Nygaard's School Record Leads Bonanza Of Impressive Marks At NDSU Bison Open
Senior Kyla Nygaard led a bonanza of impressive finishes for Concordia at the 2-day NDSU Bison Open. Nygaard pulled off the rare event win in the meet that was dominated by NCAA Division I and II athletes. And to make her performance even better, Nygaard broke a school record in the process.
FARGO, N.D. (2/07/26) — Senior Kyla Nygaard led a bonanza of impressive finishes for Concordia at the 2-day NDSU Bison Open.
Nygaard pulled off the rare event win in the meet that was dominated by NCAA Division I and II athletes. And to make her performance even better, Nygaard broke a school record in the process.
Nygaard had a season breakout race in the 600 meters where she raced to a winning time of 1:34.52. That time won the race by 1.41 seconds and broke her own school record which she set last season by .96 of a seconds.
Nygaard's finishing time is the fastest in the MIAC this year.
First-year multi-event athlete Lauren Pearson turned heads in the pentathlon where she finished with a total of 3,237 points. That score was good for fifth place in the event and is the top mark in the conference this year. It is also the No.4 total in program history.
Concordia also had a first-year athlete impress on the field side of the arena. Gracie Gallagher became the only the fifth athlete in school history to post a distance of over 50 feet in the weight throw.
Gallagher let go with a toss of 50-03.25 on her third attempts in the prelims which qualified her for the finals in a field of 35 athletes. Her finishing distance is fourth best on the school's all-time list.
To continue with the first-year theme, Lauren Selle came up big in the high jump and pentathlon. Selle cleared 5-03.25 in the high jump in the pentathlon which helped her to finish with 2,960 points in the event. Her height in the high jump is tied for third place in the MIAC.
Speaking of tied for third in the MIAC in the high jump we can continue with the youngster theme by highlighting the performance of 2-sport athlete Kaili Malvey.
Malvey cleared 5-02.50 in the high jump (just shy of her season best) in the regular meet high jump and helped her to place third in the event.
Malvey also produced a quality result in the triple jump. Competing in the event for the first time in her career, Malvey recorded a distance of 36-11.75 which placed her fourth in the event. Her distance is No.2 in the conference this year and No.4 in Cobber history.
The mile was the standout event for the Cobbers on the track side. CC had three milers post times under 5:20.00 which marks the first time that Concordia has ever had three athletes go under 5:18.00 in a single season.
The trio of Londyn Ames, Kelyn Henry-Perlich and Ashley Nelson all finished within .61 of a second of each other and claimed the No.7-8-9 places in the race. Ames was credited with a time of 5:16.30, while Henry-Perlich crossed the line in 5:16.32 and Nelson clocked a 5:16.91.
All three of those times are in the Top 10 of the MIAC.
Concordia's best sprint result came in the 200 meters, where Emily Rengo recorded a time of 26.19 and Andie Sandman followed in 26.41. In the 60‑meter prelims, Rengo clocked 8.00 and Sandman 8.05 and both just missed qualifying for the finals.
Concordia closed the meet with a standout effort in the 4x400‑meter relay, where the quartet of Rengo, Nygaard, Warner and Josie Brown finished second in 3:59.47. That time is No.2 in the MIAC this year and No.30 in DIII this year.
The Cobbers will continue on their path to the MIAC Championship Meet when they compete against teams from the conference for the first time this season at the St. Benedict Classic on Saturday, Feb. 14.
COBBER NOTABLES:
NDSU Bison Open
North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
February 6-7, 2026
SCHOOL RECORD:
600 – Kyla Nygaard – 1:34.52
COBBER ALL-TIME Performer LIST:
300 – Emma Warner – 43.19 – All-Time #4
400 – Emma Warner – 60.71 – All-Time #13
400 – Emma Norton – 62.46 – All-Time #25
600 – Kyla Nygaard – 1:34.52 – All-Time #1
600 – Josie Brown – 1:40.60 – All-Time #15
1000 – Kelyn Henry-Perlich – 3:04.30 – All-Time #9
1000 – Londyn Ames – 3:05.26 – All-Time #12
Mile – Londyn Ames – 5:16.30 – All-Time #6
Mile – Kelyn Henry-Perlich – 5:16.32 – All-Time #7
Mile - Ashley Nelson – 5:16.91 – All-Time #9
Mile – Lilly Dickinson – 5:29.49 – All-Time #24
3000 – Ashley Nelson – 10:24.69 – All-Time #7
60 Hurdles – Lauren Pearson – 9.47 – All-Time #8 tie
60 Hurdles – Taylor Christenson – 9.82 – All-Time #19
4x400 Relay – Emily Rengo, Kyla Nygaard, Emma Warner, Josie Brown – 3:59.47 – All-Time #3
Triple Jump – Kaili Malvey – 36-11.75 (11.27m) – All-Time #5
High Jump – Lauren Selle – 5-3.25 (1.61m) – All-Time #10 tie
High Jump – Abby Lovelace – 5-1 (1.55m) – All-Time #20 tie
Weight Throw – Gracie Gallagher – 50-3.25 (15.32m) – All-Time #4
Pentathlon – Lauren Pearson – 3237 – All-Time #4
Pentathlon – Lauren Selle – 2960 – All-Time #14
PERSONAL RECORDS:
200- Aunika Reynolds
300- Emma Warner
400- Emma Warner, Emma Norton
600- Kyla Nygaard, Emma Norton, Emily Larsen
1000- Kelyn Henry-Perlich, Londyn Ames
Mile- Londyn Ames, Kelyn Henry-Perlich, Ashley Nelson, Lilly Dickinson, Ashlyn Dibble, Aftyn Hahn
3000- Ashley Nelson
60 Hurdles- Lauren Pearson (pent), Taylor Christenson (pent), Lauren Selle (pent)
High Jump- Lauren Selle (pent), Abby Lovelace (pent), Emma Norton
Shot Put- Gracie Hartl, McKinley Folland, Lauren Pearson (pent)
Weight Throw- Gracie Gallagher
Pentathlon- Lauren Selle