NCAA West 2017 Thursday Results
AUSTIN, Texas–South Dakota senior pole vaulter
Emily Grove became the first Coyote to punch a ticket to the NCAA Championships on Thursday at the 2017 NCAA West Preliminary at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
The top 12 finishers in their respective events at the NCAA East and West Preliminaries advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships held June 7-10 in Eugene, Ore.
A five-time All-American in the pole vault, Grove was one of two athletes with no misses in the competition. She advanced with the top spot in the West with a height of 14 feet, 1 ¼ inches. Grove qualified for her fourth NCAA Outdoor Championship meet. She will compete on Thursday, June 8, and enters the finals with the second-best mark (15-1) in the nation. Grove becomes the first Coyote to advance to four NCAA Outdoor Championships and USD's 16th entry to the meet since 2011. Nine of those entries have come in the women's pole vault.
South Dakota qualified a nation-best five women's pole vaulters to the preliminary. Joining Grove were seniors
Madison Mills,
Emily Brigham and
Hunter Wilkes. Mills placed 20th with a clearance of 13-9 ¼. Brigham took 24th with a height of 13-5 ¼ and Wilkes was 29th at 12-11 ½. Freshman
Makiah Hunt rounded out the group in 39th.
Senior
Meghan Dennis wraps up her Coyote career with an 18th-place finish in the javelin. Dennis threw 151-5 on her first attempt for the mark.
In her first of two events this weekend, senior
Danielle Waldner took 23rd in the hammer throw with a personal best and new USD program record throw of 191-11. Waldner enters the shot put competition on Saturday with the fourth-best mark in the region.
At his first NCAA preliminary meet, junior
Ethan Fenchel launched the hammer 200-5 to break an 11-year-old USD program record. The mark is eight inches past his previous personal best and placed him 29th in the meet.
Junior
Gawain Williams clocked 10.56 seconds in the 100 meters for 44th place.
Action continues for South Dakota track and field at the NCAA West Preliminary at noon Friday.
