Prep athletes of the week: Rosemount thrower sets sights on brothers' records

If he wanted to follow in the footsteps of older brothers Payton and Trevor, both throwers for the North Dakota State track and field team, the 6-7, 270-pound Otterdahl knew he had to commit himself fully to the art of throwing a shot put and a discus.

So last fall, he decided to forgo football to lift weights and work on his throwing technique. He did find time to wrestle at the heavyweight level for the Irish, but his eyes and his heart were always set on his track and field accomplishments.

That dedication paid of Friday at the Hamline Elite Meet. He won the shot put with a personal best throw of 61 feet, 4¾ inches. He set a meet record in the discus, taking top honors with a throw of 181 feet, 2 inches.

After leaning on his brothers for advice and guidance throughout his high school throwing career, Otterdahl will join them at North Dakota State next year. Before he does, however, he has some goals yet to reach.

"The goals I have for myself this year are not only breaking my brothers' records, but the state records, too," he said.

The sophomore catcher had a perfect week at the plate. In two games, Anderson went 6-for-6 with two home runs, two doubles, five RBI and four runs scored. On the season, Anderson is hitting .737 (14-for-19) with four home runs and nine RBI.

With a base hit in a 10-2 victory over Kimball on Friday, Boerema extended his hitting streak to a state-record 34 consecutive games. The previous record of 33 had stood since 1983. He is hitting .677 for the season.

The senior catcher was 10-for-19 with five home runs, a double, six runs scored and 16 RBI last week. Three of those homers, including a grand slam, and eight RBI came in a victory over St. Paul Como Park in the Concordia Academy tournament.

The senior lived out every baseball player's fantasy when, with his team trailing by three runs, he hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam that lifted the Eagles to a 6-5 victory over Andover. On the week, he hit .600 with two home runs.

ERIKA TOWNLEY

While the senior runner has already signed to play soccer at Drake next year, she proved she's still a got a lot to offer on the track after winning the 100-meter hurdles (14.78 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (44.31) at the Hamline Elite Meet.

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