, Mont. She started the multi-event competition strong and won the first event, the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.56 seconds. She took sixth in the high-jump, 13th in the shot-put, and seventh in the 200m dash and she took third in both the long-jump and the 800m run and eighth in the javelin to clinch the title with a score of 4,922 points.

McColly also was recently named the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association midwest region field athlete of the year, and she is the second Blue Hawk to receive a regional award from the organization after her teammate Wrenzi Wrzesinski was recognized as the midwest track athlete of the year during the indoor season.

Martin Farver was the lone competitor for the Blue Hawks on the men's side, finishing in 19th place in the 200m dash.

Among the records that fell at the national meet were McColly's 4,922 points in the heptathlon, Wrzesinski's mark in the 400m hurdles at 1:01.22, Nagel's hammer-throw of 52.62 meters, and Timm's 3000m steeplechase time of 11:13.32, which all broke Dickinson State school records.

"This season has been an amazing ride," head coach Shayne Wittkopp said in a press release. "Seeing things all line up for the kids has been really fulfilling as a coach. These athletes have been working all year for this weekend and they competed fantastically. It really was a great week for the Hawks and I'm really proud of their effort."

For more information about the Dickinson State University Blue Hawks track & field team, please keep reading The Dickinson Press and/or visit

https://www.dsubluehawks.com/sports/wtrack-out/index

or

https://www.dsubluehawks.com/sports/mtrack-out/index

.