Track & Field Opens Outdoor Season This Weekend

Thursday, March 28

San Francisco, CA

Thurs: 2:30 p.m. CT | Fri: Noon CT | Sat: 11 a.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Mike Fanelli Track Classic

3/28/2019 11:28:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

The Jackrabbits will travel to three different meets on their opening weekend - the Stanford Invite and Mike Fanelli Classic in California, and the ORU Invite

MEET 1: South Dakota State (Men & Women) at Stanford Invite, Mike Fanelli Classic, ORU Invite

When	Stanford Invite - Thursday: 2:30 p.m. CT \| Friday: Noon CT \| Saturday: 11 a.m. CT Mike Fanelli Classic - Friday: 11 a.m. CT \| Saturday: 3 p.m. CT ORU Invite - Friday: 10 a.m. CT \| Saturday: 8 a.m. CT
Where	Stanford Invite - Stanford \| Cobb Track & Angell Field \| Stanford, Calif. \| Google Maps Mike Fanelli Classic - San Francisco State \| Chabot College \| Hayward, Calif. \| Google Maps ORU Invite - Oral Roberts \| ONEOK Sports Complex \| Tulsa, Okla. \| Google Maps
Live Results	Stanford Invite - Live Results \| Watch Live via FloTrack ($) Mike Fanelli Classic - Live Results \| Watch via FloTrack ($) ORU Invite - Live Results \| Live Stream (Saturday Only)
Meet Notes	Stanford Invite - Event Schedule \| Heat Sheets \| Home Meet Info Mike Fanelli Classic - Event Schedule \| Heat Sheets \| Home Meet Info ORU Invite - Event Schedule \| Heat Sheets \| Home Meet Info South Dakota State's Performance Lists & Records Page \| FloTrack's Watch Guide
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram \| #GoJacks

The South Dakota State track and field teams return to competition this weekend as they open the outdoor campaign in California and Oklahoma.

Most of the Jackrabbits will compete in Tulsa at the Oral Roberts Invitational, while some student-athletes will make the trip out to the west coast and compete in the Stanford Invitational and Mike Fanelli Track Classic (formerly the San Francisco State Distance Carnival).

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
A total of 11 SDSU student-athletes plan to make the trip to California to compete at both the Stanford Invitational and the Mike Fanelli Classic. Below is the tentative schedule of the events Jacks are penciled to compete in while there is also a list of tentative student-athletes competing in Tulsa, where a majority of the team will be represented.

AT STANFORD INVITE (3 Jacks, 3 Races):

Rachel King - Friday at 7:42 p.m. CT - 3,000m Steeplechase (Invite Section)
Kyle Burdick - Friday at 9 p.m. CT - 1,500m (Section 2)
Krista Steele - Saturday starting at 4:24 p.m. CT - 800m (6 Heats)

AT MIKE FANELLI CLASSIC (9 Jacks, 13 Races):

Krista Steele - Friday starting at 1:47 p.m. CT - 400m (Section 1 of 10)
- Oksana Covey - 400m (Section 2 of 10)
Wyatt Gatrost - Friday starting at 2:27 p.m. CT - 400m (Section 5 of 12)
Gabe Peters - Friday at 7:17 p.m. CT - 1,500m (Section 4 of 12)
Ellie Friesen - Friday at 7:22 p.m. CT - 1,500m (Section 4 of 12)
Joseph Minor-Williams - Friday at 11:30 p.m. CT - 5,000m (Section 4 of 9)
Mackenzie Schell - Friday at 11:47 p.m. CT - 5,000m (Section 5 of 7)
Micah Mather, Lukas Nelson - Saturday at 12:07 a.m. CT - 5,000m (Section 5 of 9)
Krista Steele - Saturday starting at 1:10 p.m. CT - 800m (Section 1 of 15)
- Oksana Covey - 800m (Section 2 of 15)
- Ellie Friesen - 800m (Section 6 of 15)
Wyatt Gatrost - Saturday starting at 2:06 p.m. CT - 800m (Section 2 of 19)
- Gabe Peters - 800m (Section 9 of 19)

AT ORU INVITE:

Women (30): Emily Altenburg, Chloe Bermel, Emily Berzonsky, Sophie Bisgard, Delaney Carlson, Bailey Dergan, Addison Eisenbeisz, Anna Fasen, Madisson Gay, Tori Glazier, Meghan Hettinga, Chloe Holtz, Shannon Katz, Kendyl Kreber, Faith Leiseth, Madison Mingo, Madeline Moorhouse, Haley Mottinger, Amy Muller, Emma Nelson, Jaymie O'Connor, Cailee Peterson, Rachel Propst, Summer Lyn Scott, Lynsey Stevens, Emma Stewart, Caitlin Thilges, Jennifer Thill, Mikayla Wevik, Megan White

Men (32): Mitchel Acker, Logan Ammons, Anthony Andera, Alexander Auch, Peter Bates, Riley Bauer, Derek Boekelheide, Caleb Bray, Thomas Breuckman, Daniel Clarke, Samuel Coil, Trent Francom, Josh Goehring, Evan Hieber, Coby Hilton, Noah Huber, Blake Iverson, Sam Johnson, Chandler Klawitter, Cameron Kuil, Landon Larson, Jake Lieberg, Tre Manning, Jay-Shawn Milton, Ben Olson, Lukas Pierson, Reid Pierzinski, Andrew Rush, Mason Schmidt, Michael Schwinghamer, Riley Sears, Nick Wessels

FOLLOW ALONG
There will be a live stream for each meet this weekend, including both meets in California streamed by FloTrack (subscription required). Oral Roberts has a live stream link attached to the ORU Invite in their schedule. You can find the respective links for each meet in the box at the top of the page.

Each meet will also make live results readily available, while you can follow Jackrabbit-specific action on the SDSU track and field Twitter account (@GoJacksTFXC). A meet recap will be made available following the conclusion of each day on GoJacks.com.

USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The national TFRI preseason rankings were released on March 18 with the Jackrabbit men ranked No. 126 out of 170 schools and the women No. 100 out of 173. The men were the third Summit League team behind North Dakota State (36) and South Dakota (38) while the were fourth behind South Dakota (48), North Dakota (58), and North Dakota State (96).

Regional Rankings will be released on week one (March 1) with another set of national rankings. #EventSquad rankings will be released on week two (March 8) while conference rankings will be shared beginning in week three (March 15).

South Dakota State men finished the indoor season with a No. 131 national ranking (week five, Feb. 18), No. 15 regional mark (week six, Feb. 25), and the best conference position (week five, Feb. 18). The women did not reach national recognition, but were ranked No. 25 regionally (week six, Feb. 25) and third in the conference TFRI rankings (week five, Feb. 18). The men reached their highest-ever ranking in week one of indoors at No. 7 and were ranked No. 12 and 13 regularly throughout. The women reached No. 24 in week three of indoors as their highest mark of the season. Each team's final indoor event squad rankings are below (week six, Feb. 26) -

Event	Men	Women
60m	25	153
200m	25	213
400m	89	162
800m	46	36
Mile	72	105
3,000m	67	93
5,000m	48	85
High Jump	34	63
Pole Vault	50	66
Long Jump	23	134
Triple Jump	16	49
Shot Put	85	49
Weight Throw	--	50
Multi (Hept./Pent.)	--	--

KING RANKED IN THE STEEPLECHASE BY FLOTRACK
FloTrack.org released individual rankings student-athlete rankings on March 25, predicting the All-Americans for the outdoor season. Senior Rachel King was the lone Jackrabbit on an event list, ranked 15th in the NCAA DI 3,000m steeplechase.

She finished last outdoor season with her first career appearance in the NCAA Championships and the Jackrabbit's first female to be on the track in the championships, placing 23rd (12th in the second heat) in the semifinals of the steeplechase with a time of 10:27.92 to earn NCAA All-American Honorable Mention honors.

Last year at the Stanford Invite, she recorded her then-PR in the steeplechase where she finished fifth overall in the invite section (10:01.14). Her steeple PR reset her school record, trimming off 9.57 seconds, was the best in the league by 28.25 seconds, and was fifth in the NCAA and 21st in the world (that weekend). She eventually posted her personal-best mark in the event at the NCAA West Prelims, finishing ninth overall to qualify for Eugene (9:57.75).

SUMMIT OTF PRESEASON POLL - Full Story (March 8)
The Summit League has announced the preseason outdoor track and field rankings with the South Dakota State men three points behind the league favorite and the women sitting fourth. The men's team gathered 20 points and two first-place votes, three points and one first-place vote behind North Dakota State (23 points, three first-place). The women tallied 33 points and are behind North Dakota State (47 - five first-place votes), South Dakota (44 points - two first-place votes), and Oral Roberts (38 points).

Individually, seniors Kyle Burdick, Rachel King, and Kasie Vollmer, along with sophomore Trent Francom, were nominated as SDSU's preseason athletes to watch.

It's just the second time since the outdoor preseason poll began that the Jackrabbit men are tabbed as runner-up favorites entering the outdoor season (last time in 2017, tied for second) - their best outdoor preseason ranking. They picked up their most first-place votes ever and one more point than they did in 2017.

The Jacks have never finished the outdoor season worse than they were projected, including four times where they finished better than projected. The squad is aiming for its third consecutive, fourth overall, runner-up or better finish in the championships on May 10-12 in Macomb, Ill.

The women are projected fourth for the first time since 2014, fourth time ever in the league. Prior to this preseason, the women had a four-year streak where they were projected third - finishing in that spot three of the four years (2018 was fourth place).

The last time the women were projected fourth (2014), they finished runner-up with 193 points behind NDSU (246) and ahead of South Dakota (169). They have also finished fourth (2013) and fifth another time (2012). SDSU has finished where they were preseason polled, or better, in all but three rankings (2010, 2012, 2018) with two times finishing better (2011, 2014).

Kyle Burdick | Senior | Distance | Rapid City, S.D.

Summit League's Indoor Track MVP (2019)
Scored 30 points in the 2019 indoor championships - winning three events (mile, 3,000m, 5,000m)
Won the 1,500m, finished second in the 10,000m and third in the 800m at the 2018 league outdoor championships
Two-time Outdoor Championship MVP (2017, 2018)
2017 league's Track Athlete of the Year
10-time All-League (XC 2016 1st-Team, 2017 1st-Team, 2018 1st-Team, ITF 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, OTF 2016, 2017, 2018)
Has seven personal-best marks in the school's top 10 (IN: 1,000m (1st, 2019), Mile (2nd, 2019), 3,000m (2nd, 2018), 5,000m (4th, 2019), OUT: 800m (T-8th, 2017), 1,500m (3rd, 2017), 5,000m (3rd, 2017))
NCAA All-American in the 1,500m in 2017 (second-team)
Five-time Preseason Athlete to Watch (XC 2018, ITF 2018, 2019, OTF 2018, 2019)

Trent Francom | Sophomore | Pole Vault | Huron, S.D.

Finished runner-up in the 2019 indoor championships
Third in his first outdoor championships (2018)
Only Jackrabbit to breach the 17-foot mark, reaching it twice in 2018 outdoors and once in 2019 indoors
The first male Jack to qualify for the NCAA West Prelims (only Amy Leiferman in 2015 made pole vault in the West Prelims, Tyler Schiferl made Midwest Regionals in 2009)
All-League (ITF 2018, OTF 2018)
Holds both the indoor and outdoor school records in the pole vault

Rachel King | Senior | Distance | St. Michael, Minn.

First Jackrabbit female at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships in the track events (3,000S) - finished with NCAA All-American Honorable Mention
Won two events in the 2019 indoor championships (3,000m and 5,000m) - resetting her school record in the 3,000m
Posted five individual school-record marks (IN: Mile, 3,000m, 5,000m, OUT: 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m), moved to second all-time in the 1,500m, and was a part of the DMR school record in her career
Won the 3,000m steeplechase and took second in the 1,5000m at the 2018 league outdoor championships
Has been named indoor Track Championship MVP (2018) and Track Athlete of the Year (2017) each once ... no female outdoor post-season or yearly awards have been received by Jackrabbits yet
10-time All-League (XC 2015 1st-Team, 2016 1st-Team, 2017 1st-Team, 2018 1st-Team, ITF 2017, 2018, 2019, OTF 2014, 2016, 2018)
Six-time Preseason Athlete to Watch (XC 2016, 2018 ITF 2018, 2019, OTF 2018, 2019)

Kasie Vollmer | Senior | Throws | Savage, Minn.

Did not compete in 2019 indoors
Won the outdoor Summit League discus (2018), runner-up in 2017
Two-time All-League (OTF 2017, 2018)
Two-time qualifier for the NCAA West Prelims in the discus (2017, 2018)
Holds school record in the outdoor discus (2017) while being No. 8 all-time in the indoor shot put (2018)

2019 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S OUTDOOR PRESEASON POLL

	Team	Score (First-place votes)
1.	North Dakota State	23 (3)
2.	South Dakota State	20 (2)
T3.	South Dakota	19
T3.	Oral Roberts	19
5.	North Dakota	11
6.	Western Illinois	8

2019 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S OUTDOOR PRESEASON POLL

	Team	Score (First-place votes)
1.	North Dakota State	47 (5)
2.	South Dakota	44 (2)
3.	Oral Roberts	38
4.	South Dakota State	33
5.	North Dakota	32
6.	Omaha	20
7.	Western Illinois	18
8.	Purdue Fort Wayne	13

KING RECIEVED NCAA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP - Full Story
Senior Rachel King received a postgraduate scholarship from the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The St. Michael, Minn. native has held a cumulative grade-point average of 3.871 to this point of her career while majoring in community and public health with a Spanish minor and a pre-occupational therapy specialization.

She has competed in cross country and track and field for the Jackrabbits while making the dean's list all seven semesters thus far and being in the top 10 percent of her graduating class. She is also a member of the Sigma Delta Pi (a Spanish honors society) while being named to The Summit League's All-Academic team a total of six times across the three seasons she competes in (XC: 2016, 2017, 2018, ITF: 2017, 2018, OTF: 2018).

King has also been honored by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic five times (XC: 2017, 2018, TF: 2016, 2017, 2018).

After her career as a student at SDSU, King is expecting to go to University of Mary in Bismark, N.D. for graduate school.

She was the first Jackrabbit to qualify and compete on the track in the NCAA Outdoor Division I Championships - earning NCAA All-American honorable mention status. King is also the second Jack to earn NCAA All-Regional honors in cross country, first to win multiple.

In Summit League awards, she is the lone Jackrabbit to win track post-season awards (Track Athlete of the Year in 2017 and Track Championship MVP in 2018) while moving into a tie for fifth all-time in the league for most indoor championship wins (six).

For records, King holds individual records on the track to this point of her career (IN: Mile, 3,000m, 5,000m, OUT: 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m) and moved to second all-time in the 1,500m, and was a part of the DMR school record. In cross country, she holds the third-fastest winning time for the league championship 6k (fastest for SDSU) and fifth overall fastest.

The distance runner from St. Michael, Minn. is the first Jackrabbit from the women's track and field team to be honored with the postgraduate scholarship since jumper Mary Wirth did in 2014. The last Jackrabbit overall to earn the scholarship was Jordan Dykstra (2016-17 Winter). Football's senior linebacker Dalton Cox has also received the scholarship this year.

About the Program
The NCAA awards up to 126 postgraduate scholarships annually. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.

The one-time non-renewable scholarships of $10,000 are awarded three times a year corresponding to each sport season (fall, winter and spring). Each sports season there are 21 scholarships available for men and 21 scholarships available for women for use in an accredited graduate program.

All former student-athletes who earned an undergraduate degree from an NCAA member school are eligible to be nominated by that school for an NCAA graduate degree scholarship, regardless of when they received their undergraduate degree.

JACKRABBITS 2019-20 SIGNEES - Full Story
The South Dakota State University track & field teams have signed seven high school student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach Rod DeHaven announced on Dec. 3.

MEN:
Pierre Lear | Watertown High School | Watertown, S.D.
Named the 2018 State Champion in the 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles while being runner-up in the high jump at the South Dakota Class AA State Track and Field Championships ... placed fifth in the 110m hurdles and third in the 300m hurdles in the 2017 State Championships ... has personal-best marks in the 110m hurdles (14.87), 300m hurdles (39.21), and high jump (6-06.00).

WOMEN:
Leah Hansen | Willmar High School | Willmar, Minn.
Finished 31st at the Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country meet ... has personal-best marks in the 1,600m (5:23), 3,200m (11:31), and 5k XC (18:25).

Bridget Henne | Ronald N. Davies High School | Fargo, N.D.
Finished 11th overall at the North Dakota Class A State Cross Country meet ... placed sixth overall in the 3,200m at the Class A track and field meet last spring ... has personal-best marks in the 1,600m (5:18), 3,200m (11:16), and 5k XC (18:44).

Micheala Kelley | Burwell High School | Burwell, Neb.
Has personal-best marks in the 1,600m (5:39), 3,200m (11:42), and 5k XC (19:43).

Emilee Nickel | Central High School | Rapid City, S.D.
Was named the 2017 State Champion in 100m hurdles at the South Dakota Class AA Track and Field Championships ... finished fifth overall in both 2016 and 2018 ... has a personal-best in the 100m hurdles of 14.74 seconds.

Kaley Waldemar | Irondale High School | New Brighton, Minn.
Was the Minnesota Class AA runner-up in the discus in 2018 ... has personal-best marks in the shot put (40-09.50) and discus (133-06.00).

Annie Wendt | Mayo High School | Rochester, Minn.
Placed sixth in the long jump and seventh in the triple jump at the 2018 Minnesota Class AA State Track and Field Championships ... has personal-best marks in the long jump (18-00.00) and triple Jump (37-01.50).

HEAD COACH DEHAVEN FOR THE TRIPLE CROWN
Head Coach Rod DeHaven has claimed two Summit League Coach of the Year honors so far, aiming to be the fourth men's coach in league history to claim all three Coach of the Year honors in a single academic year (cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field).

He earned his seventh men's cross country yearly accolade on Nov. 29 after the men's team won their third consecutive league title with their lowest point total ever that resulted in six Jacks in the top 10. Then he claimed his second men's indoor honor when he orchestrated the first men's championship team since 1991, first in The Summit League, on March 20.

Overall, he has 10 yearly crowns, seven from men's cross country (second-most ever since the honor was introduced in 1982, claimed seven out of the last 12 years SDSU has been in the league), one from women's cross country (2008) and two from men's indoor track and field (2017, 2019). He has yet to garner an outdoor coach of the year nod from the league and is one of four coaches ever to claim cross country and indoor during the same academic year (has happened seven times, twice from Coach DeHaven).

INDOOR MOMENTUM - SEASON RECAP
Summit League Championships (Feb. 22-23) - The Jackrabbit men are coming off their first-ever Summit League track and field championship victory from Feb. 22-23 in the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex while the women finished fourth out of eight teams. The men scored 220 points thanks to large scoring numbers from the 800m and 5,000m (29 points each) and from the 60m and 200m (24 and 26 points). The women scored 76 points, just three points behind third-place Oral Roberts.

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).

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).

Senior Rachel King came away with two wins (3,000m and 5,000m) while fellow senior Krista Steele is entering her outdoor campaign as the league's defending outdoor 800m champ (2018) and two-time defending indoor 800m champion (2018, 2019).

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).

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.

Academic All-League Success (March 13) - South Dakota State had five Jackrabbits named to The Summit League's Indoor Track and Field Academic All-League teams. For the men, three honored this year was the second-most in the league and SDSU was one of three schools represented on the list (North Dakota State - five, South Dakota - two). The Jacks have had at least three academic all-leaguers for four consecutive years (2016 - four, 2017 - three, 2018 - three).

For the women, two accolade-winners is tied for the second-most in the league and one of only three teams with multiple student-athletes represented on the list of 14. The Jackrabbits have held multiple spots on the list in five out of the six years the academic all-league existed (2013 - two, 2014 - two, 2015 - two, 2016 - two, 2017 - two, 2018 - one).

Leading the Jackrabbits during the indoor season were senior Kyle Burdick and Rachel King. Burdick, earning his second indoor all-league honor (2017) and sixth overall (2017, 2018 cross country, 2017, 2018 outdoor), lead the Jackrabbits in the indoor championships by scoring 30 individual points from three event-wins en route to his first career indoor track championship MVP.

King, a recent NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient (first woman to receive the scholarship since 2014) and three-time indoor academic all-league honoree (2017, 2018), earned her seventh overall academic team accolade (2016, 2017, 2018 cross country, 2017, 2018 indoor, 2018 outdoor). She scored 20 points from two event-wins in the 2019 indoor championships.

Senior Rachel Propst, along with junior duo Sam Zenner and Wyatt Gatrost, were named to their first academic all-league teams. Propst has maintained a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average throughout her Jackrabbit career. In the indoor championships, she was a member of the come-from-behind win in the distance medley for the Jacks, winning the team's third-ever medley and first since 2016.

Zenner is coming off his best indoor championship performance of his career and for a SDSU student-athlete in the sprints. With him winning the 60m and 200m, he was the first Jackrabbit to win either one of those events - adding a championship record in the 200m and earning the championship most outstanding performer.

Gatrost won his first indoor 800m and helped secure the team's first victory in the indoor championships. It was his second overall championship winning the event, tying for the victory in the outdoor 800m, and gathered his second indoor all-league accolade.

Summit League Indoor Yearly Accolades (March 20) - South Dakota State's head coach Rod DeHaven and senior distance runner Kyle Burdick were named as The Summit League's men's coach and track athlete of the year on Wednesday morning.

Helping score 30 points in the indoor league championships was Burdick, winning the mile, 3,000m, and 5,000m en route to the school's second-ever track championships MVP. He had two record-breaking performances - in the mile (4:06.06), he reset the 32-year old league championship record while in the 5,000m he reset Joel Reichow's ('17) 2017 meet-record performance (14:21.45).

Burdick finished the indoor campaign by leading the league in all three events and winning seven of the eight competitions throughout the season. The Rapid City, S.D. native noted an undefeated indoor 3,000m career, including three league crowns, and back-to-back championships in the mile.

His championship 5,000m performance proved to be the school's No. 4 all-time mark while setting the No. 2 all-time mark in the mile earlier in the season, behind Coach DeHaven.

Burdick will be the second SDSU runner to claim the indoor track athlete of the year accolade behind Reichow, who also won both the championship MVP and yearly honor in 2017. However, throughout his career, Burdick has claimed two more outdoor championship MVP's (2017, 2018) and another track athlete of the year crown outdoors (2017) while hoisting the first most outstanding performer last year indoors (2018).

Jackrabbit Indoor Record Summary
The 2019 indoor season was one for the record books, literally, as the men reset 35 marks in the school's top 10 and five school records while the women entered 21 marks into the all-time top-10 and three fresh school records.

The men's 60m and 200m top-10 lists were constantly be re-written as the five-some of Sam Zenner, Coby Hilton, Landon Larson, Daniel Clarke, and Emmanual Phoulom-Smith jostled throughout the lists, even exchanging records from week to week.

Kyle Burdick is now towards the top of nearly every distance event for both the school and The Summit League as his indoor career closes, resetting two of his PR's this season and running the 1,000m school-record mark for the first time in his career.

Like Burdick, Rachel King claims nearly every distance record for SDSU (mile, 3,000m, 5,000m), including a reset in the 3,000m this season.

The emergence of Caleb Bray and Mitchel Acker in the 400m at the league championships broke into the event's top 10 list for the first time since 2017 and the top-three since 2011.

Oksana Covey returned after redshirting a year and moved into two top-10 lists (400m and 600m), while holding onto the No. 2 all-time 800m from her freshman campaign.

Nick Wessels, and Jaymie O'Connor on the women's side, burst through their personal-best marks in the 60m hurdles with Wessels inching toward the 2004 school record and O'Connor resetting her personal-best school-record mark three times this season after first clinching it in 2017.

Freshman standout Ellie Friesen penciled in her name onto two lists - the 1,000m and mile - while Addison Eisenbeisz claimed a high jump mark that entered the list for the first time since 2017. Chloe Holtz joined her in the high jump list after two PR resets this season and a top-10 mark in the triple jump for the first time since 2016.

Miatta Flemister-Smith chased down Jackrabbit legend Carly Carper's records in the 60m and 200m, finishing No. 2 in the 60m and No. 6 in the 200m.

On top of that, the competition South Dakota State brought into the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex was fierce, resetting 24 men's meet records (five were Jacks), including nine in The Summit League Championships (three were Jacks), and 13 SJAC facility records (Burdick reset the 1,000m). For the women, 17 meet records were re-established (Flemister-Smith in the SDSU Holiday 60m and Covey in the SDSU DII 600m were Jacks), including three Summit League Championship resets, and 13 SJAC facility records (King reset the 3,000m at the league championships).

Record Breakdown - Total (Jackrabbits)
Men's Meet Records: 24 (5) /// Summit League Championship Records: 9 (3)
Men's Facility Records: 13 (1)
Men's School Records: 5
Men's Top-10 Entries: 35
Women's Meet Records: 17 (2) /// Summit League Championship Records: 3 (0)
Women's Facility Records: 13 (1)
Women's School Records: 3
Women's Top-10 Entries: 21

XC YEAR-END RECAP
Summit League Men (Oct. 28) - The men's cross country team returned to Brookings after the league championships as the three-time defending Summit League Champions, winning their latest championship by 37 points and notching the school's lowest point-score since 2007 (23 points).

The 23-point score was two points under SDSU's 2016 winning score (25) that started the championship run. The 2016 crew had six guys in the top-10, three in the top-five, while the 2018 squad had seven Jackrabbits in the top 10 and eight total winning All-League recognition. Summit League rivals South Dakota and North Dakota State were held to a combined three top-10 finishers.

Five First-Team All-Summit League honorees for SDSU is now the most-ever First-Team All-League honors for SDSU - beating the previous-best set in 2016 (four - won the championship). Three Second-Team All-League members is now tied for the most from South Dakota State (tying the 2014, 2013, 2009 teams). Eight total All-League honors is now the most-ever for South Dakota State in The Summit League era (beating the 2016 championship team's six All-League).

The 37-point margin of victory was the largest-ever by SDSU, beating the previous-best - a 27-point victory over South Dakota in 2012. As far as The Summit League's margin-of-victory records go, it was the second-largest win since South Dakota State joined in 2007 - just five points behind Southern Utah's 42-point win over Oakland in 2007. Southern Utah also holds the all-time record for margin-of-victory, beating Oakland by 60 points in 2006 when they had a perfect score (15).

As for average team times, the Jacks had a pace of 25:23.45 as a team - a time that beats the next-best average by 45.45 seconds from North Dakota State. All Jacks finished in the top-20 with SDSU's Michael Schwinghamer (eighth Jack) earning the last Second-Team All-League honor (14th overall). Schwinghamer, along with Evan Fick (ninth Jack, 17th overall), outpaced two other school's first-scored runner and four other school's second-scored runner. Schwinghamer nearly beat NDSU's and Purdue-Fort Wayne's No. 1 runners (they finished 12th and 13th with Schwinghamer in 14th).

Summit League Women (Oct. 28) - The women's team scored 61 points in a close team-finish behind South Dakota (won, 51 points) and North Dakota State (second, 52 points). It was the second-closest finish among the top-three schools in the league championships (10-point difference between the winners and third place).

The closest was in 2007 when Purdue-Fort Wayne and Southern Utah tied for first (67 points each) and South Dakota State recorded third (68 points). The next closest finish among the top-three schools was in 2016 when South Dakota won (43 points), North Dakota State finished second (48) and South Dakota State placed third (55) - a 12-point difference.

For the Jackrabbit team, it was the fifth-lowest overall team score in The Summit League Championships and the second-lowest team score when they've placed third in the league (2016's team finished third, scored 55 points).

South Dakota State added two First-Team All-Summit League honorees (Rachel King, Emily Donnay), and nearly a Second-Team All-Summit League award-winner (Anna Donnay - missed by 0.05 seconds), to help keep the point-total low. The Jacks have had multiple First-Team All-League performers only three times, with the most being three in 2016 (other times: 2015 - two, 2013 - two).

Jackrabbit Newcomers Take League by Storm (Oct. 28) - Both freshman Joseph Minor-Williams and Thomas Breuckman could have taken home The Summit League's Newcomer of the Championship for the men, as they finished 0.6 seconds from each other in the league's top-10 individual finish. However, Minor-Williams (eighth, 25:38.6) edged out Breuckman (ninth, 25:39.2) for the honor.

Minor-Williams helped SDSU complete the sweep of The Summit League's Newcomer of the Championship awards, as fellow freshman on the women's side - Ellie Friesen (18th, 22:12.3) - won the Newcomer of the Championship on the women's side. Friesen was the second-ever Jackrabbit on the women's side to win the honor - since senior Rachel King was honored as a freshman 2015.

Since the award was changed to Newcomer of the Championship in 2008, only two other schools have claimed both newcomer awards in the same season (2010 - NDSU, 2012 - USD). South Dakota State and North Dakota State are tied for the most Newcomer of the Championship award recipients with six each (Bison: two men, four women; Jackrabbits: four men, two women).

Jacks Pace Summit League at NCAA Regionals (Nov. 9) - The South Dakota State men's and women's cross country teams finished their 2018 campaigns in Peoria, Ill. at the NCAA Midwest Regionals with the men finishing 10th (288 points) and the women tying their best-ever place-finish and scoring their lowest point-total, 13th (369 points).

It was the fifth time the men's team has finished in the top 10 of the Midwest Regionals, while no other active Summit League school has finished in the top 10 of their respective region. The women were the second-best Summit League team in the Midwest Region, knocking off the league championship runner-up NDSU.

The Jackrabbits were led by a couple of seniors on both sides who earned NCAA All-Region honors - the only Summit League school to have a multiple All-Region honorees.

Rachel King led the women, finishing 19th overall (21:01.9) to garner the award. She is the second-ever Jack on the women's team to earn NCAA All-Region accolades (started in 2010) and is the first to win multiple in her career - back-to-back. The women's team has now had three consecutive seasons with a top-25 finisher (Emily Donnay - 2016; King - 2017, 2018) and King is one of three Summit League women to earn All-Region multiple times.

Kyle Burdick led the men's team for the first time this season, en route to his best place-finish at the regional meet and earn All-Region honors, placing 15th (31:18.3). He helps the SDSU team earn the honor for the fourth year in a row, while gathering his second consecutive personally. Only four State runners have received the award, three of them have been honored multiple times (Michael Krsnak - 2010; Trent Lusignan - 2013, 2015; Joel Reichow - 2015, 2016; Burdick - 2017, 2018). In Summit League comparison, he is one of four individuals to achieve the status multiple times (three other individuals being from SDSU).

As for All-Regional honorees in The Summit League, South Dakota State has had the most All-Region individuals since the award was introduced in 2010 with six Jackrabbits winning 10 mentions. Other schools in the league, all together, have 12 mentions from 10 athletes - with the most any one school having is three honorees winning four mentions.

Academic All-Leaguers (Nov. 13) - The Summit League announced the cross country Academic All-League team that included three South Dakota State Jackrabbits - Kyle Burdick, Chase Cayo, and Rachel King. There were five All-League nominations for both men and women, with SDSU tied with North Dakota State for the most All-League nominations at three each.

For senior Kyle Burdick and junior Chase Cayo, they earned their second consecutive Academic All-League honor of their career in cross country - third overall for Cayo (2018 indoor) and fifth overall for Burdick (2017 indoor and outdoor, 2018 outdoor). Only two other SDSU student-athletes have won multiple Academic All-Leagues - Drew Kraft (2012, 2014) and Joel Reichow (2015, 2016).

As for senior Rachel King, she is garnered with her third career accolade in cross country and her sixth overall (2017 indoor, 2018 indoor and outdoor). She is the only Jackrabbit to win multiple Academic All-League honors in cross country - being only the third-ever to garner the accolade (Cheyanne Bowers - 2013, Courtney Neubert - 2014).

USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams & Individuals (Feb. 14) - The South Dakota State cross country teams were named All-Academic teams for the seventh consecutive time, 11th time overall, since becoming Division I according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association..

Seniors Kyle Burdick and Rachel King were also named to the All-Academic individual team for the second times in their respective careers. Burdick keeps the men's cross country streak of now four individuals honored consecutively (since 2015) and King is the all-time women's leader in cross country or track and field for most times named to the USTFCCCA honor list (5 times).

The women's team held the sixth-highest GPA (3.71) among the 232 NCAA DI schools represented on the list, the best mark among Summit League schools and second in the Midwest Region behind Iowa State (fifth, 3.75 GPA). The team's cumulative GPA this year is the second-highest highest behind 2007-08 squad. Last year, the team was tied for the what is now the fourth-highest GPA (3.68) with the 2008 season (3.72 GPA in 2007, 3.71 GPA in 2018, 3.69 GPA in 2016, 3.68 in 2017 and 2008).

The men's team posted the 20th-best GPA (3.51) out of 195 DI schools honored, the second-best mark in the league behind Purdue Fort Wayne (19th, 3.52 GPA) and fourth in the Midwest Region. It is their highest-ever team average, beating last year's average (3.41) and the 2014's GPA (3.49).

Burdick, majoring in natural resource law enforcement, was named to last year's team while also being an honoree for the track and field season along with 2018 graduate Colton Bender. Combining his track (2) and cross country all-academic teams (2), he's now been a part of four lists.

King, studying health education, was named to her first cross country list last year while adding her third consecutive individual honor in track last season. Sara Ackman (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10) and Michelle Schuch (2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10) were each nominated three times for the second-most by an individual State student-athlete.

2018 OUTDOOR SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
TULSA, Okla. (May 10-12, 2018) - Back in the May of last year, the Jackrabbits traveled to Oral Roberts to compete in the league championships, finishing runner-up (215.50) on the men's side and fourth (111.0) on the women's side.

Junior Bryant Courter led the Jacks in capturing all of the men's awards by winning his second Field Championship MVP accolade. Scoring 23.50 points, he won both the long jump and triple jump for the second year in a row, adding PR's in both. His triple jump was a school record while his farthest long jump would have been the school championship record if it was not wind-aided. However, his second farthest jump 25-00.00 feet to push his name up to second all-time on the school's top 10.

Senior Kyle Burdick added his second straight Championship Track MVP by winning the 1,500m, finishing runner-up in the 10,000m, and grabbing the bronze in the 800m - totaling 24 points. It was his first attempt in the 800m at the championships, while he defended his title in the 1,500m.

Sophomore Daniel Clarke gathered 13 points individually, then helped the team add another 10 in the 4x100m relay to win the Jacks' second straight Newcomer of the Championship Award (Courter won it last year).

Clarke scored his points by adding PR's in three of the four events he competed in, including the school record in the 100m (set it in the prelims, and would have set it in the finals) and the 4x100m relay (team reset the school record, trimming off 0.44 seconds). His third personal-best mark came in the long jump where he scored the school's fourth-best jump.

Juniors Chase Cayo and Wyatt Gatrost joined Burdick and Courter as the SDSU event winners. Cayo competed on the first day, taking the victory in the 10,000m with teammates Burdick and 2018 graduate Trevor Capra rounding out the podium. Gatrost earned a photo-finish in the men's 800m, tying South Dakota's Eldon Warner, and leading five other Jackrabbits in the finals.

2018 graduate Mason Leiseth had one of the five school records set at the outdoor championships, setting the all-time mark in the shot put and increasing his PR by 7.50 inches.

Junior Evan Hieber broke the 1989 school record in the decathlon by 60 points, gathering nine personal-best marks out of the 10.

Sophomore Coby Hilton was one of five student-athletes to have multiple personal-best marks. He advanced to the finals of the 100m and 200m, finishing fifth and fourth. He jumped to the fourth-best mark in school history in the prelims of the 100m and (tied fourth-best) finals of the 200m.

Hilton would have had the third-best mark in the 200m if his preliminary time was not illegally wind-aided. The Marshall, Minn. native complimented his individual accolades with a team effort to reset the school record in the 4x100m relay once more along with Clarke. The team trimmed off another 0.44 seconds and won the league race, a championship record as well.

On the women's side, senior Rachel King finished with two top-three finishes, including her first league victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, 14th overall career win.

Seniors Krista Steele and Kasie Vollmer, along with 2018 graduate Vanessa Lane totaled up the last of the four Jackrabbit victories in Tulsa. Vollmer added another 2-11.00 feet to her season-best to win the discus throw while Steele posted her first outdoor 800m championship (she won both 2018 indoor/outdoor league 800m), her fifth career win in the event.

Lane ended her Jackrabbit career finally winning the heptathlon by posting two PR's and two event wins on the second and final days.

Junior Miatta Flemister-Smith represented two of the eight personal-best marks set at ONEOK Sports Complex, en route to a seventh-place finish in the 100m and a fifth-place finish in the 200m. Both her 100m (11.92) and 200m (24.39) are in the school's top 10 (100m -T-4th, 200m - T-7th).

SOCIAL MEDIA
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UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits will continue their outdoor trek next weekend (April 6) when they battle in the Dakota Duals in Vermillion, hosted by South Dakota, before going to Minnesota for their Spring Open on April 12-13.

-GoJacks.com-