Upcoming Event: Men's Track and Field at Drake Relays on April 23, 2026
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Men's Track and Field
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South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia
NINE JACKS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE
3/23/2022 2:08:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Nine South Dakota State indoor track and field athletes — five men and four women — were named to the 2021-22 Academic All-League team, league officials announced Wednesday.
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Daniel Burkhalter, Ben Olson, Thomas Breuckman, Josh Donahoe, Reid Pierzinski, Oksana Johnson, Cailee Peterson, Elizabeth Gillingham and Leah Hansen represent the Jacks for their outstanding academic and athletic performances this season. Breuckman and Johnson were each honored for the third time in their careers, while Burkhalter and Donahoe were repeat selections.
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Daniel Burkhalter
Jr. | Distance | Prairie City, S.D.
Ben Olson
Jr. | Distance | Coon Rapids, Minn.
Thomas Breuckman
Jr. | Distance | Andover, Minn.
Josh Donahoe
Jr. | Multi Events | Garretson, S.D.
Reid Pierzinski
Jr. | Sprints/Hurdles | Nisswa, Minn.
Oksana Johnson
Gr. | Mid-Distance | Ankeny, Iowa
Cailee Peterson
Jr. | Distance | Mayville, N.D.
Elizabeth Gillingham
So. | Multi Events | Minneota, Minn.
Leah Hansen
So. | Distance | Willmar, Minn.
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team's competitions.
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Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league's eight institutions that carry track and field, and voting is conducted by both the SIDs and facility athletic representatives (FARs). Each team is made up of the 15 student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.
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2021-22 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
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*Career Indoor Academic All-League honors
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2021-22 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
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*Career Indoor Academic All-League honors
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The outdoor season for SDSU kicks off this Thursday with meets in Raleigh, North Carolina and Emporia, Kansas.
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Daniel Burkhalter, Ben Olson, Thomas Breuckman, Josh Donahoe, Reid Pierzinski, Oksana Johnson, Cailee Peterson, Elizabeth Gillingham and Leah Hansen represent the Jacks for their outstanding academic and athletic performances this season. Breuckman and Johnson were each honored for the third time in their careers, while Burkhalter and Donahoe were repeat selections.
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Daniel Burkhalter
Jr. | Distance | Prairie City, S.D.
- 4.0 GPA (3.89 in graduate school) in Mathematics/Statistics (Gr)
- Earned second in the mile run in 4:07.25 and 3000-meter run in 8:10.20 at the Summit League Indoor Championship meet
Ben Olson
Jr. | Distance | Coon Rapids, Minn.
- 3.71 GPA in Mechanical Engineering
- Named Men's Track Championship MVP after earning two gold (3,000 meters, mile run) and one silver medal (5,000-meter run) at the Summit League Indoor Championship meet
Thomas Breuckman
Jr. | Distance | Andover, Minn.
- 3.94 GPA (4.0 in graduate school) in Mechanical Engineering/Engineering (Gr)
- Took third in the mile run at the final indoor league meet in 4:08.11
Josh Donahoe
Jr. | Multi Events | Garretson, S.D.
- 3.92 GPA in Biology/Pre-Medicine
- Took fifth in the men's heptathlon at the league championship meet with a career-best 4749 points
Reid Pierzinski
Jr. | Sprints/Hurdles | Nisswa, Minn.
- 3.75 GPA in Mathematics
- Took third as a member of the men's 4x100 team in 3:15.16 at the indoor championship meet
Oksana Johnson
Gr. | Mid-Distance | Ankeny, Iowa
- 3.91 GPA (4.0 in graduate school) in Early Childhood Education/Counseling-HR Development (Gr)
- Earned first in the women's 800-meter run in 2:10.02, grabbed second as a part of the women's distance medley relay in 12:01.23 and took third in the 4x100 relay in 3:49.92 at the championship meet
Cailee Peterson
Jr. | Distance | Mayville, N.D.
- 4.0 GPA in Wildlife and Science/Ecology/Environmental Science
- Took first in the mile run in 4:49.55 and second in the 3,000-meter run in 9:35.71 at the championship meet
Elizabeth Gillingham
So. | Multi Events | Minneota, Minn.
- 3.98 GPA in Human Biology/Pre-Dentistry
- Earned third as a member of the women's 4x100 team in 3:49.92 and took second as part of the distance medley relay in 12:01.23 at the league championship meet
Leah Hansen
So. | Distance | Willmar, Minn.
- 3.78 GPA in History
- Took first in the women's 5,000-meter run at the Summit League Indoor Championships in 16:48.63
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their team's competitions.
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Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the league's eight institutions that carry track and field, and voting is conducted by both the SIDs and facility athletic representatives (FARs). Each team is made up of the 15 student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.
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2021-22 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
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| Name | School | Year | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Daniel Burkhalter** | South Dakota State | Jr. | Prairie City, S.D. | 4.00 / 3.89 (Gr) | Mathematics/Statistics (Gr) |
| Ben Olson | South Dakota State | Jr. | Coon Rapids, Minn. | 3.71 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Trevor Otterdahl**** | North Dakota State | Sr. | Rosemount, Minn. | 3.96/ 4.00 (Gr) | Mathematics (MBA) |
| Jessie Sullivan*** | South Dakota | R-Jr. | Albion, Neb. | 4.00 | Chemistry |
| Tom Breuckman*** | South Dakota State | Jr. | Andover, Minn. | 3.94 / 4.00 (Gr) | Mechanical Engineering/Engineering (Gr) |
| Josh Donahoe** | South Dakota State | Jr. | Garretson, S.D. | 3.92 | Biology/Pre-Medicine |
| Dylan Kautz** | South Dakota | R-So. | Norfolk, Neb. | 3.86 | Business |
| Jacob Rodin*** | North Dakota State | Jr. | Kenmar, N.D. | 4.00 | Agricultural Economics |
| Marshall Faurot** | South Dakota | R-So. | Scott City, Kan. | 3.77 | Kinesiology and Sport Management |
| Eerik Haamer | South Dakota | R-Fr. | Tartu, Estonia | 3.80 | Media and Journalism |
| Brandon Lewis | North Dakota State | Jr. | Bismarck, N.D. | 3.64 | Physical Education & Health Education |
| Austin Wolf | North Dakota | Sr. | Bismarck, N.D. | 3.84 | Pre-Accountancy |
| Reid Pierzinski | South Dakota State | Jr. | Nisswa, Minn. | 3.75 | Mathematics |
| Josh Samyn*** | North Dakota State | Jr. | Winnipeg, Manitoba | 3.94 | Biological Sciences |
| Trent Davis | North Dakota State | So. | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 3.71 | English Education |
*Career Indoor Academic All-League honors
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2021-22 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ACADEMIC ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
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| Name | School | Year | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Holly Gerberding*** | South Dakota | Gr. | Sturgis, S.D. | 3.94 / 4.00 (Gr) | Medical Biology |
| Haley Arens** | South Dakota | Sr. | Crofton, Neb. | 3.94 | Biology |
| Oksana Johnson*** | South Dakota State | Gr. | Ankeny, Iowa | 3.91 / 4.00 (Gr) | Early Childhood Education/Counseling-HR Development (Gr) |
| Cailee Peterson | South Dakota State | Jr. | Mayville, N.D. | 4.00 | Wildlife and Science/Ecology/Environmental Science |
| Kelby Anderson*** | North Dakota State | Sr. | Bismarck, N.D. | 3.83 | Nursing |
| Amanda Anderson*** | North Dakota State | Sr. | Bethel, Minn. | 4.00 | Physical Education & Health Education |
| Elizabeth Gillingham | South Dakota State | So. | Minneota, Minn. | 3.98 | Human Biology/Pre-Dentistry |
| Carly Haring** | South Dakota | R-So. | Mitchell, S.D. | 4.00 | Medical Biology |
| Vanessa Gunderson** | Omaha | Jr. | Denison, Iowa | 4.00 | Neuroscience |
| Abrielle Jirele | South Dakota | R-Fr. | Eden Prairie, Minn. | 4.00 | Communication Sciences & Disorders |
| Sara Reifenrath | South Dakota | R-Fr. | Hartington, Neb. | 4.00 | General Studies |
| Erica Benson | North Dakota | Gr. | Mankato, Minn. | 3.73 | Pre-Nursing |
| Gen Hirata** | South Dakota | R-So. | Fredericksburg, Va. | 3.95 | Media and Journalism |
| Allie Wahlund | North Dakota State | So. | Minot, N.D. | 4.00 | Nursing |
| Leah Hansen | South Dakota State | So. | Willmar, Minn. | 3.78 | History |
| Amy Phillips*** | North Dakota State | Sr. | Henley-on-Thames, England | 3.87 | Health, Nutrition & Exercise Science (Gr) |
*Career Indoor Academic All-League honors
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The outdoor season for SDSU kicks off this Thursday with meets in Raleigh, North Carolina and Emporia, Kansas.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Track and Field
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/ Women's Track and Field
/ Women's Track and Field
/ Women's Track and Field
/ Men's Track and Field
/ Women's Track and Field
/ Men's Track and Field
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