The University of Minnesota Duluth men's and women's indoor track and field teams showed out over the weekend at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships in Mankato, Minn.
The Bulldog women pushed to a fourth place team finish overall, complete with two top-of-podium efforts from Shaelyn Hostager in the 5,000m and Avary Fitzpatrick in the 600m, while the men finished in seventh place, aided by multiple fourth place finishes.
Graduate distance dynamo Hostager picked up her third NSIC title in two NSIC seasons, winning the 5,000m in a time of 17:15.73. Hostager won the outdoor NSIC championship 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter titles just past May in Malosky Stadium.
Hostager and senior Maddie Verkerke, S Burke, Ellie Hanowski helped the Bulldogs also place third in the 4,000 meter relay with a time of 12:03.76.
Fitzpatrick, a sophomore, ran a personal best 1:36.60 in the 600m for her first collegiate indoor title, scoring 10 points for the Bulldogs. Junior Madi Wodele finished fourth (five points) in the even with a 1:37.52.
Senior Kate Fitzgerald finished fourth in both the 200m (25.06) and 400m (57.46 PB), and her 4x400m relay also finished fourth. FItzgerald was joined on the podium-reaching relay by freshman Emily Beaham, sophomore Sevanna Burke and sophomore Avary Fitzpatrick.
Hostager and senior Madeline Verkerke, sophomore Sevanna Burke, and junior Ellie Hanowski helped the Bulldogs also place third in the 4,000 meter relay with a time of 12:03.76.
The men's side found plenty of fourth-place podium finishes, including sophomore Austin Kehr in the 600m on a personal best run of 1:21.38 and senior Finn Youberg's 1:55.39 time for fourth in the 800 meters.
Sophomore Noah Rodenwald vaulted to the 47th best NCAA height in the pole vault Saturday, a 4.88m for fourth place and five points towards the team score. Senior Jackson Weston also finished fourth in the men's shot put with a throw of 16.83m.
UMD's 4x400m relay made up of sophomore Billy Auvin, junior Brady Johnson, sophomore Austin Kehr and senior Brock Unger ran to a fourth place finish of 3:20.45, also getting four points on the boards for the Bulldogs.
Additionally, jumper Will Heydt was voted by the league's head coaches as the 2025-26 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Outstanding Senior of the Year for Men's Indoor Track & Field. A native of Alexandria, Minnesota, Heydt holds a 3.7 grade-point average while majoring in cell and molecular biology. He has been named to the Dean's List seven times and is a member of the NSIC All-Academic Team and the NSIC Winter Team of Excellence.
The "NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year Award" is presented to a NSIC indoor track & field student-athlete who participates at their institution for four years and is academically superior while making a positive contribution to their team and the University. The NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year award was initiated in 2021 to honor an outstanding senior that exemplifies the attributes of the model NSIC student-athlete.
Heydt has been one of the most consistent jumpers in the conference during his career. He is a four-time NSIC Championships point scorer in the triple jump and currently ranks No. 19 in NCAA Division II in the event. He also ranks ninth in the NSIC in the long jump and placed fourth in the javelin at the NSIC Outdoor Championships, showcasing his versatility across multiple disciplines.
