Coyotes Place Second at Championships
South Dakota finished runner-up in both the men’s and women’s Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships. The second place team finish is highlighted by 33 Coyotes earning all league honors.
Senior Alexus Sindelar started the awards at the beginning of the Championships, receiving the Scholar of the Championship award after she posted a 4.0 GPA.
On the first day of competition, South Dakota finished in the top three six times. Sophomore Isaac Ochoa finished third in the men’s 3000. Freshman Caelan Harland took gold in the men’s pole vault.
Graduate Delaney Smith finished first in the women’s weight throw, and freshman Rylie Hansen took gold in the women’s long jump with a personal best jump.
The men’s distance medley relay took first, and the women’s took second with a new school record of 11:32.9.
Sophomore Ethan Baessler started the day for USD with a third place finish in the men’s 60 meter. South Dakota also earned three medals in the 60 meter hurdles, with sophomore Jaden Damiano and senior Mikael Grace taking first and second on the men’s side, while sophomore Sophie Amin took gold on the women’s side.
Junior Evan Janzen and freshman Braxton Smith took first and third, respectively, in the men’s 400, both recording personal bests in the race. Senior Brandon Vander Sluis took silver in the men’s shot put.
Senior Landon Olson took first in the men’s high jump while junior Maddie Olson took second in the women’s competition. Freshman Kenya Harris took first in the women’s triple jump, and Andrew Cartier took second on the men’s side.
South Dakota swept the podium in both the women’s pole vault and the 800 meter. Sophomores Berkeley Engelland, Ellie Thomas and Calia Chaney finished in that order in the 800, with Engelland recording a personal best. Graduate Marleen Mulla took first in the pole vault, followed by sophomore Anna Willis and junior Eliza Aitken.
Mulla and Willis will both represent USD at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The two compete Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, at the same facility where they broke the school record together earlier this indoor season. They go into the event ranked second and third in the nation.
The team then turns its focus to the outdoor season, starting with the Wildcat Classic in Wayne, Nebraska, on March 28.
