Folkestad’s Record Throw Leads Cobbers to Fifth‑Place Finish at MIAC Indoor Championships
The Concordia men’s track & field team closed out the third and final day of the 2026 MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with a surge of big-meet performances that lifted the Cobbers into fifth place in the team standings. Behind a championship-record throw from senior Cooper Folkestad, a podium-level relay, and multiple All-MIAC field event finishes, Concordia capped a memorable weekend inside Carleton College’s Recreation Center.
NORTHFIELD, Minn. (2/28/26) – The Concordia men's track & field team closed out the third and final day of the 2026 MIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships with a surge of big-meet performances that lifted the Cobbers into fifth place in the team standings. Behind a championship-record throw from senior Cooper Folkestad, a podium-level relay, and multiple All-MIAC field event finishes, Concordia capped a memorable weekend inside Carleton College's Recreation Center.
Folkestad delivered the defining moment of the day, and one of the weekend's biggest highlights, when he dominated the shot put competition with a massive throw of 18.54 meters (60-10.00). The mark broke both the MIAC Championship record and the facility record, earning him the indoor conference title. His performance ranks among the top throws in Division III this season, and he now sits No. 2 in the nation in the shot put.
Junior Blake Houska added to the Cobber momentum with a third-place finish of 14.91 meters (48-11.00) to secure All-MIAC honors of his own. Together, the duo combined for 16 points, Concordia's largest single-event total of the meet.
The Cobbers' strength in the field events continued in the pole vault, where sophomore Tyler Evans cleared 4.58 meters (15-0.25) to finish second overall with a top-100 national performance. His runner-up finish added eight more key points to the team total.
In the triple jump, freshman Chris Verdier impressed in his MIAC championship debut. Verdier recorded a distance of 13.67 meters (44-10.25) to place fourth. He led a trio of Cobber jumpers inside the top 15, with sophomore Eli Hegland tying for 10th and sophomore Nathan Longfors placing 14th.
The Cobbers' 4x400-meter relay team placed third with a season-best time of 3:22.91, which ranks inside the top 100 in NCAA Division III this season.
Junior Tyler Goss delivered a standout distance performance with a fifth-place finish in the 3000 meters, crossing the line in 8:41.98.
In the sprint and middle-distance events, senior Nolan Morical placed 16th in the 200 meters with a time of 23.20. Sophomore Brady Andrews finished 14th in the 600 meters in 1:24.67. Earlier in the meet, freshman Hayden Hauf earned a sixth-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles finals, running 7.98 to score three points for the Cobbers in his championship debut.
When the final event wrapped up, Concordia's balanced effort across all disciplines secured a fifth-place finish with 69 points. Bethel University won the meet with 167 points, followed by St. Olaf College with 145, Saint John's University with 108, and Gustavus Adolphus College with 74.
The Cobbers now turn their attention to the NCAA Last Chance Qualifier on March 6 as they look to extend their season and chase national marks.
