VERMILLION, S.D.–The University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University track and field teams have partnered with the River City Domestic Violence Center in Yankton, S.D., to support Sexual Assault Awareness Month at the USD vs. SDSU Dual Meet on Saturday at the Lillibridge Track Complex.
 
The meet will serve as a piece of a larger Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign taking place throughout April.
 
Members of both programs will be sporting teal wrist bands to show their support. A public service announcement will be run on the video board and information tables will be set up underneath the bleachers. Employees of RCDVC and the Yankton Sexual Assault Response Team will be available for questions, handing out informational pamphlets and giving away teal wrist bands to fans.
 
"Athletes have used their field of competition as a platform to make a statement throughout history," said USD Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Lucky Huber. "We are teaming with both South Dakota State and the River City Domestic Violence Center to use Saturday's meet as a platform against sexual assault and domestic violence. Sexual assault is not limited to college campuses, but rather it is a societal issue. We hope to make a small contribution in bringing awareness and changing a culture."
 
"We are proud to align with USD to bring awareness to the inexcusable acts of sexual assault and domestic violence," said SDSU head coach Rod DeHaven. "We need to educate our young men that there is never an excuse for these acts and empower our young women that they shouldn't blame themselves what happens to them. It is a small step that we hope will change the culture in this state and country."
 
The USD vs. SDSU Dual Meet is slated to begin with field events at 11 a.m. while running events kick off at 1 p.m. A complete meet schedule is available here.
 
Competition will be comprised of traditional dual meet scoring with two scored entries per event. The winner earns five points, second place takes three points, third earns two and fourth gets one.
 
The fan entrance to Lillibridge Track Complex has moved to the north gate with the newly constructed ticket booth and facility parking lot.
 
Scouting the Coyotes
 
South Dakota freshman Chris Nilsen highlights the Coyote program after capturing the program's second NCAA Division I title at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. The 2017 Summit League Indoor Field Athlete of the Year has carried the momentum into the outdoor season by clearing 18-6 ½ on opening weekend. The team races at the Summit League Indoor Championships included a runner-up performance by the Coyote women and a third-place finish for the Coyote men. The Coyotes combined for six event titles and a pair of Summit championship awards. Senior Amber Eichkorn was named the Summit Track MVP for a trio of runner-up performances in the distance races and freshman Samara Spencer was voted both the Summit Field MVP and Newcomer of the Championship by scoring 32 points in four events. South Dakota's event titles came from Nilsen (pole vault), Spencer (high jump), senior Danielle Waldner (shot put), junior Emily Brigham (pole vault), junior Shanice Cannigan (60 hurdles) and senior Jay Cooper (60 hurdles). South Dakota also benefits from the return of five-time All-American Emily Grove in her final outdoor campaign. Grove tied her school record height of 14-9 to finish as the top collegiate at the Texas Relays over the weekend.
 
Scouting the Jackrabbits
 
South Dakota State's men are coming off a runner-up performance at the Summit League Indoor Championships, where the Jackrabbits were 2.5 points shy of a title with the team race coming down to the 4x400-meter relay. South Dakota State finished third in the women's race. The Jackrabbits swept the men's championship awards. Senior Joel Reichow earned the Summit Track MVP award with victories in the mile and 5,000 meters. Freshman Bryant Courter was named the Summit Field MVP and Newcomer of the Championship after scoring 20 points in the jumps. Reichow and sophomore Rachel King were later named the Summit Track Athletes of the Year. King captured both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters at the championship. South Dakota State won nine events overall at the indoor meet with the other four coming from senior Carly Carper (60 meters), sophomore Kyle Burdick (3,000 meters), senior Zach Koosman (high jump) and senior Alejandro Sanchez (800 meters).
 
Events to Watch
 
Pole Vault U.
It should come as no surprise with a three-time Olympian, Derek Miles, behind the scenes that South Dakota has claimed two national pole vault titles in the program's first seven years of eligibility. 2013 NCAA Outdoor Champion Bethany (Buell) Firsick racked up five All-America accolades between the indoor and outdoor meets. Senior Emily Grove matched that total last spring alongside senior Emily Brigham's first honor. Add in freshman Chris Nilsen's national title at his first NCAA Championship meet this indoor season and the Coyotes have tallied 12 Division I All-America accolades under Miles. To top it off, both the men's and women's programs have won four Summit League titles outdoors. Junior Jake David and Grove are the defending champions from last year's outdoor meet at Lillibridge. The women's pole vault is slated to start at 11 a.m. with the men to follow at 1:30 p.m.
 
High-flying Rematch
The final four competitors in the men's high jump at the Summit League Championships belonged to the Coyotes and the Jackrabbits. The stiff competition included two-time defending champion and Coyote senior Tyler Frank, Jackrabbit senior Zach Koosman, Coyote freshman Zack Anderson and Jackrabbit junior JJ Hejna. All four cleared 6-9 to eliminate the remaining competition, but only Koosman would make 6-11 to win the title outright. The quartet faces off in the high jump at 1 p.m.
 
The Big Throw
South Dakota senior Danielle Waldner is coming off her first Summit League title indoors. She's the two-time defending champion outdoors and currently boasts the league's leading mark by five feet. The women's shot put is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Blink and You'll Miss It
The Coyotes and the Jackrabbits will go toe-to-toe in all four of the short sprints. USD senior Gawain Williams is gunning for his third-straight Summit 100-meter crown later this spring. Williams took second in the 60 meters indoors in 6.74 seconds, but SDSU freshman Sam Zenner was right on his heels in 6.85 for third. On the women's side, SDSU senior Carly Carper is coming off an indoor victory in the 60 meters with a 7.57 clocking. Similarly, she was trailed by USD freshman Samara Spencer in 7.61 seconds. The Coyotes swept the 60-meter hurdles with victories by senior Jay Cooper and junior Shanice Cannigan. SDSU's Jaymie O'Conner was a tenth of a second off Cannigan for second in the race. Those races will be extended to 110 meters for the men and 100 meters for the women on the outdoor track. The hurdles are run back-to-back at 2 p.m. with the 100 meters starting at 2:25 p.m.
 
Takeoff, Leap and Land
A pair of freshmen Coyotes have made big strides in the long jump this season. Samara Spencer qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships after crushing a 19-year-old school record with a leap of 21-1 ¼. She got things going outdoors with a jump of 19-0 for 10th at the Texas Relays. While Ethan Toy sat out most of the indoor season to injury, in his first meet back he leaped 24-4 ½ to rank 36th in the nation. Right on Toy's heels this weekend was SDSU freshman Bryant Courter, who captured the long jump indoors. The women's long jump starts at 1:30 p.m. with the men to follow at 2 p.m.
 
Going the Distance
South Dakota State's Joel Reichow and Rachel King swept the Summit League Indoor Track Athlete of the Year accolades. Both Reichow and King swept a pair of distance races at the Summit. South Dakota senior Amber Eichkorn finished just seconds off King in both races and an ample rematch is set for Saturday. Meanwhile, Reichow's biggest competition at the indoor meet came from his own teammates, sophomore Kyle Burdick and fellow senior Brendan Sage.
 
Although SDSU sophomore Emily Donnay and King finished 1-2 at last fall's Summit League Cross Country Championships, the Coyotes put five in the top-15 to capture the program's third-straight team title. Members of that team have taken two of the top-three spots in the 1,500 meters on USD's record books and three of the top-10 for 5,000 meters. The distance crew will be split between the 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters on Saturday.