BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Concordia-St. Paul track and field team opened the 2024-25 campaign at the South Dakota State University Holiday Open on Friday and Saturday, collecting 21 top-10 finishes as a team. Competing among participants from Division I, II, and III, the Golden Bear men finished seventh out of 27 teams with a total of 22 points while the women placed 17^th out of 21 teams with seven points.

The men were highlighted by an individual event victory by Calder Erick in the heptathlon with a personal best and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 5,062 total points. Erick secured first-place finishes in the 60m (7.14), long jump (22' 1"), shot put (42' 2.75"), and 1,000m (2:48.53), a second-place finish in the pole vault (13' 5.25"), a third-place finish in the 60m hurdles (8.65), and a seventh-place finish in the high jump (5' 8") to win the heptathlon by more than 50 points. Jeffrey Odamtten and Will Hugo also competed in the heptathlon, placing fourth with 4,464 points and sixth with 4,235 points, respectively.

Making his collegiate debut for Concordia, Del Johnson Jr. finished in third place in the 200m with a time of 21.92 seconds. Johnson Jr. also competed in the 4x400m relay with Thomas Dietel, Vance Landa, and Drake Daniels, with the squad finishing in sixth place with a time of 3:24.70.

For the women, Destiny Mattingly secured a 10^th-place finish in the 300m, setting a new personal record with a time of 41.63 seconds. Kayla Anderson added another 10^th place finish, finishing 10^th in the 600m with a time of 1:45.90. The women's 4x400m relay squad of Karlina Zimmerman, Erica Padilla, Chidera Osuoha, and Mattingly also fared well, placing ninth with a time of 4:08.89.

Emmett Faltesek rounded out the CSP top-10s on the track, placing third in the 3,000m with a time of 8:44.65.

In the field events, Dan Otto finished in fourth with a toss of 152' 0" while Andrew Giger placed eighth with a distance of 127' 0". Otto also earned a top-10 finish in the shot put, placing 10^th with a throw of 9' 1.75", and the weight throw, placing eighth with a distance of 54' 1". Carter Krummen shattered his personal record in the weight throw, finishing sixth with a mark of 56' 5.75".

In the triple jump, sophomore Arik Nikolas cleared a distance of 42' 6.25" to finish 10^th.

On the women's field side, Cadence Tanner was the highest individual finisher in fourth place in the long jump after clearing 17' 8.25". In the shot put, Maya Lavendusky set a personal record with a toss of 40' 2.25" to claim fifth place. Lavendusky also competed in the discus, placing seventh with a mark of 112' 0". Making her collegiate debut, Bernie Barnhardt finished eighth in the discus with a distance of 110' 2".

RESULTS     
 
Men's Top 10 Finishes
60m
Cam Mata – 7.09, 6^th (Prelims)

200m
Del Johnson Jr. – 21.92, 3^rd

3,000m
Emmett Faltesek – 8:44.65, 3^rd

60m hurdles
Drake Daniels – 8.42, 10^th (Prelims)

4x400m relay
Thomas Dietel, Del Johnson Jr., Vance Landa, and Drake Daniels – 3:24.70, 6^th

Triple Jump
Arik Nikolas – 42' 6.25", 10^th

Shot Put
Dan Otto – 49' 1.75", 10^th

Discus
Dan Otto - 152' 0", 4^th
Andrew Giger - 127' 0", 8^th

Weight Throw
Carter Krummen - 56' 5.75", 6^th
Dan Otto - 54' 1", 8^th

Heptathlon
Calder Erick – 5,062
Jeff Odamtten – 4,464

Women's Top 10 Finishes
300m
Destiny Mattingly – 41.63, 10^th

600m
Kayla Anderson – 1:45.90, 10^th

4x400m relay
Karlina Zimmerman, Erica Padilla, Chidera Osuoha, Destiny Mattingly – 4:08.89, 9^th

Long Jump
Cadence Tanner - 17' 8.25", 4^th

Shot Put
Maya Lavendusky - 40' 2.25", 5^th

Discus
Maya Lavendusky – 112' 0", 7th
Bernie Barnhardt - 110' 2", 8^th