NDSU has a storied history of athletic success including 30 team national championships since 1965 in football, women’s basketball, wrestling, softball, men’s cross country and women’s indoor track and field, plus 61 individual championships.
Since completing a reclassification to NCAA Division I in the fall of 2008, the Bison have won 10 football national championships, earned five NCAA men’s basketball tournament berths, made 10 softball regionals and one super regional, three NCAA women’s volleyball postseason appearances, two NCAA baseball regionals, as well as NCAA regionals in women’s soccer, and men's and women’s golf while producing several All-Americans in track and field, cross country and wrestling.
Team National Championships
FOOTBALL (18)
1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY (1)
1972
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (5)
1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
WRESTLING (4)
1988, 1998, 2000, 2001
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD (1)
2002
SOFTBALL (1)
2000
Individual National Championships
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY (3 athletes, 5 championships)
1971 – Mike Slack
1972 – Mike Slack
1977 – Mike Bollman
1988 – Doug Hanson
1990 – Doug Hanson
WRESTLING (21 athletes, 30 championships)
1971 – Bob Backlund
1971 – Bill Demaray
1972 – Bill Demaray
1973 – Phil Reimnitz
1973 – Lee Petersen
1975 – Brad Rheingans
1977 – Mark Reimnitz
1982 – Mike Langlais
1983 – Steve Carr
1984 – Mike Langlais
1987 – Marty Morgan
1988 – Rick Goeb
1992 – Lloyd Wurm
1993 – Brian Kapusta
1994 – Brian Kapusta
1995 – Brian Kapusta
1995 – Ryan Wolters
1997 – George Thompson
1998 – Mark Pazdernik
1998 – Steve Saxlund
2000 – Todd Fuller
2000 – Wayne Mooney
2000 – Kris Nelson
2000 – Steve Saxlund
2001 – Todd Fuller
2001 – Steve Saxlund
2001 – Nick Severson
2002 – Todd Fuller
2002 – Nick Severson
2003 – Paul Carlson
MEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD (3 athletes, 5 championships)
1989 – Doug Hanson, 5,000 meters
1990 – Doug Hanson, 5,000 meters
1996 – Ryan McGlynn, pole vault
2019 – Payton Otterdahl, shot put
2019 – Payton Otterdahl, weight throw
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD (11 athletes, 9 championships)
1985 – Nancy Dietman, 3,000 meters
1993 – Penny Ensrud, high jump
1996 – Andrea Jeseritz, high jump
2001 – Diandra Bauer, weight throw
2002 – Amanda Thieschafer, triple jump
2002 – 1,600-meter relay (Kinsey Coles, Nicole Rieck, Jill Theeler, Tamara Brudy)
2004 – Amanda Thieschafer, triple jump
2004 – Kinsey Coles, 800 meters
2004 – 1,600-meter relay (Nicole Rieck, Sarah Klein, Kiki Smith, Kinsey Coles)
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD (4 athletes, 8 championships)
1979 – Curt Bacon, 3,000-meter steeplechase
1980 – Curt Bacon, 3,000-meter steeplechase
1988 – Doug Hanson, 10,000 meters
1989 – Doug Hanson, 10,000 meters
1991 – Doug Hanson, 10,000 meters
1998 – Heith Janke, 800 meters
2003 – Nathan Schmidt, decathlon
2004 – Nathan Schmidt, decathlon
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD (3 athletes, 4 championships)
2001 – Diandra Bauer, hammer throw
2003 – Amanda Thieschafer, triple jump
2003 – Kinsey Coles, 400-meter hurdles
2004 – Kinsey Coles, 800 meters
