RUNNERS HEAD EAST FOR PAIR OF MEETS

Friday, October 15

Verona, WI

11 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational

10/14/2021 2:32:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

MEN'S MEET 5: South Dakota State at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational

When	Friday, Oct. 15 \| Men's B Race at 11:40 a.m. \| Men's A Race at 1 p.m.
Where	Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course \| Verona, Wisconsin
TV	RunnerSpace.com (subscription)
Results	UWBadgers.com
Meet Notes	South Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \|

WOMEN'S MEET 5: South Dakota State at Bradley Pink Invitational

When	Friday, Oct. 15 \| Women's White Race at 1:30 p.m. \| Red Race at 3 p.m.
Where	Newman Golf Course \| Peoria, Illinois
TV	None
Results	ShazamRacing.com
Meet Notes	South Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \|

The South Dakota State University cross country teams mark their return to action Friday by heading east to Wisconsin and Illinois for separate meets.

The men will be participating in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Verona, Wisconsin. The men's 8,000-meter "B" race is slated to start at 11:40 a.m. on the Thomas Zimmer Champion Cross Country Course, while the "A" race will begin at 1 p.m.

The Jackrabbit women will be competing at the Bradley Pink Invitational in Peoria, Illinois. The White race is set for a 1:30 p.m. start time at Newman Golf Course and will be followed by the Red race at 3 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: Three Jackrabbits finished in the top 5 of the individual placings of the men's and women's races at the Briar Cliff Invite held in North Sioux City at the Adams Nature Preserve on Oct. 1.

Women
Cailee Peterson and Oksana Johnson helped lead the South Dakota State women's cross country team to a third-place finish in the team standings after each earning top-five individual finishes.

Peterson finished second out of 130 runners with a time of 17 minutes, 55.99 seconds. Just seconds behind her was Johnson, who finished fourth overall with a time of 17:59.33.

Sophomores Nicole Greyer and Kayla Christopherson were the next Jackrabbits to finish, placing 13th (18:39.52) and 18th (18:48.80) respectively. Malorie Schmoll was the final runner contribute to SDSU's 68 points, finishing 42nd with a time of 19:50.13.

Additional upper-half finishes included Jenean Hanka (44th, 19:53.83), Grace Waage (54th, 20:20.17), Abbey Stadler (55th, 20:21.96), Hannah Neusch (58th, 20:24.33), and Hannah Nelson (64th, 20:40.79). Megan Sievers rounded out the list of Jackrabbit competitors by placing 70th in 21:04.81.

Men
The Jackrabbit men did not field a complete team but received a third-place overall finish from Max Selbach, who completed the 8,000-meter course in 25:20.60. Josh Baker rounded out the top 10 with a time of 26:09.32.

Just behind Baker was Nathan Notgrass, who placed 16th in a time of 26:43.20.

Newcomers Ben Anteau, Cormick Logue and Kyle Nordling competed unattached.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Jackrabbit men head to Wisconsin ranked 11th in the Week 4 edition of the Midwest Region rankings conducted by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association. SDSU, which began the season ranked sixth, fell three spots after competing at the Briar Cliff Invite on October 1.

The Jackrabbits are the lone Summit League team in the men's rankings.

In the women's division, the Jackrabbits moved up two spots in the rankings after their performance at the Briar Cliff Invite, placing 11th in the region. SDSU opened the season with a 12th-place showing in the preseason poll.

SUMMIT LEAGUE FAVORITES: Both Jackrabbit cross country squads have been picked to repeat as Summit League champions, according to preseason polls conducted in August among the league's head coaches.

Women
SDSU received six of the nine first-place votes and finished with 60 points, narrowly topping North Dakota State by a single point in the preseason poll.

Senior Anna Donnay was nominated as one of two Jackrabbits among the Summit League's Women's Athletes to Watch. Donnay took third overall at the 2020 league championships with a time of 21:58, helping the Jackrabbits secure league title and a low total of 22 points.

Sophomore Leah Hansen was the second nominee for the women's squad as last year she earned All-League honors as the individual champion at the 2020 League Championship with a time of 21:45.60. Then, Hansen went on to claim a berth to the NCAA National Championships where she recorded a season-best mark in the 6K of 21:40.60.

Men
The Jackrabbit men are the odds-on favorite to win a sixth consecutive Summit League crown after garnering seven of the eight first-place votes in the preseason poll. SDSU finished with 49 points, followed by North Dakota State with 42.

Juniors Joseph Minor and Thomas Breuckman were selected as Summit League Men's Athletes to Watch for SDSU. Minor-Williams was the individual champion at the Summit League Cross Country Championships in 2019 along with leading the Jackrabbits at the 2020 Summit League Championships with his runner-up 8K effort of 25:01.5, aiding the low 22-point championship team total.

Breuckman earned all-league honors for his third-place finish at the 2020 league championships. Also during the 2020 season, Brueckman finished as the Jacks' No. 2 runner in both meets the squad competed during a pandemic-shortened campaign that was moved to the spring.

The Summit League Championships are set for Oct. 30 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

COACH DeHAVEN: South Dakota State coach Rod DeHaven is in his 18th season leading the Jackrabbit cross country and track and field programs. During his tenure, DeHaven has been named a conference coach of the year 15 times — 13 times in cross country and twice for indoor track and field.

DeHaven has led the Jackrabbit men to nine Summit League cross country team titles, including each of the last five. In addition, the Jackrabbit women claimed Summit League team titles in 2008 and during the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season, completing a sweep with the men for the first time in program history.

DeHaven was a standout distance runner for the Jackrabbits from 1984-89 and later represented the United States in the marathon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will get some time off before the upcoming Summit League Cross Country Championships on Oct. 30 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The men's 8K race is slated to being at 10 a.m. with the women's 6K race to follow at 11 a.m.

SDSU is the defending champion in both the men's and women's divisions.

-GoJacks.com-