A Trio Of Firsts At 2015 Season Opener

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/31/15)—Concordia earned a pair of events win on their way to the overall team victory at the season-opening Cobber Duals meet.

Concordia posted a 9-0 record against the other nine teams at the meet as they won the Cobber Duals for the first time since the 2007 season.

The Cobbers used their field athletes to earn the victory. Junior Brandon Zylstra won both the high jump and long jump while Concordia had eight top 6 finishes in the six different field events.

Zylstra jumped directly into the deep end of the pool in his first collegiate track and field meet. A two-time MIAC All-Conference wide receiver for the Cobber football team, Zylstra cleared 6-08.00 in the high jump which is only .75 of an inch from tying the school record in the event. His winning mark was two inches better than the next competitor. Zylstra then completed his winning double by recording a distance of 21-06.75 in the long jump. That mark was over three inches clear of the field and in the top 15 on the Cobber all-time list.

Zylstra's height of 6-08.00 in the high jump ties the top mark in the conference this year and would have been the third best in all of last season in the MIAC. His long jump distance is the best mark in the MIAC this season.

High Jump and Pole Vault Highlights - Cobber Duals

The high jump was the top event of the day for Concordia. CC put three athletes in the top 5. In addition to Zylstra's winning height, Gabe Wright finished third at 6-04.00 and Jackson Schepp was fifth at 6-02.00.

Schepp also had a top 5 finish in the triple jump. He vaulted his way to a distance of 42-11.5 and was only two feet off the winning mark in the event.

The Cobber pole vault crew picked up where it left off last season. Concordia had a pair of athletes in the top 4 of the event. Josh Murrey was second with a height of 14-03.5 and Eddie Clifton was fourth at 13-03.75. Murrey's height is over two inches better than his top indoor performance from last season.

Antonio Burks finished off the list of top 6 finishes in the field events. He recorded a distance of 41-10.75 in the shot put and placed sixth.

Ben Vickstrom, Theo Betting and Taylor Lauermann had the only top 9 finishes for the track athletes. Vickstrom started the chase for his own school record in the 60 meters by racing to a 7.19 in the opening meet of the year and finishing in seventh place. Last year Vickstrom finished second in the MIAC in the 60 meters by breaking the school record with a time of 6.98.

Betting and Lauermann both had ninth-place finishes. Betting raced to a 54.12 in the 400 meters while Lauermann clocked a 1:32.33 in the 600 meters.

Concordia will continue with the indoor season when they compete at the NDSU Thundering Herd Classic on Feb. 6-7.      

Final Cobber Duals Team Standings
1. Concordia, 9-0
2. MSU-Moorhead, 8-1
3. Jamestown, 7-2
4. Dickinson State, 6-3
5. Northern State, 5-4
6. Minnesota Morris, 4-5
7. University of Mary, 3-6
8. Minot State, 2-7
9. Valley City State, 1-8

Cobber Notables - Cobber Open

Cobber All-Time Top 25 Lists
60 - Brandon Zylstra, 7.34, #8
60 - Chris Cunningham, 7.38, #13
60 - Jason Montonye, 7.48, #19
60 - Dominic Neameyer, 7.49, #20
200 - Chris Cunningham, 23.90, #25
4x2 - Chris Cunningham, Ben Vickstrom, Theo Betting, Jason Montonye, 1:33.56, #15
HJ - Brandon Zylstra, 6-8 (2.03m), #2
LJ - Brandon Zylstra, 6.57 (21-6.75), #12
TJ - Jackson Schepp, 13.09 (42-11.5), #21

NCAA Division III Top 100
HJ - Brandon Zylstra, 6-8 (2.03m), #9
HJ - Gabe Wright, 1.93 (6-4), #56
LJ - Brandon Zylstra, 6.57 (21-6.75), #83
PV - Josh Murrey, 4.36 (14-3.5), #71
TJ - Jackson Schepp, 13.09 (42-11.5), #95

Personal Bests
60 -Brandon Zylstra, 7.34, Chris Cunningham, 7.38, Jason Montonye, 7.48,
Dominic Neameyer, 7.49, Jon Baune, 7.60, Scott Cramer, 7.75, Devan Schliemann, 7.80,
Hans-Kristof Nelson, 8.22, Quinn Anderson, 8.23
200 - Devan Schliemann, 25.74
400 - Theo Betting, 54.12
600 - Nathaniel Harrison, 1:32.76
Mile - Nick Solheim, 4:56.87
3k - Brandon Quibell, 9:25.04
60H - Joe Hendrickson, 9.60, Hans-Kristof Nelson, 10.43
HJ - Brandon Zylstra, 2.03m (6-8)
PV - Gabe Wright, 3.41 (11-2.25), Alex VanBemmelen, 3.26 (10-8.25),
Kim Hagbardsland, 2.36 (7-8.75)
LJ - Brandon Zylstra, 6.57 (21-6.75), Scott Cramer, 5.74 (18-10),
Quinn Anderson, 5.22 (17-1.5), Hans-Kristof, = 5.11 (16-9.25)
TJ - Jackson Schepp, 13.09 (42-11.5)
SP - Zach Freese, 9.32 (30-7)