EUGENE, Ore.—South Dakota track and field qualified a program record six athletes to the 2018 NCAA Championships held at Historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
The Coyotes compete across the course of three days with the ESPN family of networks providing coverage. A nightly broadcast will air around 7 p.m. (CT) each night on ESPN or ESPN2, while ESPN3 will have event-specific streams to cover all of the field events in real time.
Live stats for the entire meet are
provided by the NCAA.
Wednesday | 7 p.m. (CT) | Men's Pole Vault: Chris Nilsen and Jake David | ESPN | ESPN3 PV Stream
A sophomore already boasting gold, silver and bronze medals from his first three NCAA Championships,
Chris Nilsen looks to bring home his fourth career All-America honor in the pole vault. Nilsen holds the top mark in the NCAA this spring by over two inches, having cleared a lifetime best of 19 feet, 2 ¾ inches, at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in May. Nilsen was named to The Bowerman Pre-NCAA Championships Watch List on Monday. Redshirt-junior
Jake David advanced out of the NCAA West Preliminary for the first time in three tries to qualify for his first NCAA Championships. David also vaulted a personal best at the Howard Wood meet this spring, clearing 17-6 ½. South Dakota's men's pole vault squad ranked first nationally this season.
Thursday | 3:30 p.m. (CT) | Women's Hammer Throw: Lara Boman | ESPN2 | ESPN3 HT Stream
Former USD soccer player junior
Lara Boman threw the hammer for the first time in March of 2017 with a mark of 159-11. She has since thrown a staggering 54 feet further to qualify for the NCAA Championships after two years competing in the sport. Boman owns a personal best of 213-9, a distance which won her a Summit League Championship title, broke the league championship's meet record and improved her own school record by 12 feet. She's also ranked 13th nationally. She took seventh at the NCAA West Preliminary two weeks ago which puts her in the first flight in Eugene. A new champion will be crowned in the event this season after NCAA record holder Maggie Ewen of Arizona State fouled out in the preliminary rounds.
Thursday | 6:30 p.m. (CT) | Women's Pole Vault: Helen Falda | ESPN2 | ESPN3 PV Stream
Sophomore
Helen Falda claimed All-America status last season at UT Arlington. She's back at Hayward Field a year later, this time vaulting in a Coyote uniform. Falda has cleared 14-0 this season to tie for 16th, but holds a personal best of 14-4 ½. She will continue a storied tradition by the Coyotes at the NCAA Championships as she earns the program's 10th entry to the meet in the women's pole vault since 2011.
Friday | 7 p.m. (CT) | Men's High Jump: Zack Anderson | ESPN | ESPN3 HJ Stream
Consistency has been key for sophomore
Zack Anderson this spring. He broke a 28-year-old program record in March when he jumped 7-1 ¾ at the Texas State Bobcat Invitational. After wrapping up the month of April with a 6-11 ½ jump for second at the Drake Relays, Anderson has cleared 7-feet at three consecutive meets. He defended his Summit League Championships title with a mark of 7-0 ½. Anderson followed that up with a perfect performance at the NCAA West Preliminary, clearing 7-1 and advancing to his first NCAA Championships.
Friday | 7:05 p.m. (CT) | Men's Discus: Ben Hammer | ESPN | ESPN3 DT Stream
A record-breaking discus throw of 196-6 at the Summit League Championships ranks junior
Ben Hammer 11th in the NCAA this spring. The mark not only won Hammer a Summit title, but broke the Summit League Championships and South Dakota school records. Hammer made it through the NCAA West Preliminary to reach his first NCAA Championships.
