Folkestad Becomes 6-Time All-American
Cooper Folkestad became only the second 6-time All-American in school history as he finished second in the shout put at the NCAA DIII National Outdoor Meet.
LA CROSSE, Wis. (5/22/26)---A little over an inch.
That's how close senior Cooper Folkestad (Wadena, Minn./Wadena-Deer Creek HS) was from becoming a national champion.
Folkestad led the shot put competition at the NCAA Division III National Outdoor Meet heading into the final round of throws but was passed by NCAA National Indoor champion Gage Stankiewicz of UW-Eau Claire when he posted a personal-best mark of 61-07.
Folkestad had one last attempt to overtake Stankiewicz, but the penultimate throw of the entire event fell a mere 1.25 inches shy of the final winning mark.
Folkestad wound up placing second in the event with a mark of 61-05.75 which is his highest finish at a national meet. His second-place finish is the best by a Cobber men's athlete since 1995. Cherae Reeves was the last Concordia athlete to win a national championship when she claimed the crown in the shot put in 2015.
Folkestad's previous top performance came at this year's NCAA Indoor Meet when he placed third in the shot put. His previous highest finish at an outdoor meet came at last year's meet when he placed sixth in the shot put.
The runner-up finish gives Folkestad his sixth All-American honor. That ties him for the most All-American honors in program history.
Folkestad opened his eighth national meet performance with a foul but then followed that with a distance of 58-07.25 which pushed him into second place and secured a spot in the finals.
That's when the drama started.
Folkestad was passed by Stankiewicz at the start of the fifth round when Stankiewicz posted a distance of 60-04.75. True to his 6-time All-American status, Folkestad responded with a mark of 60-11.25 which grabbed back the lead and set up the nail-biting sixth round.
Complete NCAA Outdoor Meet Men's Shot Put Results
1. Nick Stankiewicz – UW-Eau Claire – 61-07.00
2. Cooper Folkestad – Concordia-Moorhead – 61-05.75
3. Samuel Clements – Neb. Wesleyan – 60-04.50
4. Tommy Wilmoth – Hanover – 58-07.25
5. DreAnthony Jackson – Loras – 57-09.75
6. Jake Gardner – UW-La Crosse – 57-04.25
7. Owen Fremeau – Olivet – 57-02.75
8. Graden Heichberger – Nazareth – 57-02.25
9. Ancil Alexander – UMass Dartmouth – 56-10.00
10. Dakota Hoffman – Dubuque -55-01.50
11. Karter Rashke – UW-Stout – 54-10.00
12. Ben Youngworth – UW-La Crosse – 54-08.25
13. Trent Beseth – St. Scholastica – 54-06.50
14. Ryker Paradis – Southern Maine – 54-06
15. Quinn Sholar – Wabash – 53-08.25
16. Isaiah Isom – UW-Oshkosh – 53-07.75
17. William Marquart – Pomona-Pitzer – 53-4.25
18. Isaiah Brunache – Cortland St. – 53-00.25
19. Alex Cotton – PSU Behrend – 52-10.25
20. Ari Klasky – Emory – 52-10.25
21. Jacob Klitzke – St. Norbert – 50-11
22. Tyler Rose – Carthage – 50-05.25