USD track and field conquers individual events in California
USD track and field took home numerous events in California over Easter break. The team competed in a trio of meets, starting with the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate in Long Beach, California.
At the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate, the Coyotes won four individual events along with the men’s and women’s 4×100 Meter Relays.
Freshman Danii Anglin won the Women’s High Jump competition by clearing a height of 1.76m. Sophomore Carly Haring also cleared 1.76m and finished as runner-up in the event. For Men’s High Jump, junior Jack Durst finished first place too, clearing a height of 2.06m.
The Men’s and Women’s 4×100 Meter Relay saw both teams take first place. Sophomores Erin Kinney, Jacy Pulse and Sara Reifenrath teamed up with freshman Anna Robinson to finish with a time of 45.97. On the men’s side, sophomores Dylan Kautz, Ardell Inlay and Demar Francis teamed up with freshman Ken-Mark Minkovski to finish their relay with a time of 40.64.
Freshman Moe Bridgen captured the Women’s 400 Meter Hurdles as she crossed with a time of 59.57. This time is the second-best time in school history. Senior Holly Gerberding finished second in the event with her season best time of 1:00.97.
Inlay finished in fifth place in the Men’s 100 Meter Dash with his time of 10.69.
The Men’s Triple Jump event saw two Coyotes on the podium with sophomore Jacob Jenkins getting second with his height of 14.64m and freshman Jayden Green finishing third with 14.23m.
In the Women’s 800 Meter Dash, the Coyotes saw two athletes finish in the top five. Sophomores Madison Jochum and Ella Byers finished third and fourth, respectively. On the men’s side with the 800 Meter Dash, sophomore Luke Olson crossed the line first with a time of 1:57.03.
In the Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles, freshman Averi Schmeichel finished in fourth place with her time of 14.02.
The next stop on the Coyotes’ California schedule was in Los Angeles for the two-day Mt. Sac Relays.
Junior Merga Gemeda finished the 25 laps for the 10,000 Meter Race in 29:18.51. Gemeda beat the USD school record set in 2000 and placed ninth in the competitive event.
On the second day at Mt. Sac sophomore Jaidyn Garrett won her section of the Women’s Pole Vault, clearing a height of 4.15m.
Freshman Marleen Mülla finished fourth in the Women’s Pole Vault in “Collegiate A.” Her height was 4.25m. Freshman Eerik Haamer finished fifth in the Men’s Pole Vault in “Collegiate A” with his height of 5.35m.
The final meet in California was back in Long Beach for the Long Beach Invitational. On Saturday, USD placed first in four women’s events at the Jack Rose track.
South Dakota’s 4×400 Women’s Relay team finished first place in 3:42.02. The team consisted of Bridgen, Pulse, Robinson and Reifenrath.
USD also had their 4×100 team finish on the podium. The team consisted of Kinney, Robinson, Pulse and Reifenrath who grabbed second place with their time of 45.89.
Reifenrath continued her podium appearances as she placed first in the Women’s 400 Meter Race completing it in 54.40 seconds.
Anglin cleared 1.76m to finish first in Women’s High Jump while sophomore Carly Haring tied for second place by clearing 1.71m.
Byers also took first place in the 1,500 Meter Race with a new personal record of 4:31.00.
The Women’s 400 Meter had Pulse finish in fourth place in 1:00.11. This time now ranks fourth all-time in Coyote history.
Women’s Pole Vault saw two competitors finish within the top five. Garrett sat second on the podium with her jump of 4.21m and Mülla sat right behind her in third with her height of 4.06m.
Francis added another podium finish on his weekend as he finished second in the 200 Meter Dash with his time of 21.17. He also finished fourth in the 400 Meter as he crossed the line with a time of 47.64.
Francis teamed up with teammates Inlay, Kautz and sophomore Virgil Steward in the 4×100 Meter Relay as they finished in second place crossing the line at 40.62.
Haamer and sophomore Marshall Faurot tied for second place in the Men’s Pole Vault with their height of 5.27m.
Jenkins rounded out the Coyotes’ podium finishes with his third place in the Men’s Triple Jump with his distance of 15.26m.
South Dakota’s next meet will be April 22-23 when the Coyotes host the South Dakota Challenge in Vermillion.
