Results

June 9, 2012

DES MOINES, Iowa - Thanks to top eight finishes in the pole vault from sophomore Bethany Buell and freshman Emily Grove on Wednesday, the South Dakota women's track and field team finished in a tie for 34th at the NCAA National Championships, which concluded Saturday in Des Moines. A total of 141 women's teams had athletes competing at the national meet.

In just their second year of eligibility for the outdoor national meet, the Coyotes were able to score team points at the national meet for the first time, as Buell and Grove - both of whom earned First-Team All-American status -- combined for eight points. Buell (St. Louis, Mo.) was third in the pole vault, while Grove (Pontiac, Ill.) was seventh. The Coyotes were the only Summit League women's program to score points at the national meet.

South Dakota entered the week ranked 57th out of more than 300 women's track and field programs in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) rankings. Among Division I teams in the region, the Coyote women finished ahead of Iowa State (seven points), Missouri (six points), Wisconsin (six points) and Nebraska (one point).

Louisiana State won the women's national title, while Florida claimed the men's title. In addition to the strong showing by the Coyote women, the Summit League also had strong showings on the men's side from Southern Utah and Oral Roberts. Southern Utah, thanks to two individual national titles by Cameron Levins, finished tied for 11th in the men's competition, while Oral Roberts finished 20th, thanks to a national title by Jack Whitt in the pole vault.