Denzer Wins Summit League Pentathlon Title to Spark Bison Women on Day One

Friday, February 22

Brookings, S.D.

9:30 a.m.

North Dakota State

Summit League Indoor Championships

Photo by: Richard Svaleson

Denzer Wins Summit League Pentathlon Title to Spark Bison Women on Day One

2/22/2019 9:47:00 PM | Women's Track and Field

Day 1 Results (PDF)
Day 2 Heat Sheets (PDF)

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The North Dakota State women's track & field team opened up a lead on the first day of the Summit League Indoor Championships Friday, as the Bison attempt to win their 12th straight indoor team title.

NDSU has 80 points after five women's events. South Dakota stands in second place with 37 points. North Dakota is third with 26, and South Dakota State is in fourth with 25 points.

Junior Macy Denzer started the meet on a high note for the Bison, coming from behind on the final event to claim her first conference title in the pentathlon. Denzer trailed Western Illinois' Michaela Busch by 47 points prior to the 800m, but the Watertown, S.D., native ran 2:19.98 to finish five seconds in front of Busch and take the victory.

Denzer totaled a career-best 3,695 points to rank seventh in NDSU history. Dakota Wood (PR 3,478) finished fourth, Kennedi Sand (PR 3,466) was fifth, and Jenna Kes (PR 3,465) took sixth in the pentathlon behind her, scoring 22 team points. In the pre-meet rankings, NDSU was projected to score 10 in the event.

Senior Annika Rotvold took Summit League runner-up honors in the 3000m, running 9:28.70 – a 10-second personal-best that ranks third in school history. Sophomores Kelby Anderson (9:30.16) and Jen Dufner (9:59.90) placed third and seventh behind Rotvold in the 3000m.

The Bison women finished 3-4-5-6 in the weight throw, led by junior Maddy Nilles at 70-03.50 (21.42m). Bailey Retzlaff threw 68-07.75 (20.92m) for fourth place, Kelsey Laufenberg threw a personal-best 65-09.50 (20.05m) for fifth, and Shelby Gunnells took sixth with a personal-best 62-10.50 (19.16m).

Laufenberg finished her indoor career ranked fifth in NDSU history in the weight throw, and Gunnells moved up to seventh on the NDSU all-time list.

Katie Bostrom, Denzer, Peyton Frolek and Mackenzie Holkesvig earned a second-place finish in the distance medley relay.

Freshman Jodi Lipp (18-11.25 / 5.77m) finished third, redshirt freshman Michaela Baker took fourth, and Kes was fifth for the Bison in the long jump.

The Bison women are also in position to score big in Saturday's finals on the track, with numerous qualifiers through the prelims.

Baker ran a personal-best 8.46 in the 60m hurdles to be the second-fastest qualifier to the final, and she moved up to No. 2 all-time at NDSU in the event. Wood also advanced in 8.80 – the second-fastest time of her career.

The Bison women sent four qualifiers through to the Summit League 400m final. Sophomore Alyssa Lind owned the fastest prelim time with a personal-best 56.61. Freshman Grace Zimmerman (PR 57.51), junior Paige Harris (PR 57.56), and freshman Gracie Wright (58.21) also advanced.

Frolek (2:11.28) and Bostrom (2:12.04) finished 1-2 in their 800m heat, advancing to tomorrow's final. Both recorded indoor personal-best times.

Freshman Rhaeghn Gripentrog (7.79) and sophomore Daejha Moss (7.84) both advanced to the finals of the 60m dash. Jocelyn Dinius finished ninth in a personal-best 7.85.

The Summit League Championships resume with the final three events of the men's heptathlon starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. Women's action begins with the triple jump at 11:30 a.m.