MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Carleton College senior Ian Mortensen became the first Knight since 1990 to earn All-America status in the decathlon as he finished eighth at the 2024 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
He totaled a personal-best 6,761 points en route to posting the eighth All-America decathlon performance in program history (see chart below).
 
"Well, it finally all came together for Ian," said Carleton head coach Dave Ricks. "After all of the work that he has put in, and the injuries that he has had, it was great to see Ian have the meet of his life.
 
"His throws were all great. He really competed the way that you can only imagine you would like to see in your athletes. I am so happy because he really earned this All-American recognition.
 
"(Assistant Coach) Brian Mondschein and Ian have spent so much time to get to this point. It was very satisfying to see Ian's Carleton career end this way."
 
Over the two days, Mortensen set seven personal bests and tied another. He posted new PRs in the 100-meter dash (his top non-wind aided time), long jump, shot put, high jump, 110-meter hurdles (tied), discus throw, pole vault, and total points.
 
Mortensen concluded the first day of competition in 11th place out of 22 entrants as he amassed 3,445 points over the first five events. His Thursday performance included new PRs in the long jump (6.47 meters), shot put (12.98 meters), and high jump (1.82 meters) in addition to his fastest non-win aided time in the 100-meter dash (11.54). He also clocked a time of 52.58 for the 400-meter dash.
 
He began Friday's portion of decathlon with a time of 16.22 in the 110-meter hurdles. That was tied his career best but dropped Mortensen into 13th place despite netting him 708 points. He next measured a career-best 36.65 meters in the discus throw, the fourth-longest heave of the competition. Despite the 597 points he earned in the event, he remained in 13th place overall.
 
Mortensen began his climb up the leaderboard with the pole vault, as he smashed his previous personal best by 8.75 inches as he cleared 4.40 meters, tied for third-best in the event. He collected 731 points and took over ninth place.
 
He then posted the top mark on the day in the javelin when he measured 55.77 meters on his final attempt. That earned Mortensen 674 points and moved him into seventh place.
 
The final event of the day was the 1500-meter run, and Mortensen crossed the line at 4:52.07 to earn 606 points. That was enough to hold onto eighth place overall and the final spot on the All-America First Team.
 
Carleton All-Americans in the decathlon
1984   --   Rick Bollin (2nd place)
1985   --   Rick Bollin (7th place)
1986   --   Rick Bollin (2nd place)
1987   --   Jeff Brown (5th place)
1988   --   Jeff Brown (6th place)
1989   --   Stephen Burch (8th place)
1990   --   Steve Burch (6th place)
2024   --   Ian Mortensen (8th place)