Folkestad Leads Cobbers In Season Opener
Senior Cooper Folkestad started his quest for a natty title by posting the second farthest distance in DIII in the shot put at the season-opening NDSU Alumni Classic.
FARGO, N.D. (12/12/26)---Senior Cooper Folkestad started his quest for a natty title by posting the second farthest distance in DIII in the shot put at the season-opening NDSU Alumni Classic.
Folkestad finished second in the meet that featured athletes from NCAA Division I and II schools with a distance of 56-02.00.
Concordia highlighted its depth across sprints, jumps, relays and throws at the last meet of 2025.
One of the top performances of the meet for the Cobbers came from Chris Verdier, who claimed the collegiate title in the triple jump, soaring to a winning mark of 13.92 meters. Verdier's effort earned 10 team points and set the tone for Concordia in the horizontal jumps.
In the sprints, Nolan Morical advanced from the 60-meter prelims and finished fifth in the finals, clocking 7.16, while also contributing in the short sprints. Concordia added another scorer in the 400 meters, where Brayden Carlson placed third overall in a deep field with a time of 49.98, highlighting the Cobbers' strength in the one-lap events. Carlson later returned to help anchor Concordia's sprint relay.
The Cobbers also picked up valuable points in the 60-meter hurdles, as Logan Clark finished fourth with a time of 9.01 seconds, scoring five points after advancing to the finals.
Concordia's relay group rounded out a strong weekend on the track. The men's 4x400 relay team of Brayden Carlson, Ryan Richardson, Michael Crowder, and Rylan Slack placed third overall, crossing the line in 3:30.34 to add six more team points.
In the field events, Concordia showcased depth across the jumps and vaults. Eli Hegland finished seventh in the high jump, clearing 1.91 meters, while Tyler Evans earned a fifth-place finish in the pole vault at 4.22 meters. In the long jump, Michael Crowder led the Cobbers with a best mark of 6.09 meters, competing in a large, competitive field.
The throws group delivered multiple scoring performances. Folkestad placed second in the shot put with a throw of 17.12 meters which will almost certainly earn his a spot at the NCAA National Indoor Meet. Blake Houska added to the point total with a ninth-place shot put finish at 15.02 meters, and later placed 13th in the weight throw with a mark of 14.69 meters.
Concordia's next chance to compete will come in January when they host the 86th annual Cobber Alumni Open.
