Three Throwers to Represent Bison Men at NCAA Outdoor Championships

Wednesday, June 9

Eugene, Ore.

North Dakota State

NCAA Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Madisen Martinez

Three Throwers to Represent Bison Men at NCAA Outdoor Championships

6/7/2021 4:25:00 PM | Men's Track and Field

Live Results
Schedule of Events
Qualifiers & Start Lists
Meet Info

North Dakota State University throwers Alex Talley, Benji Phillips and Kristoffer Thomsen will represent the Bison men's track & field team at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., on June 9.

Talley and Thomsen are repeat qualifiers for the national outdoor meet – having competed in 2019 in Austin, Texas – and Phillips will be making his NCAA Championships debut.

Field event coverage will be broadcast on ESPN3, with direct links for each event below.

Alex Talley, Hammer Throw

Wednesday, June 9
4:30 p.m. CT / 2:30 p.m. PT
Watch Live
Personal-Best: 233-1 (71.05m)
NDSU All-Time Rank: 1st

Benji Phillips, Javelin

Wednesday, June 9
8:15 p.m. CT / 6:15 p.m. PT
Watch Live
Personal-Best: 246-11 (75.27m)
NDSU All-Time Rank: 2nd

Kristoffer Thomsen, Shot Put

Wednesday, June 9
9:10 p.m. CT / 7:10 p.m. PT
Watch Live
Personal-Best: 64-01.25 (19.54m)
NDSU All-Time Rank: 4th

Competition Format
Twenty-four men qualified to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in each event through the NCAA Preliminary Rounds format. In every throwing event, each athlete will receive three preliminary attempts. The top nine performers will advance to the final round, earning three additional attempts.

All-America Honors
The top eight finishers in all events will earn first team All-American honors, places 9 through 16 will be named second team All-Americans, and all other national meet competitors will receive honorable mention status.

Mainstays
Between the shot put and javelin, the Bison men have earned nine first- or second-team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2015.

Top Placer
Payton Otterdahl owns the highest NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships finish in NDSU men's history, taking second in the discus in 2019.

Last Champ
While Payton Otterdahl claimed the indoor national titles in the shot put and weight throw in 2019, the most recent outdoor track & field NCAA title won by a Bison was Nathan Schmidt's Division II decathlon crown in 2004.

Nation's Best Shot Put Crew
The Bison own the No. 1 spot in the latest USTFCCCA Event Squad Rankings for the shot put. NDSU is the only school in the nation with four men surpassing 60 feet in the shot put this season.

Return Trip for Talley, Thomsen
Alex Talley placed 19th in the shot put and 22nd in the hammer throw as a sophomore at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Kristoffer Thomsen took 15th place in the shot put as a freshman in 2019.

Highest Division I NCAA Championships Finishes
Place Athlete                        Event                        Year
1st        Payton Otterdahl        Indoor Shot Put         2019
1st        Payton Otterdahl        Weight Throw            2019
2nd      Payton Otterdahl        Discus 2019
4th       Payton Otterdahl        Outdoor Shot Put 2019
5th       Matti Mortimore Javelin 2017
7th       Andy Lillejord Heptathlon                 2013
7th       Matti Mortimore Javelin 2015
8th       Alex Renner Outdoor Shot Put 2017
10th     Payton Otterdahl        Outdoor Shot Put 2018
10th     Payton Otterdahl        Discus 2018