Concordia seniors Cooper Folkestad and Wade Rhonemus earned NCAA Second Team All-American honors at the Division III National Indoor Meet in Virginia Beach, capping off their indoor meet careers. Folkestad finished 12th in the shot put event, while Rhonemus finished 15th in the heptathlon. The Second Team All-American award, a new honor instituted this year, recognizes individuals who finish from 9th to 16th in an event, expanding the traditional Top 8 criteria for All-American honors.

By the Numbers
  • Folkestad's top distance in the shot put was 53-11.00, 11.25 inches off his season-best.
  • Rhonemus accumulated 4,692 points in the heptathlon, moving up four spots on Day 2 to finish 15th.
  • Top 5 Heptathlon Final Results: 1. Mitch Stegeman (UW-Eau Claire) – 5,434 pts, 2. Jackson Anderson (Williams) – 5,419 pts, 3. Isaiah Clausen (Wheaton) – 5,173 pts, 4. Thomas Rich (Carnegie Mellon) – 5,114 pts, 5. Charlie Nolan (UW-Oshkosh) – 5,052 pts.
  • Top 5 Shot Put Final Results: 1. Yakob Ekoue (UW-Eau Claire) – 61-04.25, 2. Joseph White (Carthage) – 60-04.50, 3. Keegan Digby (Ohio Northern) – 58-06.00, 4. Adam Strouf (UW-Eau Claire) – 58-04.00, 5. Gage Stankiewicz (UW-Eau Claire) – 57-05.00.
Yes, But

The new Second Team All-American award expands the recognition criteria but also increases the number of athletes receiving All-American honors, potentially diluting the exclusivity of the title

Bottom Line

Cooper Folkestad and Wade Rhonemus achieved Second Team All-American honors at the NCAA Division III National Indoor Meet, marking the introduction of a new accolade while concluding their indoor meet careers.