Jackrabbit Men Claim First League Title

Friday, February 22

Brookings, S.D.

Fri: 9:30 a.m. | Sat: 9:30 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Summit League Indoor Championships

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

2/23/2019 8:50:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Results: Summit ITF Championships 2019 - Final Summit League Recap Recap: Summit League Championships - Day 1

The men score 220 points and clinched their first indoor title since 1991, first league title, while the women place fourth for the second consecutive year

For the first time ever, the South Dakota State men's track and field team can call themselves the Summit League Indoor Champions.

The Jackrabbits clinched their first indoor team championship since 1991, first league title, after a swarm of Blue and Yellow jerseys took the top four places in the second-to-last competition of the championships held in Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon, the 5,000m race.

SDSU retook the lead indefinitely, 116 to 101, over North Dakota State thanks to 29 points from the 5,000m, 24 points from the 200m, and 29 more points from the 800m in back-to-back-to-back championship events.

The 200m sprinters also added another 26 points in the 60m dash.

The team finished the championships with 220 team points, 13 points over runner-up NDSU, by adding another four points in the last event of the meet - the 4x400m relay.

Senior Kyle Burdick scored 30 points individually to earn his first career Summit League Championship Track MVP accolade. He is the second-ever SDSU student-athlete named to the honor (Joel Reichow, 2017) while posting three event-wins that included two meet records (mile and 5,000m) and a personal-best (5,000m - No. 4 all-time for SDSU).

The Rapid City, S.D. native started the winning streak on Friday with the 3,000m (8:13.28), and then kept the momentum going through the mile (4:06.06) and finished with the 5,000m (14:21.45). His win in the 3,000m will keep his undefeated resume intact (six career wins, three in the indoor championships) while his mile mark broke the 32-year old meet record. His 5,000m will be No. 4 all-time for SDSU and knock off 2017 Jackrabbit graduate Joel Reichow's meet record.

Junior Sam Zenner earned the league's second-ever Most Outstanding Performer honor (Burdick won the inaugural honor in 2018) thanks to his first two career wins in the indoor championships - the 60m (6.80) and 200m (21.07). He was within 0.10 seconds of the meet record in the 60m (6.70), but was able to reset recently published 200m meet record with ease (was 21.33).

Teammate and sophomore Coby Hilton first held the 200m championship meet record in the prelims (21.33) by resetting the 2017 record by 0.01 seconds (21.34) - holding the best prelim mark. Hilton would have reset it again in the championship round - adding a personal-best (21.24) and No. 2 all-time SDSU mark - but Zenner was able to out-pace the competition for the record.

Jostling for positioning with Hilton and Zenner in the 200m - a storyline all season long - was junior Landon Larson who also added a personal-best in the prelims (21.54) and finals (21.50) to finish fourth overall. Each of them could have easily owned the school record throughout the course of the season.

In what was one of the tightest events of the championships - the 60m - Zenner (6.80) took crown with Larson in third, just 0.01 seconds behind runner-up (6.86, first career all-league honors in the event), and Hilton just 0.01 seconds behind him for fourth (6.87). Sophomore Daniel Clarke was sixth (6.94) in his first career indoor finals appearance while freshman Emmanunal Phoulom-Smith was seventh (6.99) in his championship debut.

In the prelims of the 60m on Friday, Larson (6.82) and Hilton (6.85) reset their personal-best marks to become the No. 2 and No. 3 all-time fastest Jackrabbits behind Zenner.

The men's 800m were able to string together a true team performance, finishing 1-2-3-4 in the finals to put 29 points in favor of SDSU in a crucial moment of the meet, down to NDSU in the standings. Junior Wyatt Gatrost (1:53.64) out-edged freshman Riley Bauer (1:53.78) for the win down the last stretch to win his first indoor championship 800m (second overall, tied for the win outdoors in 2018) and his second career all-league honors.

Junior Bryant Courter claimed the first event-champion performance for the Jackrabbits on Friday. He won his second career indoor league championship long jump (24-06.50) by adding 1.50 inches to his personal-best mark first set at 2018's indoor championships. His long jump best will remain No. 2 all-time for SDSU.

The Rich Hill, Mo. native also competed in the triple jump and high jump on Saturday, finishing with his third consecutive all-league honors from the triple jump (third, 49-02.50) and a ninth-place finish (6-04.50) in the high jump. His indoor triple jump win-streak will end at seven, lasting from the 2018 opener to the 2019 SDSU Classic.

Junior Evan Hieber finished runner-up in his second career indoor championship men's heptathlon (5,100), 169 points from the winner and 26 points from his personal-best mark and No. 2 all-time mark. He came away with two wins (one was tied) and two runner-up finishes along with two personal-best marks and a day-one personal-best.

The Jacks in the 400m reset their personal-best marks twice over the weekend - getting into the school's top 10 and then moving up the chart - with sophomore Caleb Bray sitting tied No. 2 all-time (48.37, with Luke Leischner, '11) and sophomore Mitchel Acker No. 6 all-time (48.74). They finished sixth and eight in their first finals appearance and were the first to crack the school's top 10 since 2017.

The women's team finished fourth in the indoor league competition for the second consecutive year, fifth time since joining the league in 2008, with senior Rachel King closing out her last indoor season with two wins.

The St. Michael, Minn. native opened her weekend with her third consecutive win in the 3,000m (9:26.23) - posting a personal-best that was good enough to reset the school and facility record that she had prior.

She closed with the 5,000m victory (16:38.48), her second career championship title in that event, missing the meet record by 0.97 seconds.

Fellow senior Krista Steele came away with one of the more surprising performances for the Jackrabbit women to defend her 800m regime (she won 2018's indoor and outdoor 800m titles). She strolled through the preliminaries behind Covey with an automatic bid, her third finals appearance out of four career attempts.

In the finals, the Monticello, Minn. native looked to be finishing top-three through the first half of the finals race. Towards the end, she passed teammate Covey and out-kicked an NDSU runner with less than 20m to go for the win by 0.14 seconds and close out her indoor career as a back-to-back 800m champion (2:10.06).

Junior Jaymie O'Connor wrapped up her third indoor season with the Jackrabbits with her third indoor all-league performance in the 60m hurdles (second, 8.54). She finished runner-up for the second time in her career (her best championship finals mark), with her first career runner-up performance coming in 2017 when she first reset the school record in the 60m hurdles (8.61).

Since the 2019 SDSU Classic, she has reset the record three times - twice at the SDSU Classic and once in the prelims on Friday (8.50).

Junior Chloe Holtz notched her third PR reset of the season to lead the Jacks in the high jump (fourth, 5-06.50) for her best place-finish in the indoor championships. Her mark will go down as the tied No. 9 all-time performance (with Rachel Hakk, '09). She also had the ninth-place triple jump mark (37-00.00) in the championships on Saturday.

Both the men's and women's distance medley relay teams scored wins on Friday as it was the last event on the track. The battle until the end came with the women's team having a winning mark of 12:06.73 go down as the No. 9 all-time performance for State. The men's team finished with the No. 7 all-time mark for SDSU (10:07.39) as freshman Thomas Breuckman kicked his way back into the lead twice before being crowned.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Jackrabbits took eight wins on the men's side and four more on the women's out of 17 scored events while finishing with 25 total Jackrabbits qualifying for All-League recognition (16 from the men, nine from the women).

The men have now won five indoor team titles, the first in The Summit League, claiming for as a member of the North Central Conference (NCAA DII) with the last one coming in 1991.

Throughout the weekend in the SJAC, 26 Jackrabbits added personal-best marks (16 from the men, 10 from the women) from 34 total events (23 from the men, 11 from the women). A total of two school records were reset, with one being a facility record, and 17 more SDSU top-10 individual marks were reset (12 from the men, seven from the women - both school records too). Three relay teams also added top-10 all-time marks.

Seniors Kyle Burdick and Rachel King each have six career wins in The Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships. Burdick is now tied for fourth all-time for most career indoor championship wins, two short of the most, and King is tied for fifth all-time, four short of the all-time mark.

With Burdick winning three events this year, he is one of only three athletes in the league to ever win three or more. The last one to do it was Cameron Levins (2012, four - 800m, mile, 3,000m, 5,000m) of Southern Utah while Nevin Govan (1992 - LJ, TJ, HJ) did it for Eastern Illinois.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the South Dakota State cross country and track and field teams, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksTFXC) and Instagram (@GoJacksTFXC), and like us on Facebook (/GoJacksTFXC).

UP NEXT: OUTDOOR SEASON
The outdoor season-openers are set for the last weekend in March (29-30). As of right now, the Jackrabbits are planned to split among four meets - the San Francisco State Distance Carnival, Stanford Invitational, Drake Invitational, and ORU Invitational.

The jackrabbits will also wait and see for several indoor season awards coming in the foreseeable weeks leading up to the outdoor season.

Men's Team Scores - Final (17 Scored Events)
1. South Dakota State (220)
2. North Dakota State (207)
3. South Dakota (112)
4. Oral Roberts (78)
5. North Dakota (24)
6. Western Illinois (15)

Women's Team Scores - Final (17 Events Scored)
1. North Dakota State (214.5)
2. South Dakota (146.5)
3. Oral Roberts (79)
4. South Dakota State (76)
5. North Dakota (75)
6. Western Illinois (28)
7. Purdue Fort Wayne (23)
8. Nebraska-Omaha (20)

JACKRABBIT CHAMPIONSHIP AWARD WINNERS
Men's Championship Most Outstanding Performance: Jr. Sam Zenner - voted on by the coaches ... started in 2018 - Burdick won inaugural award ... scored 20 points for the Jacks - wins in 60m & 200m (meet record).
Men's Track Championship MVP: Sr. Kyle Burdick - highest scoring individual on the track for the men ... first career honor for Burdick ... only other Jack to win the award - Joel Reichow in 2017.

WINNERS
- MEN (5 Jacks/Teams, 8 Wins) -
Jr. Sam Zenner (60m, 200m - Meet Record)
Jr. Wyatt Gatrost (800m)
Sr. Kyle Burdick (Mile - Meet Record, 3,000m, 5,000m - Meet Record)
Jr. Bryant Courter (LJ)
DMR (So. Gabe Peters, Jr. Wyatt Gatrost, Sr. Cal Lawton, Fr. Thomas Breuckman)
- WOMEN (3 Jacks/Teams, 4 Wins) -
Sr. Krista Steele (800m)
Sr. Rachel King (3,000m, 5,000m)
DMR (So. Cailee Peterson, Jr. Delaney Carlson, Sr. Rachel Propst, Jr. Anna Fasen)

ALL-LEAGUE PERFORMANCES (25): MEN (16) - Sam Zenner (60m, 200m), Landon Larson (60m), Coby Hilton (200m), Wyatt Gatrost (800m, DMR), Riley Bauer (800m), Derek Boekelheide (800m), Kyle Burdick (Mile, 3,000m, 5,000m), Joseph Minor-Williams (5,000m), Micah Mather (5,000m), Nick Wessels (60H), Trent Francom (PV), Bryant Courter (LJ, TJ), Evan Hieber (HEPT), Gabe Peters (DMR), Cal Lawton (DMR), Thomas Breuckman (DMR) ... WOMEN (9) - Krista Steele (800m, 4x400m), Oksana Covey (800m, 4x400m), Rachel King (3,000m, 5,000m), Jaymie O'Connor (60H), Delaney Carlson (4x400m, DMR), Chloe Bermel (4x400m), Cailee Peterson (DMR), Rachel Propst (DMR), Anna Fasen (DMR)

PERSONAL-BEST MARKS RESET OR TIED - 26 Jacks, 34 Events, 19 Top-10s
- MEN (16 Jacks, 23 Events, 12 Top-10s) -
Jr. Landon Larson (60m - No. 2, 200m, two resets - No. 3)
So. Coby Hilton (60m - No. 3, 200m - No. 2)
Fr. Emmanual Phoulom-Smith (200m - No. 9)
So. Caleb Bray (400m - T-No. 2)
So. Mitchel Acker (400m - No. 6)
Fr. Joseph Minor-Williams (3,000m)
Sr. Kyle Burdick (5,000m - No. 4)
So. Gabe Peters (5,000m)
Fr. Reid Pierzinski (60H - No. 7, TJ)
Sr. Riley Sears (HJ)
Jr. Bryant Courter (LJ - No. 2)
So. Daniel Clarke (LJ - No. 4)
Fr. Tre Manning (TJ)
So. Noah Huber (SP - No. 3, WT - No. 4)
Jr. Evan Hieber (PV, LJ)
Sr. Peter Bates (HEPT - No. 5, SP)
- WOMEN (10 Jacks, 11 Events, 7 Top-10s) -
Fr. Mikayla Wevik (60m, 200m)
R-Fr. Madisson Gay (200m)
Jr. Jennifer Thill (200m)
So. Chloe Bermel (400m)
So. Jamie Schweiss (Mile)
Sr. Rachel King (3,000m - School Record & Facility Record)
Jr. Jaymie O'Connor (60H - School Record)
Jr. Chloe Holtz (HJ - T-No. 9)
So. Amy Muller (PV - No. 4)
So. Sophie Bisgard (TJ)

Relay Top-10 Marks:
Men's DMR (No. 7) - So. Gabe Peters, Jr. Wyatt Gatrost, Sr. Cal Lawton, Fr. Thomas Breuckman
Women's 4x400m Relay (No. 5) - Jr. Delaney Carlson, Sr. Krista Steele, So. Chloe Bermel, So. Oksana Covey
Women's DMR (No. 9) - So. Cailee Peterson, Jr. Delaney Carlson, Sr. Rachel Propst, Jr. Anna Fasen

Sr. Kyle Burdick wins his first career Summit League Indoor Championship Track MVP for winning three events (Mile, 3,000m, 5,000m) and scoring a league-high 30 points.

Jr. Sam Zenner was voted by the coaches as The Summit League's Male Most Outstanding Performer in it's second year of existence. Zenner won both the 60m and 200m and tallied 20 points for the Jackrabbits.

JACKRABBIT INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
60m - Men - Finals
1. Zenner, Sam (6.80)
3. Larson, Landon (6.86)
4. Hilton, Coby (6.87)
6. Clarke, Daniel (6.94)
7. Phoulom-Smith, Manny (6.99)
60m - Men - Prelims
T-1. Larson, Landon (6.82Q)
3. Zenner, Sam (6.83q)
5. Hilton, Coby (8.85q)
6. Clarke, Daniel (6.93q)
7. Phoulom-Smith, Manny (6.94q)

Junior Sam Zenner won his first of two indoor championship events this weekend, both are career firsts, to earn his second career indoor all-league performance in the event. It led to his first career, second Jackrabbit, to win the Most Outstanding Performer award (voted by the coaches, started in 2018 - Burdick). The Eagan, Minn. native was within 0.10 seconds of the meet record (1999, Virgil Maddox, Oral Roberts). With five Jacks in the finals, the men tallied 26 points towards the SDSU tally.

In the prelims, all Jacks qualified for the finals. Junior Landon Larson and sophomore Coby Hilton posted personal-best marks and become the No. 2 and No. 3 all-time fastest Jackrabbits. They both were tied for No. 4 all-time with LeAndre Kennedy ('16) and moved ahead of Frank Blalark ('01).

60m - Women - Prelims
12. Wevik, Mikayla (7.98)
20. Gay, Madisson (8.08)
21. Thill, Jennifer (8.10)

Freshman Mikayla Wevik debuted in her first league championships with her personal-best mark on the season. She trimmed 0.07 seconds and is within 0.12 seconds from the school's top 10 list. Redshirt freshman Madisson Gay added her first championship performance as well.

200m - Men - Finals
1. Zenner, Sam (21.07)
2. Hilton, Coby (21.24)
4. Larson, Landon (21.50)
8. Phoulom-Smith, Manny (22.53)
200m - Men - Prelims
1. Hilton, Coby (21.33Q)
2. Zenner, Sam (21.45Q)
5. Larson, Landon (21.54q)
8. Phoulom-Smith, Manny (21.99q)
9. Clarke, Daniel (22.00)

After four, nearly five (Clarke missed by 0.01 seconds), made it into the finals, the sprinters did what they had been doing all season - setting records and winning. Junior Sam Zenner stole another record away from sophomore Coby Hilton - the championship meet record - like he did with the school record back in late January. Hilton took control of the record in the preliminary round by 0.01 seconds (missing his PR and SDSU's No. 2 all-time mark by 0.03 seconds) and would have reset it again in the finals (this time resetting his PR by 0.06 seconds and No. 2 all-time mark).

However, Zenner notched his second career indoor win, second of the meet with a 0.27-second reset of the meet record (short of his PR, SDSU's school record, and facility record by 0.07 seconds).

Adding a personal-best in the prelims and the finals was junior Landon Larson, who trimmed 0.09 seconds in the prelims and another 0.04 seconds in the finals to stay behind Zenner and Hilton for SDSU's No. 3 all-time mark.

Freshman Emmanual Phoulom-Smith also cracked his PR in the preliminary round to squeeze into the finals - trimming 0.32 seconds and adding the No. 9 all-time mark.

200m - Women - Prelims
15. Wevik, Mikayla (26.16)
17. Gay, Madisson (26.26)
21. Thill, Jennifer (26.52)

Freshman Mikayla Wevik, redshirt freshman Madisson Gay, and junior Jennifer Thill all added personal-best marks while Gay and Wevik are in their first indoor championships.

400m - Men - Finals
6. Bray, Caleb (48.37)
8. Acker, Mitchel (48.74)
400m - Men - Prelims
5. Bray, Caleb (48.63q)
8. Acker, Mitchel (48.90q)

The Jackrabbits reset their PR's twice over the weekend and inched into the school's top 10 all-time rankings. In the prelims, sophomores Mitchel Acker and Caleb Bray (fifth reset of the season) tallied PR's - Bray by 0.82 seconds and Acker by 0.77 seconds - that will end up on the SDSU all-time list. Bray's mark will be No. 3 all-time while Acker's will be No. 10 (was No. 9 until Bray finished his preliminary race). The SDSU top-10 400m list had not been touched since 2017 prior to Friday.

On championship Saturday, SDSU runners reset their PR's for the second time (sixth of the season for Bray) as Bray trimmed another 0.26 seconds and Acker cut 0.16 seconds off. Bray will now be tied-No. 2 all-time (with Luke Leischner, '11) and Acker will be No. 6 all-time. Bray was 0.08 seconds from the school record (Jeff Tiefenthaler, '85, 47.29).

400m - Women - Prelims
10. Carlson, Delaney (58.85)
12. Bermel, Chloe (59.36)

Sophomore Chloe Bermel notched a personal-best mark while junior Delaney Carlson added a season-best mark. Bermel cut 0.16 seconds off in her first career league championship performance while Carlson trimmed 0.35 seconds.

800m - Men - Finals
1. Gatrost, Wyatt (1:53.64)
2. Bauer, Riley (1:53.78)
3. Boekelheide, Derek (1:54.65)
4. Lawton, Cal (1:54.84)
800m - Men - Prelims
2. Boekelheide, Derek (1:53.47Q)
3. Gatrost, Wyatt (1:53.62Q)
5. Bauer, Riley (1:53.59Q)
7. Lawton, Cal (1:53.43q)

The men's 800m were able to string together a true team performance, finishing 1-2-3-4 in the finals to put 33 points in favor of SDSU in a crucial moment of the meet, down to NDSU. Junior Wyatt Gatrost out-edged freshman Riley Bauer for the win down the last stretch to win his first indoor championship 800m (second overall, tied for the win outdoors in 2018) and his second career all-league honors.

Boekelheide debuted in his first 800m finals appearance while freshman Riley Bauer posted his first career championship performance.

In the preliminaries, all four men were able to get into the finals, with three of them earning auto-bids (Boekelheide, Gatrost, Bauer) and senior Cal Lawton earning the fastest "next-fastest" time to get in. Gatrost, Boekelheide, and Lawton added their best indoor marks at the championships.

800m - Women - Finals
1. Steele, Krista (2:10.06)
3. Covey, Oksana (2:11.03)
800m - Women - Prelims
2. Covey, Oksana (2:12.69Q)
4. Steele, Krista (2:12.88Q)

Senior Krista Steele came away with one of the more surprising performances for the Jackrabbit women to defend her 800m regime (she won 2018's indoor and outdoor 800m titles). She strolled through the preliminaries behind Covey with an automatic bid, her third finals appearance out of four career attempts.

In the finals, Steele looked to be finishing top-three through the first half of the finals race. However, she passed teammate Covey and out-kicked an NDSU runner with less than 20m to go for the win by 0.14 seconds and close out her indoor career as a back-to-back 800m champion. It was a season-best performance by 2.21 seconds.

Sophomore Oksana Covey entered the finals the second-best winning time after claiming her respective heat in the prelims. In the finals, she led two-thirds of the race before Steele took over and finished with her second consecutive all-league performance in the event (2017, redshirted 2018).

Mile - Men - Finals
1. Burdick, Kyle (4:06.06)
6. Peters, Gabe (4:17.12)
8. Breuckman, Thomas (4:18.53)
9. Nelson, Lukas (4:18.74)

Senior Kyle Burdick notched his second win in the 2019 indoor championships en route to resetting (by 1.08 seconds) the 32-year-old championship record held by Jim Maton (1987, Eastern Illinois). He is now a four-time all-leaguer in the mile, winning back-to-back championships.

Mile - Women - Finals
6. Friesen, Ellie (4:58.81)
11. Fasen, Anna (5:07.29)
13. Schweiss, Jamie (5:08.25)
15. Propst, Rachel (5:13.65)
16. Peterson, Cailee (5:15.92)

Sophomore Jamie Schweiss notched a personal-best mark while junior Anna Fasen won the first section of the mile.

3,000m - Men - Finals
1. Burdick, Kyle (8:13.28)
5. Minor-Williams, Joseph (8:26.54)
6. Mather, Micah (8:30.23)
7. Nelson, Lukas (8:30.99)

Senior Kyle Burdick maintained his undefeated status by winning his third league championship 3,000m, sixth of his career. He was just 6.02 second off his PR, No. 2 all-time mark, and facility record. Freshman Joseph Minor-Williams recorded a personal-best in his first indoor championships.

3,000m - Women - Finals
1. King, Rachel (9:26.23)
10. Friesen, Ellie (10:15.97)
14. Berzonsky, Emily (10:36.27)
16. Nelson, Emma (10:37.43)

Senior Rachel King won her third consecutive league championship 3,000m title out of four career attempts. She reset the school and facility record she first held from her performance at the 2018 SDSU Classic.

Junior Emma Nelson added a season-best performance in her first career indoor championships. She trimmed 14.77 seconds off her best at the UND v. SDSU Dual (Jan. 12).

5,000m - Men - Finals
1. Burdick, Kyle (14:21.45)
2. Minor-Williams, Joseph (14:43.53)
3. Mather, Micah (14:46.18)
4. Peters, Gabe (14:52.88)
--. Nelson, Lukas (DNF)
--. Breuckman, Thomas (DNF)
--. Bauer, Riley (DNF)
--. Boekelheide, Derek (DNF)

Senior Kyle Burdick added his third and final win of the night as he led the Jackrabbits to a 1-2-3-4-finish that ultimately sealed the team victory for the men. His mark was a PR (by 8.17 seconds) and meet-record reset (by 2.72 seconds) to move to No. 4 all-time and knock off 2017 Jackrabbit grad Joel Reichow's meet record.

Burdick won his first career 5,000m out of three attempts, his third all-league performance in the event.

Freshman Joseph Minor-Williams, along with sophomores Micah Mather and Gabe Peters, all notched personal-best marks to round out the top-four and tally 29 points to give the Jackrabbits the lead for good at 216 to 201 (NDSU).

5,000m - Women - Finals
1. King, Rachel (16:38.48)
9. Donnay, Anna (17:39.69)
--. Friesen, Ellie (DNF)
--. Berzonsky, Emily (DNF)
--. Schweiss, Jamie (DNF)
--. Nelson, Emma (DNF)

Senior Rachel King notched her second win of the weekend in the 5,000m after winning the 3,000m on Friday night. She finished her indoor career as a two-time winner in the event and just missing meet record by 0.97 seconds (Maddie Van Beek - NDSU, 16:37.51 - '15).

Sophomore Anna Donnay added a season-best mark to finish ninth as she did a year ago.

60m Hurdles - Men - Finals
2. Wessels, Nick (8.19)
7. Pierzinski, Reid (8.49)
8. Hieber, Evan (8.63)
60m Hurdles - Men - Prelims
2. Wessels, Nick (8.21Q)
4. Pierzinski, Reid (8.32q)
8. Hieber, Evan (8.63q)
10. Bates, Peter (8.69)

Sophomore Niick Wessels posted his second-best mark of his career (short of his No. 2 all-time mark - 8.07) in the finals en route to first career all-league performance. Freshman Reid Pierzinski debuted in his first career championships while junior Evan Hieber recorded his first championship finals appearance in the event (Hieber also competed in the multi-events).

Three of the four men qualified to the finals, with senior Peter Bates just missing the cut by 0.06 seconds. Pierzinski reset his PR, cutting 0.03 seconds, and moving into No. 7 all-time.

60m Hurdles - Women - Finals
2. O'Connor, Jaymie (8.54)
60m Hurdles - Women - Prelims
4. O'Connor, Jaymie (8.50q)
9. Mottinger, Haley (8.90)

Junior Jaymie O'Connor wrapped up her third indoor season with the Jackrabbits with her third indoor all-league performance in the event. She finished runner-up for the second time in her career (her best championship finals mark), with her first career runner-up performance coming in 2017 when she first reset the school record in the 60m hurdles (8.61). Since the SDSU Classic, she has reset the record three times - twice at the SDSU Classic and once in the prelims on Friday.

O'Connor trimmed 0.02 seconds from her previous-best and has cut 0.11 seconds since the SDSU Classic this year. She has held the record (8.61) since the 2017 indoor championships where she finished runner-up.

Teammate and junior Haley Mottinger just missed the championship cut, 0.03 seconds behind the eighth-place finisher.

4x400m Relay - Men - Finals
5. "A" Team (3:20.38)
(1. So. Caleb Bray, 2. Jr. Wyatt Gatrost, 3. Fr. Reid Pierzinski, 4. So. Mitchel Acker)

The men's team tacked on four more points to the Jackrabbit tally at the conclusion of the meet, ending the meet with the Jackrabbits' first team victory since 1991, first-ever in the league.

4x400m Relay - Women - Finals
3. "A" Team (3:49.09)
(1. Jr. Delaney Carlson, 2. Sr. Krista Steele, 3. So. Chloe Bermel, 4. So. Oksana Covey)

The women's team tallied six points towards the team score and added the No. 5 all-time mark for SDSU.

Distance Medley - Men - Finals
1. "A" Team (10:07.39)
(1. So. Gabe Peters, 2. Jr. Wyatt Gatrost, 3. Sr. Cal Lawton, 4. Fr. Thomas Breuckman)

The Jackrabbit men notched their third win of the night, competing in their first DMR of the season. It will be the No. 7 all-time mark for SDSU.

Distance Medley - Women - Finals
1. "A" Team (12:06.73)
(1. So. Cailee Peterson, 2. Jr. Delaney Carlson, 3. Sr. Rachel Propst, 4. Jr. Anna Fasen)

The Jackrabbit women win their second indoor league event on the night. It was the first mark in the DMR on the season and it will go down as the No. 9 all-time performance.

High Jump - Men - Finals
5. Sears, Riley (6-08.25)
9. Courter, Bryant (6-04.50)

Senior Riley Sears jumped his highest in his last indoor competition, adding 0.75 inches and just missing the school's all-time top 10 list by 0.50 inches. Junior Bryant Courter posted his first mark in the event this season.

High Jump - Women - Finals
4. Holtz, Chloe (5-06.50)
6. Eisenbeisz, Addison (5-04.50)
T-13. Mingo, Madison (5-00.50)

Junior Chloe Holtz notched her third PR reset of the season to lead the Jacks in the high jump for her best place-finish in the indoor championships. Her mark will go down as the tied No. 9 all-time performance (with Rachel Hakk, '09).

Freshman Addison Eisenbeisz jumped in her first career indoor championships, 2.50 inches short of her PR and No. 8 all-time mark.

Pole Vault - Men - Finals
2. Francom, Trent (16-11.25)

Sophomore Trent Francom improved his place-finish and mark from last year's league championships (fourth, 16-06.75). He was short of his indoor record by 0.75 inches.

Pole Vault - Women - Finals
11. Muller, Amy (11-03.50)

Sophomore Amy Muller saved her best jump for the last event of the season, adding a 3.25-inch personal-best mark and moved up into fifth all-time for SDSU.

Long Jump - Men - Finals
1. Courter, Bryant (24-06.50)
4. Clarke, Daniel (23-10.00)
10. Manning, Tre (22-11.25)

Junior Bryant Courter claimed the first event champion performance for the Jackrabbits. He won his second career indoor league championship long jump event by adding 1.50 inches to his personal-best mark set at 2018's indoor championships. His best will remain No. 2 all-time for SDSU. Sophomore Daniel Clarke also notched a PR mark in the jumping event, increasing it by 0.50 inches and moving into No. 4 all-time.

Long Jump - Women - Finals
6. Altenburg, Emily (18-01.50)
7. Stewart, Emma (17-11.50)

Sophomores Emily Altenburg and Emma Stewart improved their place-finish and marks from last year's indoor championships. Altenburg was one inch away from her personal-best mark while Stewart improved her's by 0.75 inches.

Triple Jump - Men - Finals
3. Courter, Bryant (49-02.50)
7. Pierzinski, Reid (45-11.25)
9. Manning, Tre (43-09.50)
10. Hagen, Sage (42-07.50)

Junior Bryant Courter's streak for most consecutive indoor wins was stopped at seven, but he contributed an all-league performance for his third consecutive year in the event. Freshman Reid Pierzinski jumped up the performance list and added a 11.50-inch PR to two points in the Jacks' favor. Freshman Tre Manning also added a PR, 1-04.00 feet to his jumping best.

Triple Jump - Women - Finals
9. Holtz, Chloe (37-00.00)
11. Bisgard, Sophie (36-06.25)
14. Altenburg, Emily (34-03.75)

Sophomore Sophie Bisgard jumped her personal-best by four inches in her first career indoor championships. Junior Chloe Holtz finished with both a place-finish and mark improvement from last year's championships.

Shot Put - Men - Finals
9. Huber, Noah (55-11.75)

Sophomore Noah Huber was able to reach a personal-best mark in the shot put after getting one in the weight throw on Friday. He added 0.75 inches to remain No. 3 all-time behind Mason Leiseth (56-01.25, '18) and John Delay (57-00.50, '97).

Shot Put - Women - Finals
9. TerWee, Micayla (45-10.00)
14. Moorhouse, Madeline (44-00.75)

Junior Micayla TerWee added her second-best mark in the championships, just 1.75 inches from her best at the Summit League event.

Weight Throw - Men - Finals
6. Ammons, Logan (63-01.25)
9. Huber, Noah (60-00.25)

Sophomore Noah Huber threw for a personal-best in the weight throw, moving into No. 4 all-time (ahead of teammate Samuel Coil, now No. 5) behind senior Logan Ammons (No. 3). Ammons, along with Huber, added their best championship performance and place-finish while he was 1.50 inches short of his PR.

Weight Throw - Women - Finals
11. TerWee, Micayla (57-01.50)

Junior Micayla TerWee posted her best mark while tying her best place-finish in the championship weight throw. Last year was her previous-best mark and place-finish at 11th overall (51-10.50).

Men's Heptathlon - Finals
- By Athlete -
2. Hieber, Evan (5,100)
60m: Fourth (7.44)
LJ: Second (22-01.25)
SP: Second (41-08.00)
HJ: Won (6-05.25)
60H: Third (8.60)
PV: Tied-Won (14-06.50)
1,000m: Seventh (3:04.31)

Junior Evan Hieber finished runner-up in his second career indoor championship men's heptathlon, 169 points from the winner and 26 points from his personal-best mark and No. 2 all-time mark. He came away with a shared victory and PR in the pole vault in the second day's competition, adding 5.25 inches to his best. He finished third in the 60m hurdles - adding a better place-finish and time than he did a year ago.

On the opening day of the 2019 indoor track and field competition, Hieber scored a personal-best first-day mark (2,901). His previous-best was at the UND Indoor Open (2,853). His first career indoor championship win came in the high jump - the final event of the day - as he was 0.75 inches from his personal-best mark.

He added his lone PR on day one in the long jump, adding 6.50 inches and improving his place-finish from last year's competition (runner-up this year, third in 2018). His first event - the 60m - was a season-best mark by 0.01 seconds while improving his place-finish in the event as well (fourth this year, seventh in 2018).

The junior from Sioux Falls, S.D. recorded his third place-finish improvement from last year's championships in the shot put, finishing runner-up after being third a year ago.

5. Bates, Peter (4,653)
60m: Second (7.33)
LJ: 10th (19-07.75)
SP: 10th (34-00.75)
HJ: tied-seventh (5-10.00)
60H: Second (8.53)
PV: Sixth (12-10.75)
1,000m: Third (2:53.31)

Senior Peter Bates posted a personal-best heptathlon score by 22 points, to remain No. 5 all-time for SDSU - just one point behind Bennett Mercil for the No. 4 spot ('14). He improved from an eighth-place day-one spot, to move up to sixth after the 60m hurdles (improving his mark and place-finish from 2018) and climb into fifth after the pole vault (improving his mark and place-finish again). He finished the multi-event with his third top-three finish of the event in the 1,000m.

On the first day, Bates opened the competition up with a runner-up finish after placing eighth a year ago in the 60m hurdles. He reached a PR mark in the shot put, adding 3.50 inches, and was within 1.75 inches and 2.75 inches of his PR's in the long jump and high jump. He improved his place-finish in the high jump, however, after finishing eighth a year ago.

- By Event -
Men's Hept. - Final Scores
2. Hieber, Evan (5,100)
5. Bates, Peter (4,653)

Men's Hept. - Day One Score (4 Events)
2. Hieber, Evan (2,901 points)
8. Bates, Peter (2,471 points)

Men's Hept. - Event 1: 60m
2. Bates. Peter (7.33)
4. Hieber, Evan (7.44)

Men's Hept. - Event 2: LJ
2. Hieber, Evan (22-01.25)
10. Bates, Peter (19-07.75)

Men's Hept. - Event 3: SP
2. Hieber, Evan (41-08.00)
10. Bates, Peter (34-00.75)

Men's Hept. - Event 4: HJ
1. Hieber, Evan (6-05.25)
T-7. Bates, Peter (5-10.00)

Men's Hept. - Event 5: 60H
2. Bates, Peter (8.53)
3. Hieber, Evan (8.60)

Men's Hept. - Event 6: PV
T-1. Hieber, Evan (14-06.50)
6. Bates, Peter (12-10.75)

Men's Hept. - Event 7: 1,000m
3. Bates, Peter (2:53.31)
7. Hieber, Evan (3:04.31)

Women's Pentathlon - Final
None.

-GoJacks.com-