QuickHits: Coyote track teams place second in polls

VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota’s men’s and women’s indoor track teams were picked to finish second in the Summit League preseason coach’s poll released on Thursday, with both teams receiving one first-place vote.

The women’s team, which placed second at the conference meet last season, tallied 43 points, while the men tallied 20 points.  North Dakota State won both polls with the Bison women receiving 49 points and the men receiving 24.

The top-five in both polls were the same, with South Dakota State placing third (women 37 points, men 19 points), Kansas City fourth (women 29, men 12) and Western Illinois fifth (women 21, men 9).

The Coyote women return a pair of Olympic trial qualifiers and All-Americans in the pole vault in Bethany Buell and Emily Grove.  Buell won the outdoor conference title, while Grove placed second in both the indoor and outdoor Summit League Championships.  At the outdoor national championships, Buell finished third and Grove placed seventh.

The women also return the conference’s 2012 Newcomer of the Year in Analisa Huschle.  The sophomore recorded three top-five finishes at last season’s indoor conference meet, with thirds in the 60-meter dash and triple-jump and a fourth in the long jump.

The South Dakota men bring back last season’s conference indoor shot put champion Kyle McKelvey.  McKelvey, a sophomore this year, won that event last season with a toss of 16.53 meters (54’4½”) and placed second in the outdoor shot put last season as well.

The conference meet will be held at the DakotaDome and  will begin Feb. 24.