NDSU Sends Three Men to Iowa State Qualifier

Three North Dakota State men's track & field athletes will compete in the Iowa State Qualifier in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday with hopes of posting their top marks for the indoor season.

Saturday's meet will be held inside the Lied Recreation Center on the campus of Iowa State University. Running events begin at 11 a.m.

Following this weekend, the top 16 performers in each individual event and the top 12 relay teams will be eligible for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., on Mar. 8-9.

Senior Jesse Morrow (pole vault), senior Travis Fitzke (800m) and junior Alec Espeland (800m) will be among the field vying to post an NCAA qualifying mark or a personal-best performance.

NDSU junior Andy Lillejord has secured a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the heptathlon. He holds the No. 13 spot in the nation with his score of 5,685 at the Summit League Indoor Championships on Feb. 24-25.

Morrow is ranked No. 49 in the nation and No. 2 all-time at NDSU in the pole vault with his mark of 17-1 (5.21m) at the Bison Open on Feb. 9.

Fitzke, the Summit League runner-up in the mile and 5,000m, ranks ninth all-time at NDSU in the 800m after running 1:51.77 at the Husker Invitational in 2012.

Espeland, the Summit League runner-up in the 800m, owns a personal-best time of 1:51.42 that ranks him No. 7 in school history.

Live results will be provided by Iowa State and linked on GoBison.com.