VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota director of track and field and cross country Lucky Huber is pleased to announce the addition of 16 student-athletes to the program for the 2020 track and field season.
 
"I have no doubt that this new group of Coyotes will live up to the high standards that USD track and field have become known for," said Huber. "The goal of our program is to bring great student-athletes to the University and I think this is an excellent group of young people."
 
Alec Atwood | Distance | Beresford, S.D. | Beresford High School
 
A native of Beresford, South Dakota, Alec Atwood captured an individual South Dakota Class A Championship title as a senior this fall, crossing the finish line in 16:07. He garnered National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) All-America honors in 2017 and 2018 for cross country. He's a five-time state medalist in cross country and four-time medalist on the track. Atwood holds Beresford High School records for the 1,600 meters (4:24), 3,200 meters (9:41) and 5,000 meters in cross country (15:58). He also played basketball for the Watchdogs. A member of the National Honor Society, Atwood plans to major in business at South Dakota.
 
Charlie Babcock | Distance | Forest Lake, Minn. | Forest Lake Area High School
 
Hailing from Forest Lake, Minnesota, Charlie Babcock holds Forest Lake Area High School's record for 3,200 meters with a clocking of 9:25. He was the sectional champion in cross country as a senior this fall and captured the 3,200 meters at both the Suburban East conference and section meets as a junior. He holds a personal best of 15:47 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. Babcock also participates in Nordic skiing and was a state finalist at the American Legion Oratorical contest. He plans to major in medical biology at South Dakota.
 
Krista Bickley | Sprints| Brandon, S.D. | Brandon Valley High School
 
A native of Brandon, South Dakota, Krista Bickley was the 2017 South Dakota Class AA Girls' Track MVP. Bickley holds the all-time fastest 400-meter dash in South Dakota history at 54.08 seconds and also ran on the state's fastest 4x400-meter relay with a clocking of 3:52.95. She helped Brandon Valley High School bring home the South Dakota track and field team title in 2018. Other awards for Bickley include the 2016-17 South Dakota Gatorade Athlete of the Year for track and field, the 2017 Argus Leader Media Track Athlete of the Year award and three-time National High School Athletic Coaches Association All-America for track and field. In addition to the 400 meters and 4x400-meter relay, Bickley holds Brandon Valley school records for the 200 meters (24.77), 4x200-meter relay (1:41.34) and sprint medley relay (4:08.92). She was also a two-time all-Eastern South Dakota Conference honorable mention player for the Lynx basketball team. A member of the National Honor Society, Bickley plans to major in kinesiology and sport management with an emphasis in exercise science at South Dakota.
 
Meredith Clark | Throws | Syracuse, Neb. | Syracuse High School
 
Hailing from Syracuse, Nebraska, Meredith Clark captured a Nebraska Class B Championship title in the shot put as a junior last spring. She finished runner-up in the discus at the 2018 state meet. Clark holds personal bests of 45-5 in the shot put and 134-2 in the discus. She also played basketball and volleyball for the Rockets. A member of the National Honor Society, Clark plans to enroll in South Dakota's business school and major in finance.
 
Marshall Faurot | Pole Vault/Multi | Scott City, Kan. | Scott Community High School
 
Hailing from Scott City, Kansas, Marshall Faurot led Scott Community High School to a Kansas 3A Championship title as a junior in 2018. He finished runner-up in the pole vault, 110-meter hurdles and high jump at the meet. Faurot is a nine-time state medalist between several events including the pole vault, high jump and hurdles. He helped the Beavers capture a state title as a freshman as well. Faurot holds personal bests of 16-0 for the pole vault, 6-6 for the high jump, 14.81 seconds for the 110-meter hurdles and 40.43 seconds for the 300-meter hurdles. He also played football and basketball for the Beavers, making the all-Greater Western Athletic Conference first team as both a defensive back and punter during his junior season. Faurot is a member of the National Honor Society.
 
Helen Gould | Distance | West Des Moines, Iowa | Valley High School
 
Hailing from West Des Moines, Iowa, Helen Gould placed in the top-three of the 1,500 meters at the Iowa Class 4A Track and Field Championships the past two seasons. She also holds three top-15 finishes at the Iowa Class 4A Cross Country Championships. Gould finished runner-up as a sophomore in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:45.62 and third as a junior in 4:43.61. Her best finish on the cross country course was her junior season with a sixth-place finish in 18:50.3 for 5,000 meters. Gould holds personal bests of 4:43.34 for 1,500 meters, 10:29.86 for 3,000 meters and 18:18.7 for 5,000 meters in cross country. Off the track, Gould is the Valley High School Student Body President and Iowa DECA Vice President of Career Development. She's also a member of the National Honor Society and the National Council on Youth Leadership. An academic all-conference student, Gould plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at South Dakota.
 
Riley Griffith| Throws | Phillips, Neb. | Aurora High School
 
A native of Phillips, Nebraska, Riley Griffith is a two-time Nebraska Class B medalist in the shot put and one-time medalist in the discus. She helped Aurora High School captured the team title as a sophomore in 2017. Griffith captured the shot put at the Central Nebraska Conference meet. She holds personal bests of 42-0 in the shot put and 120-6 in the discus. Griffith also holds a pair of Aurora softball records for home runs in a career and season. A member of the National Honor Society, Griffith plans to major in art education at South Dakota.
 
Madison Harms | High Jump | Sergeant Bluff, Iowa | Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School
 
A native of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, Madison Harms will compete for both the Coyote volleyball and track and field teams. Harms captured the high jump at the 2018 Iowa Class 3A Track and Field Championships. She has cleared a personal best bar of 5-7. On the volleyball court, Harms was a three-time all-Missouri River Conference honoree and second-team all-state as a junior. She plans to major in health sciences at South Dakota.
 
Ethan Heitman | Jumps | Lake City, Minn. | Lincoln High School
 
Hailing from Lake City, Minnesota, Ethan Heitman captured a Minnesota state title in the high jump last spring. He also placed eighth in the long jump at the meet. Heitman placed third in the high jump and long jump at the state meet his sophomore year. Heitman holds Lincoln High School records for the high jump (6-8) and long jump (23-0). Heitman is a three-time Hiawatha Valley League champion, twice in the high jump and once in the long jump. He broke the meet record as a sophomore. At the U.S. Track and Field National Junior Olympics, Heitman placed 10th in the high jump in 2017. He was also named the 2017 USATF Minnesota Athlete of the Year. He also plays basketball for the Tigers, helping the team win Hiawatha Valley League titles as a sophomore and junior. A member of the National Honor Society and two-time academic all-state honoree, Heitman plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at USD.
 
Gen Hirata | Pole Vault | Fredericksburg, Va. | Stafford High School
 
Hailing from Fredericksburg, Virginia, Gen Hirata is a three-time Virginia state champion in the pole vault. She holds the Virginia state record in both the indoor and outdoor vault with personal bests of 13-2 ¼ outdoors and 12-8 indoors. Hirata also competes for Xtreme Heights Pole Vault club in Richmond with Val Osipenko. She finished runner-up at the 2018 New Balance Outdoor Nationals and placed sixth at the 2018 New Balance Indoor Nationals. An academic letter winner, Hirata plans to major in chemistry at South Dakota.
 
Emma Houwman| Distance | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Lincoln High School
 
A native of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Emma Houwman is a six-time letter winner for Lincoln High School. Houwman was the Patriots' fifth runner on the 2018 South Dakota Class AA Championship team. She was a team captain in 2017 and earned the program's coaches recognition award in 2018. A member of the National Honor Society, Houwman plans to major in business at South Dakota.
 
Kylie Larson| Sprints/Hurdles | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Harrisburg High School
 
A Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native, Kylie Larson placed in a pair of events at the 2018 South Dakota Track and Field Championships. She took fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a clocking of 15.21 seconds and finished seventh in the 200-meter dash in 26.47 seconds. She's also a member of the Tigers' 4x200-meter relay program record. An honor roll student, Larson plans to study elementary education at South Dakota.
 
Braden Peters | Distance | Hartford, S.D. | West Central High School
 
A native of Hartford, South Dakota, Braden Peters was a member of three South Dakota Class A Championship teams at West Central High School. He finished runner-up individually to cap off his senior season this fall, improving one place from his junior season. Peters also ran a leg of the Trojans' championship 4x800-meter relay last spring. Peters holds personal bests of 4:29 for the 1,600 meters, 9:48 for the 3,200 meters and 15:35 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. He also competed for the Trojans' soccer and wrestling programs. Off the course, Peters was runner-up in Sanford's Biotechnology Contest in 2016. He plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at South Dakota.
 
Karley Peters | Sprints | Parker, S.D. | Parker High School
 
A native of Parker, South Dakota, Karley Peters was the 2017 South Dakota Class B Championship MVP. She won the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and 4x200-meter relay at the state meet. Peters added four more state medals as a junior with runner-up performances in the 100 and 200 meters. She was also invited to special 200 race the 2018 Howard Wood Dakota Relays and a nominee for the 2018 Argus Leader Track Athlete of the Year. She swept the sprint events at the Big East Conference as a junior. Peters holds personal bests of 11.9 seconds in the 100 meters, 25.1 seconds in the 200 meters and 57.1 seconds in the 400 meters. She also played basketball and volleyball for the Pheasants. The vice president of the National Honor Society at Parker High School, Peters plans to major in nursing at South Dakota.
 
Kassie Wicherski | Throws | Waukesha, Wis. | Waukesha North High School
 
Hailing from Waukesha, Wisconsin, Kassie Wicherski captured Classic 8 Conference, regional and sectional titles in the shot put. She also qualified for the Wisconsin state meet. Wicherski holds personal bests of 43-3 in the shot put and 119-0 in the discus. She is also a member of the Northstars basketball and volleyball teams. A member of the National Honor Society, Wicherski plans to enroll in the nursing program at South Dakota.
 
Camden Wulf| Distance | Lennox, S.D. | Lennox High School
 
A native of Lennox, South Dakota, Camden Wulf placed third at the South Dakota Class A Cross Country Championships to cap off his senior season. He finished sixth as a junior and 17th as a sophomore at the state meet. He finished runner-up in the 1,600 meters and sixth in the 3,200 meters at the track meet last spring. Wulf holds personal bests of 4:25 in the 1,600 meters, 9:48 in the 3,200 meters and 15:53 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. He also played basketball and baseball for the Orioles. Wulf plans to major in education at South Dakota.
 
All 16 will enroll at and be eligible to compete for South Dakota in the fall of 2019.