SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A handful of nationally ranked performances last week earned North Dakota, North Dakota State and South Dakota student-athletes TicketSmarter Summit League Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week accolades, league officials announced Tuesday. South Dakota’s Merga Gemeda and North Dakota State’s Trevor Otterdahl took home the awards for the men while NDSU’s Kelby Anderson and North Dakota’s Elise Ulseth claimed the honors on the women’s side.
 
At the Mt. SAC Relays, Gemeda broke a 22-year-old 10,000-meter school record (29:24.60) after clocking a time of 29:18.51 to finish ninth overall in the field. His school-record time was a 41-second personal best and moved him up to 89^th nationally in the event.
 
Otterdahl was the top collegian in the hammer throw at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate after throwing a career-best mark of 216-3 (65.91m). His career-best launch moved him up to 29^th in the NCAA this season and fifth-best in school history.
 
Otterdahl also competed in the shot put and the hammer throw at the Mt. SAC Relays. He finished fifth in the shot put with a launch of 60-3 (18.36m) and eighth in the hammer throw (215-0; 65.54m).
 
Anderson moved up to 29^th in the NCAA for the 5,000m following her performance at the Mt. SAC Relays. She clocked a new lifetime-best of 15:58.19 to finish second. Her runner-up time makes her just the third Bison woman to ever run sub-16 minutes in the event.
 
Ulseth finished third in the heptathlon at the Bryan Clay Invitational with 5,685 total points. Her third-place point total broke her previous school record of 5,500 points set at the Texas Relays earlier this season. Ulseth’s new school record ranks ninth in the nation this season.
 
En route to breaking her heptathlon school record, she broke her own program record in the long jump with a leap of 20-0.25 (6.10m) and became the first Fighting Hawk to go over 20-0 in UND history. Ulseth also recorded personal-best performances in the shot put (36-11, 11.25m), 200m (25.66) and the 800m (2:17.73).
 
Merga Gemeda, South Dakota
Jr | Distance | Sioux City, Iowa

• Collected his first career athlete of the week honor
• Took ninth in the 10,000m with a time of 29:18.51
• Broke a 22-year-old school record with his personal-best time

Also nominated: Aden Baughman, Oral Roberts; Biel Wiel, St. Thomas; Luke Labatte North Dakota; Jacob Levin, North Dakota State; Logan Lommel, Western Illinois; Daniel Burkhalter, South Dakota State
 
Trevor Otterdahl, North Dakota State
Sr | Throws | Rosemount, Minn.

• Notched his second career outdoor athlete of the week accolade and second this season
• Top collegian in the hammer throw with a career-best mark of 216-3 (65.91m)
• Moved up to 29^th in the NCAA in the event
• League leader in the hammer throw and shot put while also ranked third for the discus

Also nominated: Abraham Sargent, Oral Roberts; Cooper Cox, Western Illinois; Jacob Jenkins, South Dakota
 


Kelby Anderson, North Dakota State
Sr | Distance | Bismarck, N.D.

• Claimed her first career outdoor athlete of the week award
• Clocked a lifetime-best of 15:58.19 in the 5,000m to finish runner-up
• Moved up to 29^th in the NCAA in the event

Also nominated: Adrena Mazzei, Oral Roberts; Olivia Moll, St. Thomas; Jadyn Keeler, North Dakota; Paulina Wuestefeld, Western Illinois; Moe Bridgen, South Dakota
 
Elise Ulseth, North Dakota
Sr | Multis | Kristiansund, Norway

• Earned the second outdoor athlete of the week honor of her career and third award overall
• Took third in the heptathlon with 5,685 total points
• Broke her previous school record and moved to ninth in the nation in the event

Also nominated: Shalom Olotu, Oral Roberts; Amanda Anderson, North Dakota State; Tyronay Taylor, Western Illinois; Jaidyn Garrett, South Dakota
 
2022 Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
March 22
MT: Gary Afram, St. Thomas
MF: Parker Feuerborn, St. Thomas
WT: Molly Reighard, St. Thomas
WF: Elise Ulseth, North Dakota
 
March 29
MT: Riley Bauer, South Dakota State
MF: Trevor Otterdahl, North Dakota State
WT: Jacy Pulse, South Dakota
WF: Amy Phillips, North Dakota State
 
April 5
MT: Cody Roder, North Dakota State
MF: Jessie Sullivan, South Dakota
WT: Gabrielle Gibson, Oral Roberts
WF: Marleen Mülla, South Dakota
 
April 12
MT: Reid Pierzinski, South Dakota State
MF: Eerik Haamer, South Dakota
WT: Moe Bridgen, South Dakota
WF: Amanda Anderson, North Dakota State
 
April 19
MT: Merga Gemeda, South Dakota
MF: Trevor Otterdahl, North Dakota State
WT: Kelby Anderson, North Dakota State
WF:  Elise Ulseth, North Dakota