Welcome To The Outdoor Season Brandon Zylstra

MOORHEAD, Minn. (4/28/15)--- Brandon Zylstra's opening meet of the 2015 outdoor track and field season was a memorable one as he tied the school record in the high jump at the annual Cobber Twilight Meet.

Zylstra's season-opening performance helped Concordia finish second at the Cobber Twilight Meet. The meet was originally scheduled for Apr. 21 but was postponed due to weather conditions. Because of the postponement the field had more of a local flavor as in years past. The Cobbers competed with select athletes from North Dakota State, MSU Moorhead, University of North Dakota and Jamestown.     

Zylstra, who had been practicing with the Concordia football team during spring practice for the first part of the outdoor season, soared over 6-09 to tie the school mark set by Joe Schmidgall back in 2000. Zylstra's successful clearance at the record-tying height came in second attempt at the height. He then missed three times at 6-10.25.

Zylstra's winning mark of 6-09 in the high jump is tied for the 10th best in NCAA Division III this season and the No.1 height in the MIAC.   

Zylstra won the high jump event at the meet by five inches. For good measure he also won the long jump competition with a mark of 21-10.00. That distance is the fifth best in the MIAC this season and No.11 on the school's all-time performance list.     

Freshman football teammate Dominic Neameyer finished second in the long jump. He put up a distance of 21-02.50 which is the ninth farthest in the MIAC this season.

Zylstra came away with the only event win for Concordia at the meet. Freshman Jason Montonye was second in the 100-meter dash with a season-best time of 11.31. He is now in the top 20 of the MIAC in the event. Montonye also placed eighth in the highly competitive 200 meters as he ran a 22.53. That is also a season best and pushes him into the No.7 spot on the school's all-time list.

Ben Vickstrom finished just ahead of Montonye in the 200 meters. He crossed the finish line in a time of 22.53 which is a season best mark and pushes him into the No.6 spot in the league standings this year.

Chris Cunningham made it a trio of top times in the 200 meters on Tuesday. He sprinted to a season-best time of 22.76 which is No.17 on the school's all-time list and in the top 15 of the MIAC this season.

Junior Nick Anderson continues to improve in the high jump and gives Concordia four of the top six jumpers in the conference. Anderson posted a career-best height of 6-04 at the Cobber twilight which gives him the sixth best mark in the MIAC this year.

Concordia will now send its multi-event athletes to the MIAC Decathlon. The league decathlon meet will take place at Carleton College on Thursday, Apr. 30 and Friday, May 1. The rest of the squad will head across 8th street to compete in the Ron Masanz Meet held at MSU Moorhead on Saturday, May 2.