Bison Women Head to California for Three Meets

FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State women's track and field team heads west to California to compete in three meets over the weekend. The team will send a contingent to the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. April 19-21, the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. April 19-20 and the Beach Invitational in Norwalk, Calif. April 20-21.  Live results of the Mt. SAC Relays will be available at GoBison.com

Mt. SAC Schedule (all times Pacific)
Thursday, April 19
Running events - 6 p.m.
Friday, April 20
Field events - 11 a.m.
Running events - 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 21
Field events - 11 a.m.
Running events - 11:50 a.m.

Bryan Clay Invitational Schedule
Thursday, April 19
Hammer throw - 10 a.m.
Friday, April 20
Running events - 9 a.m.
Field events - 9:30 a.m.

Beach Invitational Schedule
Friday, April 20
Hammer throw - 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 21
Field events - 8:45 a.m.
Running events - 8:45 a.m.

Goodman wins three times at Bison Invitational
Antoinette Goodman claimed titles in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the long jump at the Bison Invitational Saturday, April 18 at the Ellig Sports Complex in Fargo. The Bison dominated the competition, winning 13 event titles. Three members of the team also set facility records. Maddie McClellan set a new Ellig record in the steeplechase after clocking in at 10:35.75, while Ashlynn Simon set arecord in the 800 meters in 2:10.00. Freshman Melissa Kitching set a facility record in the 400 meter hurdles after turning in a time of 1:00.60. Additionally, seven athletes moved into or up the NDSU all-time performance charts.

Bison women rewrite top 10 lists in Arizona
The NDSU women competed at the Sun Angel Track Classic in Tempe, Ariz. and the Mesa Classic in Mesa, Ariz. April 6 and 7. An impressive eight members of the team moved into the school's all-time top ten lists over the course of competition. The Bison took home four titles from the Mesa Classic as Antoinette Goodman won the long jump, Brittany Schanandore took first in the 800 meters, Amy Jo Thorne won the 1,500 meters and Melissa Kitching claimed the 400 meter hurdles.

Kitching, Lesser into all-time top 10 at Lyle Hokanson Open
Melissa Kitching won the 400 meters in a personal best time of 1 minute 1.03 seconds at the first Lyle Hokanson Open hosted by NDSU Saturday, March 31. Her time ranks fifth in NDSU history. Emily Lesser's winning hammer throw of 184 feet 1 inch is second all-time in the Bison annals.

Brost named Summit League Field Athlete of the Year
Senior Leslie Brost was voted The Summit League's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches. A first team All-American, Brost finished fourth at the NCAA Championships with a school record leap of 14 feet 3 1/4 inches. Brost also claimed her second straight Summit League title in the pole vault.

Bison open outdoor season at Aztec Invitational
NDSU opened the 2012 outdoor season at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego, Calif. March 15-17. Three members of the team broke into the all-time top ten with their first outdoor performances of the year. Caitlin Mack's mark of 12-2 1/2 in the pole vault is sixth all-time at NDSU, while Emily Lesser's throw of 183-4 in the hammer is second in school history. In the heptathlon, Twila Moser's score of 4,440 points is 10th all-time.

Bison women picked to win Summit League title
The North Dakota State women were unanimously selected to win the 2012 Summit League outdoor title in a vote of the league's head coaches. The four-time defending champion Bison picked up all nine possible first place votes and earned 81 points. Southern Utah was second with 67 points and South Dakota was third with 65.

NDSU to host outdoor league championships
North Dakota State will host the Summit League Outdoor Championships May 10-12, 2012 at the Ellig Sports Complex after hosting the indoor championships in 2010 and 2011. It will be the first outdoor championship event that NDSU has hosted since the Division I Independent Multi-Event Championships in 2007.