(NDSU Athletics) – The North Dakota State University track & field program has the top group of throwers in the NCAA, according to the indoor event squad rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) this week.
The event squad rankings rank every Division I team within each single event, averaging the best performances from the top four athletes at each school in each event. The Bison men and women are both ranked first nationally in the shot put and weight throw for the 2021 indoor season.
In the men’s shot put, NDSU’s Alex Talley, Kristoffer Thomsen, Maxwell Otterdahl and Trevor Otterdahl are tops in the NCAA with their average of 62-10.75 (19.17m). NDSU is the only program in the country with four men over 60 feet in the shot put this season.
NDSU’s top performers in the women’s shot put (Akealy Moton, Tasha Willing, Amanda Anderson and Michaela Hawkins) combine to lead the nation with an average of 51-05.50 (15.68m).
For the men’s weight throw, Talley and the Otterdahl brothers are joined by freshman Ty Gilliland to rank No. 1 in the NCAA with their average of 67-08.50 (20.64m) this season. Talley continues to rank first on the NCAA individual performance list.
Amy Herrington, Willing, Anderson and Rebecca Tomann average 62-11.25 (19.18m) in the weight throw to lead the nation. NDSU is the only team in the country with four women over 60 feet in the weight throw this season.
The event squad rankings do not include Maddy Nilles (77-1 in weight throw) or Shelby Gunnells (55-6 in shot put, 65-8 in weight throw) for the Bison women, who have exhausted their indoor eligibility but will return to compete outdoors for NDSU this spring.
NDSU’s throwers are directed by associate director of track & field Justin St. Clair – the seven-time Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year and 2019 National Assistant Coach of the Year.
