World Championships Info

FARGO, N.D. – The IAAF World Championships – the world's most prestigious track & field meet outside of the Olympic Games – will get underway in Beijing, China, next week with North Dakota State University being well-represented.
 
Three athletes with NDSU ties – current runner Erin Teschuk, Bison alum Riley Dolezal (2005-09) and NDSU assistant coach Trevor Barry – will don their countries' colors and compete among the world's best athletes.
 
It's been an impressive growth cycle for the NDSU track & field program that only eight seasons ago became eligible to compete for conference and national titles at the NCAA Division I level.
 
Since 2008, the Bison women and men have combined to win 27 Summit League team titles. Nineteen NDSU athletes have earned Division I All-American honors. In the last seven seasons, nine Bison have made it to the pinnacle of first-team All-America, finishing among the best in the NCAA.
 
And now, the success extends beyond the dominance of The Summit League and the emergence on the regional and national scenes. Three athletes who live and train in Fargo, N.D., based out of the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track & Field Facility on the NDSU campus, have proven themselves to rank among the world's elite in their respective events.
 
For Teschuk, the World Championships will be final chapter in her storybook 2014-15 season. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native was named The Summit League's cross country, indoor track and outdoor track Athlete of the Year, while earning first-team All-America honors three times this season.
 
Since September 2014, Teschuk has broken NDSU records in seven different events, including a stunning time of 4:32.35 in the indoor mile that ranked her 18th in the world this year. The 3,000m steeplechase became her focus during the outdoor season, as she finished fifth at the NCAA Championships and won a Canadian national title in the event.
 
Teschuk will represent Canada in the steeplechase prelims at 9:45 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, in Beijing, or 8:45 p.m. CT on Sunday night due to the 13-hour time difference between Beijing and Fargo.
 
Dolezal will make his second World Championships appearance for Team USA in the javelin. The 2013 USA javelin champion and two-time American runner-up heads to China in the midst of his most consistent and successful season as a pro. Dolezal, a native of Stanley, N.D., won silver medals at the USATF Championships and Pan American Games before capturing gold at the NACAC Championships in Costa Rica to secure his spot on Team USA.
 
Dolezal throws professionally for Nike – a contract he earned after winning the USA javelin title in 2013 when he entered the meet ranked 14th in the field. He registered four consecutive lifetime-best throws in that meet, earning his first bid to the World Championships. Dolezal also serves as a volunteer assistant coach for the Bison throwers.
 
Men's javelin prelims start at 6 a.m. CT on Monday, Aug. 24, with finals scheduled for 6:05 a.m. CT on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
 
Barry, who earned a bronze medal in the high jump at the 2011 World Championships and competed in the 2012 Olympics for his native Bahamas, will make yet another appearance on the biggest stage in international track & field. He placed third at the Bahamas National Championships in late June, clearing 7-05.75 (2.28m) to meet the World Championships qualifying standard. Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, this will be Barry's fifth World Championships appearance.
 
Barry joined the NDSU coaching staff to direct the Bison jumpers starting in the 2013 season. He is married to Heather (Zander) Barry, a 2010 NCAA All-American in the heptathlon for NDSU.
 
High jump qualification begins at 8:45 p.m. CT on Thursday, Aug. 27, with the finalists competing for a spot on the awards stand on Sunday, Aug. 30.
 
The IAAF World Championships will be held at Beijing National Stadium – also known as the Bird's Nest – from August 22-30. Live coverage and online video will be provided by UniversalSports.com.
 
 
World Championships Schedule (Beijing, China)
 
Sunday, August 23 / Monday, August 24
 
8:45 p.m. CT (Aug. 23) / 9:45 a.m. local (Aug. 24) – 3,000m steeplechase prelims
 
6 a.m. CT / 7 p.m. local (Aug. 24) – javelin prelims
 
Wednesday, August 26
 
6:05 a.m. CT / 7:05 p.m. local – javelin final
 
8 a.m. CT / 9 p.m. local – 3,000m steeplechase final
 
Thursday, August 27 / Friday, August 28
 
8:45 p.m. CT (Aug. 27) / 9:45 a.m. local (Aug. 28) – high jump qualification
 
Sunday, August 30
 
5:30 a.m. CT / 6:30 p.m. local – high jump final