ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Bismarck State track & field will return home with its first-ever NAIA Outdoor Track & Field All-American after Nathan Mathern placed sixth in the men's 400-meter dash Friday at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. BSC brought 12 competitors to the three-day meet Karl Straus Track, on the campus of UNC-Asheville, and will leave with an All-American and eight events that finished among the top-20 in the NAIA.
Mathern, a junior from Legacy High School, clocked a time of 47.78 seconds in the finals to earn All-American status for the Mystics. He qualified for the finals Thursday after running a 47.08 to win his heat in the preliminary.
"It feels pretty great," said Mathern after the race. "I wish I would've hit the times I was aiming for but I'm grateful regardless."
"What stood out was his grit and competitiveness," said head coach Julia Hammerschmidt about Mathern. "Nate refused to back down, competed through soreness, and still came away with a sixth-place finish and individual All-American honors. I'm especially happy for him because he's been such a key part of our relay success, but this was his breakthrough moment individually. To see his hard work and consistency pay off on that stage was really special."
Mathern's finish accounted for all three team points for the Mystic men, who tied for 55th place in the final NAIA team standings. Cayden Kraft also turned in a strong effort in the men's 400 meters, finishing 11th overall in 47.25 and narrowly missing the final.
The Mystics added another national-meet mark in the men's 4x400-meter relay, where Mathern, Xavier Bell, Timol Walters and Kraft placed 24th in 3:17.32.
On the women's side, the 4x100-meter relay team of Aisha Zaffino, Priviledge Bower, Aliya Schock and Alexia Anderson finished 21st in 47.11, and the women's 4x400-meter relay of Zaffino, Schock, Brooklyn Fuller and Tsitsi Karanda took 19th in 3:55.43. Bower posted two of Bismarck State's top women's sprint results. She placed 11th in the women's 200-meter dash in 24.21 and finished 14th in the women's 100-meter dash in 11.95.
In the jumps, Kennedy Harter led the Mystics with a 12th-place finish in the women's triple jump at 11.67 meters (38' 3.5"), hitting the mark in her second attempt. Harter also placed 20th in the women's long jump with a leap of 5.41 meters (17' 9"), while Anderson was 17th in the same event at 5.53 meters (18' 1.75"), capping off her event in style as she used her final jump to reach her top distance, leapfrogging her way into the top-20.
Jasmine Nash rounded out the Mystics' competitors with a 20th-place finish in the women's discus, tossing a mark of 36.07 meters (118' 4") on her first throw.
Across a large national field, Bismarck State produced results to build upon as they conclude their inaugural season in the NAIA, with Mathern's All-American run standing as the highlight of the meet and the signature result of the season.
Coach Hammerschmidt shared her thoughts on the program's first season in the NAIA:
"I'm proud of what this team accomplished in our first year in the NAIA. We were one of the youngest teams in our conference and even at the national level, but I think we showed that we belong.
We didn't have any seniors this year, so our juniors had to step into leadership roles early while helping a large freshman group adjust to the demands of college athletics. That's not easy, especially in track & field, where success comes down to consistency, discipline, and getting countless small details right.
Our indoor season was a huge success, with 15 national qualifiers (in distance, sprints and jumping events), multiple All-American performances (DMR, 4x400m and 60m), and both our men's and women's teams placing fourth out of 11 teams at the Frontier Conference Championships.
Outdoor was another major step forward, with 12 athletes plus relay alternates qualifying across sprints, jumps, and throws. Nate earning individual All-American honors was another big highlight. Our women finishing third at the conference championships and our men placing fifth were also important milestone for this young program.
What excites me most is that next season will be our first year with a senior class. In today's college athletics landscape, having athletes grow with your program over four years is really special. Those athletes help define your culture, mentor younger teammates, and set the standard for everyone else.
Our goal moving forward is to continue improving our conference standing while consistently qualifying athletes across different event groups for nationals.
At the end of the day, being a college athlete is hard, especially in our sport, where you may only get a few seconds to perform after months of preparation. But that's exactly why it's so valuable, it builds resilience, discipline, and character that will serve these student-athletes long after their competitive careers are over.
I hope our graduates take those valuable life lessons with them long after they're done competing."
With the conclusion of Friday's events, the Mystics have officially closed the book on their 2025-26 NAIA season across all sports. No longer the new kids on the block in the Frontier Conference, they'll look to continue making waves in year two just as they have in year one, overcoming the jump from the NJCAA. As a school, they finish year one in the Frontier Conference in seventh place in the George R. Bandy Memorial All-Sports Award final standings.
RESULTS:
- Wednesday, May 20
- Thursday, May 21
- Friday, May 22
- Women's Discus
- Men's 400-Meter Dash (Finals)
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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