Vickstrom's New Year's Resolution Completed
FARGO, Minn. (1/18/14)— Concordia junior Ben Vickstrom's New Year's resolution was to break records. It only took him 18 days to make good on that promise. Vickstrom broke the school record in the 60-meters and 200-meters in the season-opening Bison Classic.
Vickstrom came out of nowhere to shock the NCAA Division field of competition. Last year he didn't qualify for the finals at the MIAC Indoor Championship Meet in the 60 meters and didn't compete in the 200 meters. On Saturday he broke the 60-meter record set back in 2009 and then shattered the 13-year-old mark in the 200 meters.
Vickstrom started the day by breaking the school record in the prelims of the 60-meter dash. He clocked a 7.10 to beat the old school record of 7.18 held by Xavier Carroll. Vickstrom then lowered the bar even farther by speeding to a 7.03 in the finals. That time was good enough for a second-place finish and would have been the third fastest in the conference last season.
Vickstrom's day was just getting started as he turned to his attention to the longer distance at 200 meters. Vickstrom then recorded his second runner-up finish of the day by posting a time of 22.55. That time shattered the previous school record of 22.80 set by John Andan in 2000. Vickstrom's time was faster than all of the NCAA Division I athletes from North Dakota State.
Vickstrom was one of only a small crew of Cobber athletes to compete in the opening meet of the year. The other Concordia athlete that made news on Saturday was senior captain Alex Benzegala who set a personal best mark by over .50 seconds in the 400 meters. Benzegala ran a 52.09 and finished in 11th place.
The Cobbers open with the full team next weekend at the annual Cobber Alumni Meet on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m.