The NDSU men’s track and field team led The Summit League by earning six spots on the Academic All-League team announced May 21 for the 2020 outdoor season.
Bison senior Elliott Stone, juniors Tony Ukkelberg and Alex Talley, and sophomores Trevor Otterdahl, Benji Phillips and Jacob Rodin earned the honor by virtue of their academic performance and career athletic achievements. Four of the six own perfect 4.0 grade point averages.
Stone, from Bismarck, North Dakota, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with a 4.0 cumulative GPA and is now pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree. He ranks fourth in NDSU history in both the indoor 3,000-meter run and outdoor 5,000. Stone also has been voted a first-team Academic All-American twice, and was named the 2018-19 Summit League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year across all sports.
Stone is the only member of the Academic All-League Team to receive the honor for the fourth time in his career.
Ukkelberg, from Clitherall, Minnesota, won the 2019 Summit League title in the decathlon and placed in three additional events at the conference meet, ending the season ranked 40th in the NCAA in the decathlon. He has a 4.0 GPA as a psychology major.
Talley, from West Fargo, North Dakota, has a 3.53 cumulative GPA as a civil engineering major. He was the Summit League champion in the weight throw and runner-up in the shot put for the 2020 indoor season, and was the only man in the nation to qualify for the NCAA Championships in both throwing events this season.
Otterdahl, from Rosemount, Minnesota, is a mathematics major with a 3.96 GPA. He ranked 18th in the NCAA in the weight throw for the indoor season, claiming Summit League runner-up honors in the event and taking fourth at the conference meet in the shot put.
Phillips, from Glasgow, Montana, was an NCAA West Prelims qualifier and the Summit League runner-up in the javelin in 2019. He has a 4.0 GPA with a major in exercise science.
Rodin, from Kenmare, North Dakota, won the Summit League indoor 800 title and ran on NDSU’s league runner-up 1,600 relay this year. He ranked in the nation’s top 75 this season in the 800. Rodin is an agricultural economics major with a 4.0 GPA.
To be eligible for The Summit League Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.30 and completed at least one full academic year at the current institution. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor track and field season, selections were made based on career athletic accomplishments.
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