SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Another weekend that feature individuals moving up in the national rankings earned North Dakota State, Oral Roberts and South Dakota student-athletes TicketSmarter Summit League Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors, league officials release Tuesday. North Dakota State’s Cody Roder and South Dakota’s Jessie Sullivan earned the awards for the men while Oral Roberts’ Gabrielle Gibson and USD’s Marleen Mülla took the honors for the women.
 
At the Stanford Invitational, Roder registered an outdoor personal-best of 47.77 in the 400m dash to claim the top spot in the league. He also anchored the 4x400m relay team that won the event in a league-leading time of 3:09.78. The relay time is the fifth-fastest in school history and ranks 34^th in the NCAA this season.
 
Sullivan captured the discus title and finished runner-up in the hammer throw at the USD Early Bird meet. In the hammer throw, he launched a mark of 195-8 (59.63m) for his second-place finish. In the discus, he threw a personal-best mark of 186-0.75 (56.61m) good for third-best in program history. His toss in the discus moved him up to 29^th in the nation this season.
 
Gibson recorded two individual top-four finishes and helped claim the event title in the 4x100m relay at the Masked Rider Open. She took fourth overall in the 200m after clocking a career-best 23.79 seconds. Gibson topped off her individual events with a third-place finish in the 100m hurdles. She finished in 13.32 which moved her up to 27^th nationally in the event.
 
Gibson rounded out her meet running a leg of the 4x100m relay that won the event in 45.87.
 
Mülla took home the pole vault event title at the USD Early Bird meet. She cleared a personal-best height of 14-5.50 (4.41m) to win the event. Her winning height ranks sixth in the NCAA this season and fourth all-time in program history.
 
Cody Roder, North Dakota State
Sr | Sprints | Bemidji, Minn.

• Collected his first career athlete of the week honor
• Clocked a personal-best time of 47.77 in the 400m to claim the top spot in the league
• Anchored the 4x400m relay team that won the event with a league-leading 3:09.78
• Relay team ranks 34^th nationally so far this season

Also nominated: Ackeen Colley, Western Illinois; Henry Falls, Oral Roberts; Demar Francis, South Dakota
 
Jessie Sullivan, South Dakota
Jr | Throws | Albion, Neb.

• Notched his first career outdoor athlete of the week accolade
• Won the discus and finished runner-up in the hammer throw
• Won the discus with a personal-best throw of 186-0.75 (56.61m)
• Ranks 29^th in the nation in the discus so far this season

Also nominated: Abraham Sargent, Oral Roberts; Kristoffer Thomsen, North Dakota State
 


Gabrielle Gibson, Oral Roberts
Sr | Sprints/Hurdles | Nassau, Bahamas

• Earned her second career outdoor athlete of the week award
• Recorded two individual top-four finishes and helped claim an event title in the 4x100m relay
• Clocked a personal-best time of 23.79 in the 200m to finish fourth
• Moved up to 27^th nationally in the 100m hurdles with a third-place finishing time of 13.32

Also nominated: Paulina Wuestefeld, Western Illinois; Cailee Peterson, South Dakota State; Kelby Anderson, North Dakota State; Moe Bridgen, Omaha; Conny Wohlfahrt, North Dakota
 
Marleen Mülla, South Dakota
Fr | Pole Vault | Rakvere, Estonia

• Earned the first outdoor athlete of the week honor of her career
• Won the pole vault title with a personal-best height of 14-5.50 (4.41m)
• Now ranks sixth in the NCAA in the event this season

Also nominated: Faith Leiseth, South Dakota State; Shalom Olotu, Oral Roberts; Amanda Anderson, North Dakota State
 
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