Results

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The South Dakota women's track and field team, boosted by individual titles by seniors Emma Ladwig and Kenna Wolter and a solid all-around weekend by freshman Analisa Huschle, earned runner-up honors at the Summit League Championships, which concluded Saturday in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Coyote men finished a solid fourth, keyed by championships from freshman Kyle McKelvey and their 4 x 400 relay team.

North Dakota State won the women's competition while Southern Utah won the men's side. Both Coyote teams finished ahead of in-state rival South Dakota State in their first-ever Summit League indoor meet.

Huschle (Bagley, Minn.) was named the Women's Newcomer of the Year after recording three top-five finishes during the competition, including a pair of third-place finishes. Wolter (Santa Maria, Calif.) won the triple jump, setting another school record in the process. Wolter finished with a jump of 41-9 1/4 -- topping the previous record by four inches she set at the John Dalton Invitational on Feb. 17 - to claim the conference title. The victory was the sixth conference title of Wolter's career.

Ladwig (Gayville, S.D.) added another title to her impressive Coyote career, taking the women;'s 800 meters at 2:09.96 - edging North Dakota State's Faith Kruchowski by less than a second. The title was the ninth individual conference championship of Ladwig's career. She has won the 800 meters in three different conferences.

The Coyote men's 4 x 400 relay team claimed the championship with a time of 3:17.77. That consisted of freshman Erik Hill (Tea, S.D.), freshman Jeff O'Connell (Philip, S.D.), junior Casey Shade (Hartford, S.D.) and freshman Lukas Bernard (Watertown, S.D.). The Coyotes won the race by 1.13 seconds.

McKelvey (Beresford, S.D.) won the shot put with a throw of 54-4 1/2 to claim his first collegiate conference title after a decorated prep career. Huschle's finished proved valuable for the Coyote women as she accounted for 17 points during the meet. After taking fourth in the long jump on Friday, she added a third-place finish in the 60-meters (7.68), and a third-place in the triple jump (39-3 1/4).

Several other performances keyed the Coyote teams Saturday.

Junior Alexa Duling (Gregory, S.D.) had an excellent meet for the Coyote women. She was second in the 400 meters (55.64, just .07 seconds out of first) and third in the 60-meter hurdles (8.71). Freshman Emily Grove (Pontiac, Ill.) was second in the women's pole vault at 13-7 1/4, tying the school indoor record, with junior Megan Meyer (Bismarck, N.D.) taking fourth at 12-3 1/2. Junior Gabriel Williams (Sioux City, Iowa) took fourth in the 60 meters at 7.71.

Senior Darci Schwartz (McCook Lake, S.D.) was sixth in the shot put with a personal best of 45-0 1/4. Junior Jessica Brandli (Rapid City, S.D.) added her second top five finish of the meet, taking fifth in the 5,000 meters at 17:23.17.

For the men, Shade had an excellent showing in the men's 800 meters, taking second at 1:51.14. Sophomore Jeff Mettler (Eureka, S.D.) was fourth in the one-mile run at 4:14.07. Senior Jared Clement (Le Mars, Iowa) added a fifth-place finish in the 60-meter dash at 7.12, while sophomore Adam Mikkelsen (Gregory, S.D.) was fifth in the high jump at 6-5.

The Coyotes begin their outdoor season on March 16-17 at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego, Calif.

Freshman Analisa Huschle, right, poses with Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple
after being named the Women's Newcomer of the Year

The South Dakota women's track and field team poses with the second-place trophy
after Saturday's competition.