VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota women's cross country looks for its sixth consecutive crown at the 2019 Summit League Cross Country Championships presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare held at Rose Creek Golf Course on Saturday in Fargo, North Dakota. The gun goes off for the men's race at 11 a.m. with the women's race to follow at noon. Awards will follow the second race.
 
Going Streaking
 
The margin of victory was as narrow as it could get, outside of a tie, when South Dakota topped North Dakota State 51-52 at last year's Summit League Championships. That single point extended South Dakota's streak of Summit League titles to five. The streak is on the line this Saturday as the Coyotes return to where it all began in 2014 – Rose Creek Golf Course in Fargo.
 
Notables about the streak of five consecutive titles include South Dakota having the second-longest streak in Summit League history (Southern Utah, 1998-2004). The SUU Thunderbirds are also the only team to have more overall titles (nine) than the Coyotes in league history. Nationally, South Dakota ranks sixth amongst active conference title streaks.
 
Mountain West Conference: New Mexico, 11 titles since 2008
Ohio Valley Conference: Eastern Kentucky, seven titles since 2012
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Florida A&M, seven titles since 2012
Southeastern Conference: Arkansas, six titles since 2013
Southern Conference: Furman, six titles since 2013
The Summit League: South Dakota, five titles since 2014
 
The Rise of Ripperda
 
This Saturday will mark the first Summit League Cross Country Championships where junior Abby Ripperda will toe the starting line for the Coyotes, rather than standing on the sidelines. In her first healthy fall for the Coyotes, she's dropped minutes off her personal bests, garnered four Summit League Athlete of the Week awards and won individual meet titles at the Augustana Twilight and Bradley Pink Classic.
 
Ripperda holds the fastest times in the Summit League this fall in both the 5,000 meters (16:45.5) and 6,000 meters (20:49.9). Her 5,000-meter time from the Chile Pepper Festival is the second-fastest time ever clocked in Summit League history.
 
While she has a shot at the Coyotes' first individual women's title, she will be challenged by a pack of contenders in NDSU's Kelby Anderson, SDSU's Anna Donnay and Omaha's Emily Johnson. The quartet all competed for the Summit's 10,000-meter title on the track last spring.
 
Frontrunner for the Coyote Men
 
South Dakota's top returner on the men's side, sophomore Merga Gemeda, looks to improve upon his second-team all-Summit League performance from a year ago. He enters the league meet with the third-fastest time in the Summit, having clocked 24:50.1 at the Bradley Pink Classic. Gemeda has led the Coyote men at all three 8,000-meter races this fall and brought home a pair of Summit League Athlete of the Week honors.
 
Finishing 4-for-4
 
Senior Kianna Stewart has the opportunity to join a select group of Coyotes with four Summit League Championship rings. Alumnae Erin Wetzstein, Bethany Kozak and Megan Billington are the only Coyotes who have raced on four Summit League Championship teams. Stewart is a two-time all-Summit League honoree.
 
Truly a South Dakota Squad
 
Six women have been regulars among South Dakota's scoring five this fall and four of them are South Dakota natives.
 
Front-runner Ripperda attended O'Gorman High School out of Sioux Falls. Junior Laura Nelson of Mission Hill will race on her third Summit Championship team. She ran for Gayville-Volin High School. The Coyotes' fifth runner for all five meets, junior Kelsi Kearney hails from Washington High School in Sioux Falls. Vermillion native and last year's championship meet alternate, sophomore Maddie Lavin, worked her way into the scoring five for the first three meets of the fall.
 
Also finishing in the scoring five this fall have been Stewart (Red Wing, Minn.) and junior Jonna Bart (Aurora, Neb.). Stewart, a two-time all-Summit League honoree, has been the Coyotes' second runner for four out of five regular season meets. Bart, a second-team all-Summit League honoree last fall, has come on strong late this season.
 
The Freshmen Effect
 
The Coyotes' 11-man roster boasts five true freshmen. For each of the five regular season meets this fall, two or three freshmen have worked their way into the scoring rotation.
 
Freshman Clayton Whitehead, who finished runner-up at the Missouri High School Championships last fall, has been among the top-two for every meet. He paced the Coyotes at both the Augustana Twilight and NDSU Bison Opener while following Gemeda for the past three meets. Freshman Alec Atwood from Beresford, South Dakota, has also been in the scoring five for each regular season meet. Also finishing in the top-five for a pair of meets each are freshmen Charlie Babcock and Braden Peters.
 
Joining the freshmen in the scoring five throughout the fall have been Gemeda, lone senior Abdinasir Abdi and junior Kallo Arno.