North Dakota State University senior Zach McGlynn finished seventh in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 14, breaking his own school record with a total of 5,995 points.
McGlynn’s performance earned him first team All-America honors, making him NDSU’s first indoor All-American since Trevor Otterdahl in 2022. The achievement highlights both his athletic and academic accomplishments during the championship event.
After the first day of competition, McGlynn was in eleventh place. On Saturday, he improved his standing by running a lifetime-best 8.12 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, clearing 17-03.50 (5.27 meters) in the pole vault—the second-best mark among competitors—and finishing with a personal-best time of 2:44.54 in the 1000 meters. He had previously set the school record of 5,975 points at Missouri’s Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational earlier this year.
In addition to his athletic success, McGlynn received the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete Award for having the highest cumulative grade point average among participants at the championships. He holds a bachelor’s degree with a perfect 4.0 GPA in agricultural economics and is pursuing a Master of Business Administration with a continued 4.0 GPA.
McGlynn is also noted as being the first Bison athlete to earn All-America honors in men’s multi-events since Andy Lillejord placed seventh in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2013.
