Molly Jones Vahrenkamp will be entering her fifth season as the sprints, jumps and multis coach at North Dakota in 2025-26.
For the fourth year in a row, the North Dakota multi-eventers had sensational seasons in 2024-25. At the Summit League Indoor Championships, the Fighting Hawks went 1-2-3 in the pentathlon. Tiffanie Magnusson captured the gold medal in the pentathlon after finishing as the runner-up at the meet in 2023 and 2024. Malene Kollberg, the Summit League champion in the pentathlon the previous two seasons, was the runner-up, while Eucabeth Kivikangas was the bronze medalist. Those three were also members of the Indoor All-Summit League Team with their performances, while Jerzie Finstad (400 meters), Shane Zierden (long jump) and the men’s 4x400-meter team of Jory Vasek, Maverick Kneefe, Henry Nelson and P.K. Moore also earned all-conference honors.
At the 2025 Summit League Outdoor Championships, Vahrenkamp’s athletes were responsible for five All-Summit League performances. Kollberg led the way and was the gold medalist in the heptathlon, while Kivikangas was the silver medalist and runner-up. Jory Vasek and Jerzie Finstad, both in their respective 400-meter races, were the silver medalists. Marta Marksa picked up the bronze in the 100-meter hurdles.
North Dakota’s multi-eventers shined 2023-24. For the first time in school history, UND swept both the pentathlon and heptathlon titles at a conference championship meet. Maguire Petersen won the heptathlon and Kollberg claimed the pentathlon crown at the Summit League Indoor Championships. Along with Petersen and Kollberg, Magnusson (pentathlon and long jump), also finished the meet with All-Summit League accolades. UND’s pentathletes also shined and finished the year ranked No.4 nationally in the USTFCCCA #EventSquad Rankings – the best any UND group has ever finished in the poll.
During the 202r4 outdoor season, Magnusson (heptathlon and long jump), Kollberg (heptathlon) and Justina Esangbedo (triple jump) all reached All-Summit League status at the conference championships. At the conference meet, Esangbedo broke the school record in the triple jump with a leap of 39-9 1/4 (12.12m) and bettered the previous record of 39-7 3/4 (12.08m).
In 2022-23, Vahrenkamp’s coaching helped Elise Ulseth became an honorable mention All-American in the heptathlon for the second consecutive season. Ulseth took 19th in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Under her direction, Kollberg won the pentathlon title at the Summit League Indoor Championships and headlined the all-conference team for UND. Magnusson, named the Newcomer of the Summit League Championships, was the runner-up in the pentathlon and broke the long jump school record at the meet. At the end of the indoor season, the UND pentathlon team ranked No. 5 nationally, the highest a group from North Dakota has ever finished.
During the 2022-2023 outdoor season, three UND jumpers gained All-Summit League Honors. Austin Wolf was the Summit League Champion in the high jump, while Kollberg (heptathlon) and Ulseth (long jump) earned the silver medal in their respective events.
In her first year with the Hawks in 2021-22, Vahrenkamp helped coach honorable mention All-American combined events athlete Ulseth. With her guidance, Ulseth set new school records in the indoor high jump, long jump, outdoor long jump and tied the school record in the outdoor long jump. She also coached high jumper Wolf, who finished as the runner-up at the 2022 Outdoor Summit League Championships and third at the indoor conference meet.
Vahrenkamp came to UND from Davidson College in the Atlantic 10 Conference where she mentored the sprints, jumps, throws, hurdles and multi groups. She coached conference champions in the shot put, 400m hurdles and 1,600m relay while at Davidson.
She spent three years at Iowa in the Big Ten Conference coaching the pole vault, high jump and multis where she helped Kevin Spejcher and Khanishah Williams win Big Ten Conference high jump championships.Â
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Prior to her time in Big Ten, she spent two seasons at Florida State as a volunteer assistant with the short sprints, jumps, javelin and multis. She worked with six All-Americans and was a part of the staff which won 2012 and 2013 ACC championships. She contributed to the staff that brought in the top recruiting class in the country on the men's side according to Track And Field News in 2013.
Vahrenkamp earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 2006 and a master's degree in exercise physiology from Florida State in 2012. While at Princeton, she competed collegiately and scored in each conference meet she participated in.
