
Photo by: Zachary Lucy
McGlynn, Olson Compete in NCAA Championships Decathlon this Week
6/8/2026 11:26:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State's Zach McGlynn and Paul Olson will represent the Bison at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., this week, competing in the decathlon on Wednesday and Thursday, June 10-11.
The decathlon starts at 3 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday, with the first day's events scheduled to conclude at 9:43 p.m. CT / 7:43 p.m. PT with the 400m dash that night.
Thursday's five decathlon events begin at 12:45 p.m. CT / 10:45 a.m. PT with the 110m hurdles, and the 1500m will conclude the competition at 9:43 p.m. CT / 7:43 p.m. PT on Thursday.
The meet will be streamed on ESPN+, with live windows on ESPN Wednesday night (decathlon 400m) and ESPN2 Thursday night (decathlon 1500m).
McGlynn placed seventh in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships this March, but he and Olson will both be making their first appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Based on season-best marks among the NCAA qualifiers, McGlynn is ranked fifth and Olson is 24th entering the meet.
All-America Honors
The top eight finishers in all events will earn first team All-American honors, places 9 through 16 will be named second team All-Americans, and all other national meet competitors will receive honorable mention status.
First (Two) To Do It
McGlynn and Olson will become the first Bison in school history to compete in the decathlon at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.
Multiple Multis
NDSU joins Illinois, Kansas State and Duke as the only four schools to have multiple decathlon entries at the national meet this year.
Bison Decathlon History
North Dakota State has a storied history in the decathlon at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships through 2004, when the school transitioned to Division I.
Top Placer
Payton Otterdahl owns the highest NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships finish in NDSU men's history, taking second in the discus in 2019.
The decathlon starts at 3 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday, with the first day's events scheduled to conclude at 9:43 p.m. CT / 7:43 p.m. PT with the 400m dash that night.
Thursday's five decathlon events begin at 12:45 p.m. CT / 10:45 a.m. PT with the 110m hurdles, and the 1500m will conclude the competition at 9:43 p.m. CT / 7:43 p.m. PT on Thursday.
The meet will be streamed on ESPN+, with live windows on ESPN Wednesday night (decathlon 400m) and ESPN2 Thursday night (decathlon 1500m).
McGlynn placed seventh in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships this March, but he and Olson will both be making their first appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Based on season-best marks among the NCAA qualifiers, McGlynn is ranked fifth and Olson is 24th entering the meet.
All-America Honors
The top eight finishers in all events will earn first team All-American honors, places 9 through 16 will be named second team All-Americans, and all other national meet competitors will receive honorable mention status.
First (Two) To Do It
McGlynn and Olson will become the first Bison in school history to compete in the decathlon at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.
Multiple Multis
NDSU joins Illinois, Kansas State and Duke as the only four schools to have multiple decathlon entries at the national meet this year.
Bison Decathlon History
North Dakota State has a storied history in the decathlon at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships through 2004, when the school transitioned to Division I.
- Nathan Schmidt won the Division II decathlon national title back-to-back in 2003 and 2004.
- Zach McGlynn's uncle, Ryan McGlynn, was a three-time All-American in the decathlon for the Bison from 1994-96.
- Current NDSU director of track & field Stevie Keller was an All-American with an 8th-place decathlon finish in 1995 for NDSU.
- In all, the Bison earned 15 Division II All-America honors in the decathlon (top 8 finishers) from 1984-2004.
Top Placer
Payton Otterdahl owns the highest NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships finish in NDSU men's history, taking second in the discus in 2019.
Players Mentioned
Monday, October 20
Friday, May 26
Monday, February 13
Wednesday, January 18






















