JACKS READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP MEET

Saturday, October 28

Brookings, SD

11 a.m.

South Dakota State University

Summit League Cross Country Championships

Photo by: SDSU Sports Information

10/27/2023 3:15:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

MEET 7: South Dakota State at Summit League Cross Country Championships

When	Saturday, Oct. 28 \| Men @ 11 a.m. \| Women @ Noon
Where	Edgebrook Golf Course \| Brookings, SD
TV	Summit League Network
Results	DakotaTiming.com
Meet Notes	Summit League Championship Central
Social Media	Twitter \| #LastPlay

BROOKINGS, SD – South Dakota State cross country will host and compete in the 2023 Summit League Cross Country Championships on Friday at the Edgebrook Golf Course.

The Jackrabbit men look to capture their record-extending eighth straight team title—and 12^th overall—while the women aim for their third title in four years. Leah (Hansen) Hisken will also attempt to win her fourth consecutive individual crown.

Action will begin at 11 a.m. with the men's 8k and will continue at noon with the women's 6k. An awards ceremony will take place following the second race.

Seven men's teams and eight women's teams will be in competition on Friday. Course and parking maps can be found on the Summit League Cross Country championship page.

2022 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP:
WOMEN
Leah Hansen was crowned the individual champion for a third straight time as every runner scored a PR and the SDSU women's cross country team finished second at the Summit League XC Championships on Ray Richards Golf Course on Saturday.

Hansen, a junior from Willmar, Minn., clocked a blazing time of 20:01.9 for a personal best enroute to her crown and was named the Women's Championship MVP.

She became the fourth SDSU runner to win the title three times in a row, joining the likes of Kristin Asp, Kiri Johnson and Sheena Dauer. Hansen also became the first woman to win the individual championship in Summit League history and now own the fastest 6k time in league history.

Mya Kizer clocked a personal-best time of 20:54.5 for 11^th place while Caitlin Bright trailed just behind, taking 13^th place in 20:57.7 for a PR. Claire Beckman (21^st, 21:22.2, PR) and Kayla Christopherson (22^nd, 21:23.4, PR) rounded out scoring for SDSU.

Nicole Greyer finished just outside the top 25 with her personal-best time of 21:28.9 for 26^th place. Emma Ecker was next for the Jacks as she took 29^th place in a time of 21:48.4 for a PR and Kadense Dooley clocked a 21:53.1 for 31^st place and a PR.

Malorie Schmoll also grabbed a personal best as she crossed the finish line in 22:02.7 for 34^th place and finally for the Jackrabbits was Grace Waage in 41^st place with a personal-best time of 22:19.8.

"The women ran a great race and compete with a lot of heart. We just got beat by a better team today," said Rod DeHaven, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country.

NDSU won the team title with 38 points, as SDSU took second with 68 points and North Dakota finished third with 100 points. St. Thomas was fourth with 133 points and South Dakota scored 139 points for fifth place. Kansas City (140 points), Omaha (157 points), Oral Roberts (202 points) and Western Illinois (213 points) round out the scoring teams.

MEN
The South Dakota State University men's cross country team continued their record-breaking stream with their seventh consecutive Summit League Championship title on Saturday at the Ray Richards Golf Course.

Every single runner for the men's squad scored a personal best time.

"The men executed the race plan and really ran strong today. This is a veteran group that got after it today," said Rod DeHaven, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country.

Ben Olson led the way for the Jackrabbits as he was crowned league champion with a first place finish in a personal-best time of 22:56.1. He was also named the Men's Championship MVP.

Finishing just behind him was Joseph Minor-Williams, a former individual champion, who claimed the runner-up title in 23:04.2 for a personal best while Tom Breuckman clocked a 23:14.8 for a PR and fourth place.

Rounding out the scoring placers for the Jacks was Daniel Burkhalter and Josh Becker, who placed fifth (23:15.9, PR) and sixth (23:16.5, PR), respectively.

Max Selbach was next as he took 10^th place with a time of 23:32.0 for a PR. Lucas Caminiti finished in 12^th place with a personal-best time of 23:39.7 as Mason McDonald grabbed 15^th place in 23:56.4, which was a personal best.

Cormick Logue took 24^th place in a career-best 24:16.0 and, rounding out the SDSU finishers was Carter Knaus, who clocked a person-best 24:19.6 for 30^th place.

SDSU dominated the field by scoring 18 points for first place, as NDSU finished in second place with 64 points. St. Thomas was third with 78 points, North Dakota took fourth with 109 points and South Dakota scored 126 points for fifth place. Western Illinois (201 points), Oral Roberts (206 points) and Kansas City (207 points) round out the scoring teams.

LAST TIME OUT:
WOMEN
The South Dakota State women's cross country team took fifth place at two different meets on Friday as they competed in the Arturo Barrios Invitational and Platte River Rumble.

ARTURO BARRIOS INVITATIONAL
Leah (Hansen) Hisken took 23^rd place in 20:17.6 to lead the Jackrabbit women to a fifth place overall team finish. Jessica Lutmer was next for SDSU as she ran a personal best 20:59.0 for 82^nd place and Mya Kizer finished 104^th with a time of 21:13.4

Claire Beckman crossed the finish line in 21:22.3, a time that is .1 off her PR, for 117^th while Grace Waage rounded out the scoring runners by clocking a PR of 21:29.3 to take 136^th place.

Caitlin Bright ran a 21:43.5 for 160^th while Nicole Greyer was right behind in 165^th with a time of 21:45.9. Rounding out the Jackrabbit runners was Sierra Watterud, who ran a 6k PR of 22:02.4 for 196^th.

SDSU finished 17^th out of 41 teams with 442 points. Utah Valley won the women's race with 97 points.

PLATTE RIVER RUMBLE
Emma Gonzalez led the way for the SDSU women in the 6k as she clocked a 22:48.9 for 20^th place. Kadense Dooley finished 27^th in 23:06.1 as Nina Dawson was just behind in 29^th place with a time of 23:13.7.

Jenna Soine came 41^st with a clocking of 23:38.4 and Emma Ecker capped out the Jackrabbit scoring in 24:20.1 for 65^th place.

Three Jackrabbits finished back-to-back-to-back as Hannah Neusch (24:48.1), Brianne Travis (24:49.9) and Hannah Spoden (24:51.6, PR) finished in 78^th, 79^th and 80^th place, respectively.

SDSU claimed fifth place in the team standings of the 6k with 159 points. Nebraska won the race with 27 points.

MEN
The South Dakota State men's cross country team took fifth place as a team as freshman Carson Noecker individually placed fifth overall in a dominant day of action at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.

SDSU's scoring five all placed in the top 65 of competition out of 365 total athletes in the men's 8k.

Noecker crossed the finish line first for the Jackrabbits as he took fifth place with a personal best time of 23:15.7. Josh Becker was next in 22^nd place after clocking a 23:50.1 and Cody Larson ran a PR of 24:19.1 for 59^th place.

Will Lohr (24.23.2, PR) and Daniel Burkhalter (24:23.4) finished back-to-back in 61^st and 62^nd place, respectively, to round out the scoring runners.

Christian Noble took 82^nd place with a PR of 24:32.1 as Jackson Dutcher ran a personal best 8k time of 25:10.6 for 172^nd place. Luke Johnson rounded out the Jackrabbit athletes in 26:15.4 for 282^nd place and a new PR.

SDSU took fifth place overall out of 39 teams with 209 points. Tulane won the men's race with 103 points.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Week Four Division I cross country rankings decided by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association were announced Oct. 16^th with the Jackrabbit men maintain their spot of 8^th in the Midwest region while the women jumped five spots to 9^th.

SDSU MEN PICKED FIRST, WOMEN SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL: The SDSU men were chosen to continue their streak of Summit League championship titles while the women were picked second following a 2022 season that saw a record seventh-straight title for the men and second place finish for the women.

2023 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
1. South Dakota State (4) - 34
2. North Dakota State (3) - 33
3. North Dakota - 25
T-4. South Dakota - 19
T-4. St. Thomas - 19
6. Oral Roberts - 9
7. Kansas City - 8

2023 SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY PRESEASON POLL
1. North Dakota State (3) - 45
2. South Dakota State (4) - 42
3. North Dakota (1) - 38
4. South Dakota - 29
5. St. Thomas - 22
6. Omaha - 21
7. Kansas City - 17
8. Oral Roberts - 10

ATHLETES TO WATCH: Four Jackrabbits –two men and two women—were recognized as Summit League Preseason Athletes to Watch.

Josh Becker, South Dakota State
Jr. | Osseo, Wis.

Captured sixth at the 2022 League Championships, good for first team All-League honors
Clocked an 8K time of 24:36.6 at the Weiss-Crockett Invitational
Finished third at the Augustana Twilight with a four-mile time of 19:19.8

Daniel Burkhalter, South Dakota State
Sr. | Prairie City, S.D.

Took second place at the Augustana Twilight with a four-mile time of 19:18.4
Clocked a season-best 8K time of 24:27.5 at the Weiss-Crockett Invitational
Earned first team All-League honors at the 2022 League Championships with a fifth-place finish
Placed 27th at the NCAA Midwest Regional running the 10K in a personal-best time of 30:09.7

Leah (Hansen) Hisken, South Dakota State
Sr. | Willmar, Minn.

First athlete to take home three consecutive Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year honors (2020, 2021, 2022)
Earned her third consecutive League individual title and Championship MVP honor while helping the Jacks to a runner-up finish in the team standings at the 2022 League Championships
Placed 19^th at the 2022 NCAA Midwest Regional with a time of 20:40.0
Top-20 finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional helped pace the Jacks to 10th place in the team standings, the highest finish for an SDSU team in the Division I era

Mya Kizer, South Dakota State
Jr. | Hammond, Wis.

Earned second team All-League honors with an 11th-place finish at the 2022 League Championships
Had a season-best 6K race at the Bradley Pink Classic with a time of 21:21.4
Finished second at the SDSU Classic in a time of 18:22.7 and ran a season-best 5K at the Augustana Twilight (18:15.1)

UP NEXT: The Jackrabbits will head south to Stillwater, Oklahoma for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday, Nov. 10.

-GoJacks.com-