Folkestad & Hayes Receive USTFCCCA All-Region Honors

MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/17/24)---Concordia had a pair of field athletes receive USTFCCCA North All-Region honors for finishing in the Top 5 of an event during the outdoor season.

Senior Cooper Folkestad (Wadena, Minn./Wadena-Deer Creek HS) and first-year thrower Elijah Hayes (Fargo, N.D./Fargo Davies HS) earned outdoor All-Region honors for the first time in their careers.

Folkestad received his All-Region award for the shot put where he won the event in the MIAC and is currently ranked No.9 in all of Division III.   

Folkestad's All-Region performance came at the MIAC Championship Meet on his very last attempt when he unleashed a distance of 56-00.0. That mark was a new personal best for Folkestad and the second farthest distance in program history.

Folkestad has qualified for the NCAA National Meet which will be held in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on May 24-25.

Hayes becomes the first freshman to earn All-Region honors since Patrick Griffin achieved the feat in the javelin in 2018.

Hayes saved his best for last as he set the Concordia school record in the javelin at the Augustana (Ill.) Twilight qualifier earlier this week. Hayes, who won the javelin at the MIAC Championship Meet, posted a distance of 194-05 at Augustana which bettered the old school record of 193-06 set by James Lehnhoff in 1994.

Past Cobber USTFCCCA Outdoor All-Region Award Winners (started in 2016)
2023 – Cal Wright (400 meters & 200 meters)
2022 – Cal Wright (400 meters)
2021 – Jesse Middendorf (800 meters), Cal Wright (400 meters)
2020 – Jesse Middendorf (800 meters), Cal Wright (400 meters)
2019 – Will Berning (Javelin), Matt Bye (Decathlon & Javelin), Willie Julkes (110-meter hurdles)
2018 – Eli Beachy (Pole Vault), Matt Bye (Decathlon), Patrick Griffin (Javelin)
2017 – Joe Hendrickson (Decathlon), Jackson Schepp (High Jump & Decathlon)
2016 – Jackson Schepp (High Jump)