FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State women's track and field team will travel to Toledo, Ohio for the 2010 Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 13-15. The Bison claimed the league outdoor title in both 2008 and 2009 and will be aiming for their third straight.
2010 Championship Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Heptathlon - 11:30 a.m. Thursday, 12 p.m. Friday
Field events - 12 p.m. Thursday, 3 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday
Running events - 7 p.m. Thursday, 4:30 p.m. Friday, 12:20 p.m. Saturday
Previewing the 2010 Championships
NDSU will return three individual champions and three members of the championship 4x400 relay from last year's title-winning squad. Leading the way is reigning MVP Whitney Carlson, who captured the long jump and the 400 meter hurdles in Cedar City last spring. Also returning are heptathlon champion senior Heather Zander and pole vault champ sophomore Leslie Brost. Zander, senior Amy Bestland and junior Brittany Gigstead return as part of the title-winning 4x400 team.
NDSU leads 11 events in the Summit League
Junior Whitney Carlson leads the Summit League in four events while freshman Ashley Tingelstad leads two. Carlson holds the top spot in the 100 hurdles (13.80), the 400 hurdles (1:00.02), the long jump (21-1 1/2) and the heptathlon (5,343). Tingelstad leads the 100 meters with a time of 11.86 and the 200 meters in 24.45. Redshirt freshman Toni Tollefson is tops in the high jump with a school record mark of 5-11 1/2. Junior Christine Bruins leads the 800 meters with a time of 2:07.42 and sophomore Leslie Brost is no. 1 in the pole vault with a mark of 14-1 1/4. Freshman Lauren Rice leads the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:04.19 and the 4x400 relay team's time of 3:42.89 also holds top spot.
Carlson named Summit League athlete of the month
Junior Whitney Carlson was named the Summit League Women's Athlete of the Month for April. The Buchanan, N.D. native broke the school heptathlon record after scoring 5,343 points at the Mt. SAC/Cal Invitational Combined Events. Carlson also won the long jump at the Drake Relays, becoming only the third Bison to ever win an individual event at the prestigious meet. Her mark of 21-1 1/2 broke the school record she set in 2009 by a quarter inch. She currently leads the league in the 100 meter hurdles (13.80), the 400 meter hurdles (1:00.02), the long jump (21-1 1/2) and the heptathlon (5,343). She is nationally ranked in all four events.
Two more athletes sign NLIs
Middle-distance runner Ashlynn Simon of Regina, Saskatchewan and pole vaulter Caitlin Mack of Watertown, S.D. have both signed National Letters of Intent and will bring the total number of incoming freshmen to nine. Maddie McClellan, Katie Dockter, Heidi Peterson, Jamie Drevlow, Abby Goraczkowski, Emily Lesser and Kiley Severson all signed letters of intent earlier in the year.
Four Bison in national top 20
Four student-athletes are ranked in the national top 20 of their respective events. Junior Whitney Carlson is tied for fourth in the long jump with a mark of 21-1 1/2. She is also 12th in the heptathlon with 5,343 points. Sophomore Leslie Brost is tied for seventh in the pole vault with a mark of 14-1 1/4 while redshirt freshman Toni Tollefson is tied for 10th in the high jump after clearing a school record mark of 5-11 1/2.
Bison ranked No. 7 in Midwest region, No. 37 in the country
North Dakota State cracked the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional rankings for the second time this season. The Bison are ranked No. 7 in the Midwest Region. Oklahoma holds down the top spot, while Nebraska is No. 2 and Illinois is No. 3. Minnesota and Southern Illinois are No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Kansas is No. 6 while the Bison are No. 7. NDSU also made it into the national top 40 at No. 37. The Bison are ranked on the strength of their performances on a national level. Currently, Toni Tollefson, Whitney Carlson and Leslie Brost have posted national top 10 performances.
