Retzlaff, Nilles & Gunnells to Throw at NCAA Indoor Championships

Friday, March 8

Birmingham, Ala.

5:15 p.m.

North Dakota State

NCAA Indoor Championships

Retzlaff, Nilles & Gunnells to Throw at NCAA Indoor Championships

3/6/2019 1:21:00 PM | Women's Track and Field

Live Results
Meet Schedule (PDF)
Qualifiers, Start Lists & Results
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North Dakota State University throwers Bailey Retzlaff, Maddy Nilles and Shelby Gunnells will represent the Bison women's track & field team at the NCAA Indoor Championships this Friday, March 8, and Saturday, March 9, in Birmingham, Ala.

The NCAA Indoor Championships are limited to the top 16 performers in the country in each individual event. Retzlaff and Gunnells are ranked 10th and 14th, respectively, in the shot put. Nilles enters the meet with a No. 14 ranking in the weight throw.

The women's shot put will take place at 5:15 p.m. CT on Friday evening, and the weight throw is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

All three Bison will be making their first appearances at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Nilles has one previous appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing fifth in the hammer throw in 2018.

Bailey Retzlaff
Senior
Carrington, N.D.

Shot Put NCAA Ranking: 10th
Shot Put NDSU All-Time Rank: 1st
Personal Best: 56-04.75 (17.19m)

Shelby Gunnells
Junior
Solon, Iowa

Shot Put NCAA Ranking: 14th
Shot Put NDSU All-Time Rank: 2nd
Personal Best: 55-05.50 (16.90m)

Maddy Nilles
Junior
Sherrill, Iowa

Weight Throw NCAA Ranking: 14th
Weight Throw NDSU All-Time Rank: 1st
Personal Best: 71-04.25 (21.75m)

Competition Format
Each competitor in the throwing events is allowed three attempts in the preliminary round. The nine best marks, after tie-breaking, will advance to the final and earn three more throws.

All-America Honors
The top eight finishers in all events will earn first team All-American honors, and places 9 through 16 will be named second team All-Americans.

Same Recruiting Class
Retzlaff, Gunnells and Nilles all signed to compete for North Dakota State during the same week in November 2014. Nilles redshirted the 2016 indoor season at NDSU, and Gunnells redshirted the 2018 indoor season, while Retzlaff never used a redshirt season indoors.

Bison Throwers Top Event Squad Rankings
The Bison women are ranked No. 1 in the country in the USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings in both the shot put and weight throw. NDSU is the only school in the country with three women throwing more than 55 feet in the shot put this season. The Bison are also the only team with four women beyond 62 feet in the weight throw.

Consistently Qualifying
The Bison women have now qualified athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships in 9 out of 11 seasons of Division I eligibility.

High Achievers
The NDSU women have 10 indoor All-America honors in the Division I era, with Leslie Brost (pole vault, 4th place, 2012) and Erin Teschuk (3,000m, 4th place, 2016) as the highest indoor finishers in school history.

Top Placer
Laura Hermanson is the highest national-meet finisher overall in NDSU's Division I history, taking second place in the 800 meters at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships.