Green Knights Shine at NCAA Indoor Nationals: A Perfect Ending to a Record-Breaking Season

Four standout St. Norbert College student-athletes capped off an extraordinary indoor track & field season by qualifying for the 2025 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championship in March — and their performances on the national stage did not disappoint.

A National Champion
Aiden Anderson ’25 captured an individual national title in the pole vault in his first NCAA Championship appearance. The Germantown native entered the meet as the No. 3 seed, qualifying with a season-best mark of 16 feet, 7 1/2 inches. He delivered under pressure and secured his spot at the top of the podium. Anderson sees the first-place finish as a win for the entire team.

“I’m happy that I could bring this home for the guys and bring some recognition to SNC nationally. This win cemented Coach (Don) Augustine as the best coach at the school, as all he needed was one more national champ to do it. So, I was happy we could get that. Also, my vault coach, Coach (Taylor) Pasterski ’15, earned a well deserved regional assistant coach of the year,” said Anderson.

Leaping to success
On the women’s side, Eden Maranell ’27 earned Second-Team All-American recognition in the triple jump. The Howards Grove native returned to nationals after a 12th-place finish in 2024 and improved both her placement and personal mark this time around. 

“The most memorable part of the meet was my first jump. Being the second jumper of the competition would intimidate a lot of people but I heard my coaches and friends cheering for me from one side of the fieldhouse and Ezra cheering me on from the other side, and I felt very comfortable. To have my first jump be a PR was so exciting and gave me a lot of confidence. Feeling supported and empowered in that moment is something I won’t forget for a long time,” Maranell emphasized.

Big stage, big results
Ezra Schermacher ’26 was named a First-Team All-American in the heptathlon, competing in the grueling seven-event discipline for the third straight year. The junior from Plymouth entered the championship seeded sixth and again proved his consistency on the national stage with a big third place finish. Schermacher said all the hard work he put in — not just at the national meet, but over the years leading up to it — has paid off.

“A top three finish feels incredible. Seeing years of hard work culminate into the performance I had on the biggest stage was one of the best feelings. I think back to all the sacrifices I had to make and this finish made everything worth it,” Schermacher reflected. "Training for a heptathlon is not easy and demands a huge time commitment and a lot of hoops to jump through to get all of my practice in. I couldn’t be more happy with how I am treated here and the opportunities to travel and compete that St. Norbert provides."

Shot to the top
Jacob Klitzke ’27 earned Second-Team All-American honors in the shot put. Competing in his first NCAA Championship, the Shiocton native was seeded 16th and exceeded expectations with a strong showing Saturday morning.

“It definitely meant a lot to be able to represent SNC on the big stage. There is so much that you don’t see behind the scenes and it was great to see all the hard work pay off,” Klitzke noted.

A season for the record books
In addition to the national performances, both the men’s and women’s indoor teams continued their dominance at the conference level — the women securing their 10th consecutive NACC title, and the men clinching their fourth straight.

The NCAA results reaffirm St. Norbert College's place as a rising force in Division III track and field, with young talent and veteran leadership continuing to raise the bar. The team started off the outdoor season strong and has great momentum leading into the conference championship.

April 30, 2025