JOPLIN, MO. - The University of South Dakota's 1997 men's cross country team, which won the national title, will be inducted into the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Hall of Fame on Friday. The Coyote team will be honored with Adams State's Denise Summers during the opening ceremonies of the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships which will be hosted by Missouri Southern State.

The Coyote cross country team is the second group/individual from USD to earn USTFCCA Hall of Fame honors. In 2006, two-time national triple jump champion Steve Gordon was inducted into the track and field section of the USTFCCA's Hall of Fame.

The 1997 men's cross country team, which was inducted this fall into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame, ranks as one of the school's greatest sports teams. In 1997, the USD men's cross country team won the second-ever national title by a USD athletics team. After winning the 1997 NCAA Division II Cross Country title, the Coyotes followed up with a third-place national finish in 1998.

Led by the performances of All-Americans Joel Fenske (now of Farmington, Minn.) and Matt Hoyt (now of Vermillion, S.D.), USD scored 78 team points to defeat Central Missouri State (83) and win the 1997 cross country NCAA Division II championship. That season, the Coyotes won the North Central Region meet with a then-school record of 30 points. USD scored 29 points to win the 1997 NCC title. Hoyt became USD's fifth male conference champion.

In all, USD had four All-Americans in 1997, including Fenske, who was seventh and earned his third All-American honor. Hoyt picked up his second All-American honor with a ninth-place finish. Chad Feeldy (now of Sioux Falls, S.D.) was 11th and Mike Gade (now of Beresford, S.D.) was 13th. The team coached by Scott Munsen (now of Pierre, S.D.), also included Jason Probasco (now of Papillion, Neb.) Mark Nelson (now of Shakopee, Minn.). A year later, USD was third at the national meet, which was its fifth consecutive top-10 finish at nationals.

In 1998, USD won the NCC meet with 24 points and took the region title with a school record 23 points. USD had 81 points at nationals. Hoyt picked up his third All-American honor by placing sixth. Feeldy earned his second All-American honor with a seventh-place finish and Fenske picked up his fourth All-American honor with a 15th place finish. Fenske became USD's first ever athlete to earn four All-American honors in cross country. Gade earned his second All-American honor with a 33rd-place finish while Probasco earned All-American honors with a 37th-place finish. Hoyt was named the NCAA National and Regional Cross Country Athlete of the Year. He won the NCC title and North Central Region title for the second consecutive year, which was a first by a USD athlete. Hoyt's sixth place finish at nationals was the second best individual finish in school history.