Tordsen’s final year of accomplishments

May 8, 2023

Extended eligibility due to COVID allowed Conner Tordsen (B.S. ’22) to return to DSU for the 2023 spring semester as a student-athlete in track & field and earn a third minor in business.

“Since my first semester, athletics at Dakota State have been a big part of my life,” Tordsen said.

“Being on the football and track teams has given me countless friends and memories and made my time at DSU very special.”

Tordsen ended the 2022 track & field season as an All-American hammer thrower, but didn’t reach all the goals he set with Assistant Track Coach Alex Glover. 

After a few conversations with Glover, Tordsen realized he wasn’t ready to hang up his shoes. “I wanted to come back and accomplish some of the goals that Coach Glover and I had set, including being a five-time All-American and winning a national championship.”

In addition to his years of athletic play, Tordsen also involved himself in research projects on alfalfa with Dr. Andrew Sathoff, Assistant Professor of Biology, and fellow biology majors. Over several years he studied alfalfa pathogens and potential treatments, which led to Tordsen’s first publication in August of 2021.

“Being able to do scientific research and publish papers, all while competitively competing on the national level, is something not many get to do as an undergrad student,” he said.

Since returning for the spring track season, Tordsen returned to the lab to continue alfalfa research while earning a business minor from the College of Business & Information Systems.

Tordsen will attend the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in the fall. He hopes the business minor will be beneficial in the future, as he hopes to own his own practice one day. 

“I am so grateful for my time at Dakota State University,” he said. “I have been able to accomplish so much athletically and academically that I do not think I would have been given the opportunity to do elsewhere.”

Tordsen’s experiences at DSU taught him to advocate for himself and that others will reciprocate the energy and effort he puts into situations.

Additionally, he’s thankful for the connections and friendships he made. “I am so grateful to have met my amazing fiancé and lifelong friends at Dakota State.”

Tordsen will compete in the NAIA National Track & Field Championship meet in late May.