The next year, at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship, he claimed a victory in the six-mile run, setting a meet record with a time of 27:43.1. In 1970, he won the mile run at the Big Ten Conference championships.

During his time at college, he was named an All-American five times: twice each in outdoor track and field and cross country, and once in indoor track and field. At Minnesota, he participated in track and field (indoor and outdoor) and cross country running. That year, Bjorklund began attending the University of Minnesota, where he began competing in longer races. Also in 1969, he won the Amateur Athletic Union 15,000 m title.

The Minnesota State High School League continues to consider Bjorklund's time a state record. At the 1969 Minnesota State Meets, he broke the state high school mile record with a time of 4:05.1. In his high school years, he took up running Bjorklund ran a mile in 4:19 his freshman year at Proctor High School. Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Bjorklund spent his early years in Twig, where he lived on a farm.

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