Results
AUSTIN, Texas - Junior
Alexa Duling shattered the school 400-meter hurdles record, while sophomore
Bethany Buell and freshman
Emily Grove each had strong showings in the pole vault as all three South Dakota track and field athletes qualified for the NCAA National Championships Friday at the West Preliminaries in Austin, Texas. The three individuals qualifying are the most the Coyotes have sent to the national meet since moving to Division I.
South Dakota has three more athletes slated to compete on Saturday during the final day of competition. The top 12 in each event advance to the NCAA National Championships, which are set for Des Moines, Iowa, on June 6-9.
It was a historic day for the Coyotes - Duling set the hurdles record, Buell became the Coyotes' first two-time Division I national meet qualifier and Grove became the first Coyote to qualify for the Division I National Championships as a true freshman.
Duling (Gregory, S.D.) put together an outstanding performance to qualify for the 400-meter hurdles. The junior ran a blistering time of 57.40 Friday to shatter the school record she set on Thursday (59.26) by almost two seconds. Duling's 57.40 time placed her seventh in Friday's second round, clinching a trip to Des Moines for the national meet. It also was an Olympic B Standard qualifying time.
"It's shutting off my mind and letting my legs do what they are capable," Duling said. "We knew that I had it in me. It was being in the right frame of mind, and not worrying about other things.
"It's unbelievable. It was a goal, and I was going to have to work really hard," Duling added. "To come here and look back on all the practice time we've put in - it means a lot to have all that build up and perform when I needed it. I'm so thankful to have a coaching staff, my parents and my teammates who have really helped me a lot."
Buell (St. Louis, Mo.) and Grove (Pontiac, Ill.) weren't to be denied as they both qualified for the national meet in the pole vault. Buell was part of a four-way tie for first - becoming the first Coyote to win or share a NCAA West Preliminary title - with a height of 13-8 1/4, a mark she cleared on her first try.
"It was definitely a goal to move on," Buell said. "I tried to go as it were any other meet, and stay calm and just have fun. I felt good about the day. I made all my heights on the first attempt."
After missing on her first try at 13-4 1/4, Grove rebounded by clearing that height, and later cleared 13-8 1/4 to tie for fifth.
"It feels pretty good," Grove said. "I tried to do what I usually do. It was really exciting; Bethany made it on her first try and it set the mood for the rest of the event."
Prior to setting her 400-meter hurdles record, Duling ran a time of 13.83 in the 100-meter hurdle prelims to set another school record in that event. The previous mark was 13.90 that she set at the Summit League Outdoor Championships earlier this month.
Senior Jasmine Mosley (Bellevue, Neb.) fired a throw of 149-2 in the women's discus to place 36th. The senior capped off an impressive Coyote career with back-to-back trips to the NCAA West Preliminaries.
Sophomore Jeff Mettler (Eureka, S.D.) was running with the lead pack in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase before suffering a fall. Despite the fall, the sophomore came back to finish with a time of 9:30.83 to place 43rd.
In Saturday's action, three Coyotes competed to wrap up the weekend but did not advance to the national championships. Junior Kyle Ballew (West Hills, Calif.) recorded a pole vault of 16-8 3/4 during Saturday's prelims.
Senior Kenna Wolter (Santa Maria, Calif.) wrapped up a strong Coyote career with an effort of 39-3 in the women's triple jump. Sophomore Cody Snyder (Lake Andes, S.D.) fired a throw of 159-9 in the men's discus.
A look back at the week for Coyote track and field: --Duling set two school records on the week, both of which she had owned previously. Her 57.40 time on Friday broke her previous record in the 400-meter hurdles by almost two full seconds. Her time in the 100-meter hurdles of 13.83 broke a record she set two weeks earlier at the Summit League Outdoor.
--Freshman Analisa Huschle (Bagley, Minn.) set a personal-best - by more than seven inches - in the long jump on Thursday. Huschle finished with a mark of 19-9 3/4, crushing her previous personal-best by more than seven inches. Huschle finished a solid 21st in the event in her first trip to the nationals.
--The trip to the national meet marked the end of some of the most decorated Coyote careers in school history: senior Emma Ladwig (Gayville, S.D.), senior Jasmine Mosley (Bellevue, Neb.) and Wolter. All three capped off their careers with back-to-back trips to the NCAA West Preliminaries.
--Of the Coyotes' 13 NCAA West Preliminary qualifiers, three were seniors, three were juniors, four were sophomores and three were freshmen.
