SPEARFISH, S.D. – For the first time in his career,
Braden Anderson is a national qualifier and is set to represent the Black Hills State men's track & field team at the 2025 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He looks to add to his already historic career, that includes a pair of school records, by becoming the first-ever Yellow Jacket in the men's program to earn All-American honors in the 800m run. The journey for Anderson begins in heat one of the prelims at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, May 23, and looks to punch his ticket to the finals which will run at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday, May 24. To advance to the finals of the event at the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl in Pueblo, Colorado, Anderson will either need to be one of the top-2 runners in his heat or be one of the next three fastest times.
800M RUN PRELIMS
Date & Time: Friday, May 23 – 6:15 pm
Location: Pueblo, Colo. – CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl
800M RUN FINALS
Date & Time: Saturday, May 24 – 7:10 pm
Location: Pueblo, Colo. – CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl
BLACK HILLS STATE MEN'S TRACK & FIELD STORYLINES
- Braden Anderson has recorded a pair of all-conference honors this season in the 800m run, earning First Team All-RMAC during the indoor season with a third place finish and time of 1:55.03, and Second Team All-RMAC during the outdoor season with a fourth place finish and time of 1:50.11.
- Anderson holds both the indoor and outdoor school records in the 800m run, posting a time of 1:50.93 at the UND Tune Up during the indoor season in February, and a time of 1:49.82 at the Concordia Twilight earlier this month.
- During the outdoor season Anderson has ran a pair of sub-1:50 times in the 800m run, the only athlete in program history to do so. His first time breaking the milestone mark was a 1:49.96 to secure an NCAA Provisional time at the Chuck Haering Invitational and then most recently his time of 1:49.82 at the Concordia Twilight.
- During the Green & Gold's west coast trip earlier this outdoor season, he ran times of 1:50.69 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, besting 44 NCAA Division I runners, and 1:50.87 at the Mt. SAC Relays, besting a pair of DI runners to finish within the top-20. In total he has ran to five sub-1:51 times during the outdoor portion of the schedule, all of which would rank first in program history.
- The Black Hills State men's track & field program has now had an athlete qualify for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in nine of the last 11 years the event was hosted.
- Anderson becomes just the second Yellow Jacket to qualify for the 800m run at the outdoor track & field championships during the school's DII era, joining Justin Thorstad who ran to a 17th place finish with a time of 1:51.74 in 2018.
- During the outdoor track & field championships at both the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels, BHSU has never had an All-American in the men's 800m run.
- Brian Medigovich is in his fourth season as the director of track & field and cross county, while Alex Kemp is in his first season as the head coach of the men's and women's track & field teams.
