SEWARD, Neb. – Zach Zohner keeps raising the bar each week during the 2023-24 indoor season. On Tuesday (Jan. 30), Zohner earned national recognition from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The organization named Zohner the NAIA Men’s Track & Field National Athlete of the Week thanks to his personal best performance at the Concordia Classic. Zohner has garnered a national weekly award for the first time in his career. Last week, the Bulldog women’s 4x800 meter relay collected national weekly honors from the USTFCCCA.
A senior (academically) from Battle Creek, Neb., Zohner went past the 17-foot barrier at the Concordia Classic and moved to No. 1 on this season’s NAIA pole vault national list. At the 2023 NAIA national meets, Zohner placed second for indoor and third for outdoor in the pole vault. He’s a two-time NAIA All-American and has made four career appearances at national meets.
From the USTFCCCA release:
Three meets.
Three wins.
Three PRs for Zach Zohner.
The pole vaulter’s latest clearance of 5.20m at the Concordia Classic also got him over the popular 17-foot English barrier at 17-0¾. Zohner, whose previous best was 5.10m (16-8¾), cleared the height on his first attempt before bowing out at 5.31m (17-5).
Zohner is now tied for No. 7 on the known NAIA indoor all-time list. He was runner-up last year at the NAIA Indoor Championships.
This is the first time that a male athlete from Concordia has been named M-F Athletic National Athlete of the Week during the indoor season.
The indoor season will continue this weekend as Bulldog athletes compete at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational (Feb. 2-3) and the Fred Beile Classic (Feb. 3).