VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota director of track and field/cross country Lucky Huber is pleased to announce the addition of 19 track and field athletes, 14 women and five men.
 
The early commitments include Tyler Boyle, Emily Carlson, Mary Dyke, Alayna Falak, Jaidyn Garrett, Eerik Haamer, Brylie Hartwig, Haley Hippe, McKenna Herrmann, Erin Kinney, Lauren Meyer, Cassidy Mooneyhan, Adam Murphy, Luke Olson, Karlee Phillips, Jacy Pulse, Sara Reifenrath, Abbie Schmidt and Tré Young.
 
"We are incredibly excited about the class of 2020," said Huber. "We are off to a great start with this group, but we aren't done yet. We now look forward to finding a few more talented student-athletes throughout the spring semester to round out this signing class."
 
The early group of signees dominate the tri-state area. Eight commitments hail from Nebraska, three are native South Dakotans and two are from Iowa. Another pair hail from Minnesota, while the states of Kansas, Ohio and Arkansas each have one commitment. One signee hails from Estonia in northern Europe.
 
Tyler Boyle | Distance| Lincoln, Neb. | Southwest HS
 
The Nebraska all-class champion in the 3,200-meters last May, Tyler Boyle led the Silverhawks to the first state title in Lincoln Southwest High School history at the 2019 Nebraska Class A Cross Country Championships. He finished runner-up individually in 15:54.66. Boyle holds Southwest's school record for cross country with a clocking of 15:52 for 5,000 meters. He won the Lincoln City Championships and the Heartland Athletic Conference Championships in cross country in 2016. He also captured a HAC title in the 3,200 on the track in 2019. Boyle also owns personal bests of 4:29 in the 1,600 meters and 9:29 in the 3,200 meters. An academic all-state honoree on the track and on the cross country course, Boyle plans to major in media and journalism at South Dakota.
 
Emily Carlson | Sprints | Le Mars, Iowa | Le Mars Community HS
 
A native of Le Mars, Iowa, Emily Carlson is a four-time qualifier for the Iowa Track and Field Championships. She ran on the Bulldogs 4x400-meter relays the last two years at the state meet, while also earning all-Missouri River Conference honors in the event. Carlson was a member of the Bulldogs' softball team and also participated in Student Council at Le Mars Community High School. An honor roll student, she plans to major in business administration and communications at South Dakota.
 
Mary Dyke | Hurdles/Mid-Distance | Elkhorn, Neb. | Elkhorn South HS
 
Currently residing in Elkhorn, Nebraska, Dyke will compete for Elkhorn South High School during her senior season. She spent the past two springs competing for St. Thomas More in Rapid City, South Dakota. She led off the Cavaliers' state championship 4x400-meter relay in 2019. Dyke also placed sixth in the 300-meter hurdles at the meet with a time of 48.70 seconds. Her freshman season, Dyke helped co-found the track and field program at Montrose High School in Massachusetts. An honor roll student and academic letterwinner, Dyke plans to major in political science and enter the pre-law track at the University of South Dakota.
 
Alayna Falak | High Jump and Pole Vault | Watertown, S.D. | Watertown HS
 
A two-time South Dakota Class AA Track and Field Championships MVP, Alayna Falak has won South Dakota state titles in the pole vault, high jump and long jump during her career. Her personal best pole vault clearance of 12-7 ½ sits second in South Dakota state high school history. Falak also holds Watertown's school record in the high jump with a clearance of 5-8. Off the track, she's a level 10 gymnast and has qualified for seven USA Gymnastics regional meets. She has won seven South Dakota state gymnastics titles, including the last three years on the beam. A member of the National Honor Society and honor roll student, Falak plans to major in business administration at South Dakota.
 
Jaidyn Garrett | Pole Vault | Columbus, Neb. | Columbus HS
 
The Nebraska state record holder in the pole vault, Jaidyn Garrett has won all three Nebraska Class A Championships in the event. Garrett's personal best of 13-4 from her junior season set the all-class state record, while her jump of 12-4 ½ at the Nebraska state meet in 2018 set the Class A meet record. She's a three-time Greater Nebraska Athletic Association champion and three-time district champion. She also played volleyball for the Discoverers. An academic all-state honoree in both track and field and on the volleyball court, Garrett plans to major in secondary education at South Dakota.
 
Eerik Haamer | Pole Vault | Tartu, Estonia | Miina Härma Gymnasium
 
Hailing from Tartu, Estonia, in northern Europe, Eerik Haamer is a four-time under-18 Estonian National Champion in the pole vault. He's vaulted a personal best of 17 feet, 8 ½ inches, to set Estonia's national under-20 record. He placed fourth at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He also has two top-10 finishes at the European under-20 championships. He holds a personal best of 5,272 points in the indoor heptathlon and won the multi-event at the 2019 Baltic U20 Team Championships. Haamer plans to major in media and journalism at South Dakota.
 
Brylie Hartwig | Distance | Cortland, Neb. | Freeman HS
 
A two-time Nebraska state champion, Brylie Hartwig took home the gold in both the 800 meters and the 1,600 meters at the 2019 Nebraska Class C Track & Field Championships. Hartwig clocked personal bests of 2:18.08 in the 800 meters and 5:14.09 in the 1,600 meters at the meet. She also led off the Falcons' third-place 4x800-meter relay and ran on the 4x400-meter relay. She's qualified for the state meet in eight events during her first three years at Freeman High School. Hartwig also played basketball and softball for the Falcons. An honor roll student and member of the National Honor Society, Hartwig plans to begin the pre-med track at South Dakota.
 
Haley Hippe | Throws | Lawrence, Kan. | Free State HS
 
Hailing from Lawrence, Kansas, Haley Hippe won the discus at the 2019 Sunflower League Championships with a throw of 107-1. She also went on to place ninth in the event at the Kansas Class 6A State Track and Field Championships. Hippe holds personal bests of 112 feet for the discus and 117 feet for the javelin. Also a member of the Firebirds' volleyball and basketball teams, she earned honorable mention honors from the Sunflower League in both sports as a sophomore and junior. Hippe plans to major in psychology at South Dakota.
 
McKenna Herrmann | Middle Distance | Belle Plaine, Minn. | Belle Plaine HS
 
A four-time all-Minnesota River Conference honoree in cross country, McKenna Hermmann led the Tigers to four state meets and a pair of section meet titles. She won the conference meet as a junior in 19:26. Herrmann holds Belle Plaine High School records in cross country (19:24), the 800 meters on the track (2:17) and the 4x400-meter relay (3:58). She placed fourth in the 800 meters at the Minnesota state meet as a junior after qualifying the previous two springs. Herrmann is a four-time all-Minnesota River Conference honoree on the track as well. She was also a member of Belle Plaine's basketball team and student council. A member of the National Honor Society, Herrmann will enter the pre-physical therapy track at South Dakota.
 
Erin Kinney | Sprints | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Harrisburg HS
 
A 13-time South Dakota state medalist on the track, Erin Kinney holds Harrisburg High School records in the 60 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters along with all three sprint relays. Her clocking of 24.56 seconds in the 200 meters is the fifth-fastest in South Dakota's state history, while her mark of 11.85 seconds in the 100 meters sits 10th all-time. Kinney earned South Dakota's Gold Medal Award twice in the 100 meters (2018, 2019) and once in the 200 meters (2019). She also holds personal bests of 7.77 seconds for the 60 meters and 59.90 in the 400 meters. An honor roll student, Kinney plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at South Dakota.
 
Lauren Meyer | Jumps | Syracuse, Neb. | Syracuse HS
 
A three-sport standout from Syracuse, Nebraska, Lauren Meyer is a 12-time state medalist at the Nebraska Class B Track and Field Championships. She captured her first of four state titles in the triple jump as a sophomore, leaping a Nebraska Class B meet record of 39-1. Meyer scored 32 of Syracuse's 64 points en route to the Rockets winning a Nebraska Class B team title in 2019. In addition to her triple jump mark, she holds personal bests of 18-7 ½ in the long jump, 25.9 in the 200 meters and 59.5 in the 400 meters. A member of the Rockets' volleyball and basketball teams as well, Meyer earned second-team all-conference in volleyball and was honorable mention in basketball as a junior. Meyer is also involved in the Future Business Leaders of America. An academic all-state honoree in across three sports, Meyer plans to major in health science at South Dakota.
 
Cassidy Mooneyhan | Pole Vault | Pea Ridge, Ark. | Pea Ridge HS
 
A five-time Arkansas Class 4A champion in the pole vault, Cassidy Mooneyhan holds Arkansas state high school records of 12-7 outdoors and 12-6 indoors. She won the Arkansas Meet of Champions as a junior and went on to be named the 2019 Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Athlete of the Year. She also played volleyball and ran cross country for the Blackhawks. An academic all-state honoree and her class salutatorian, Mooneyhan plans to study psychology at South Dakota.
 
Adam Murphy | Distance | Omaha, Neb. | Millard West HS
 
The bronze medalist at the 2019 Nebraska Class A Cross Country Championships, Adam Murphy finished behind future Coyote teammate Tyler Boyle at the meet with a clocking of 16:06.4. The 5,000-meter time was a personal best for Murphy on the cross country course. Murphy finished runner-up in the 1,600 meters at the 2019 Nebraska Class A Track & Field Championships in a personal best of 4:20.59. It was one of two medals he earned at the meet, placing fifth in the 3,200 meters the day prior in 9:48.12. He holds a personal best of 9:46 in the 3,200 meters. An academic letterwinner, Murphy plans to enroll in the business school at South Dakota
 
Luke Olson | Middle Distance | Ely, Minn. | Ely Memorial HS
 
The 2019 Minnesota state champion in the 800 meters, Luke Olson clocked a personal best of 1:55.48 on the big stage during his junior year. Olson, a five-time qualifier for the Minnesota state cross country meet, qualified for the state track and field meet for the first time as a junior after a breakout season. He placed seventh on the cross country course to earn all-state honors in both 2018 and 2019. Olson boasts a personal best of 16:04 for cross country. Olson also played hockey and baseball for the Timberwolves. An academic all-state honoree in cross country and track, Olson plans to major in health science at South Dakota.
 
Karlee Phillips | Distance | Sioux City, Iowa | East HS
 
A distance runner from Sioux City, Iowa, Karlee Phillips ran on East High School's 4x400-meter and 4x800-meter relays at the 2019 Iowa State Track & Field Championships. She also ran at the state cross country meet this fall. The Raiders won the Missouri River Athletic Conference team title on the track during her junior season. Phillips clocked a personal best of 19:33 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. On the track, her best marks are 2:29 for 800 meters, 5:17 for 1,500 meters and 11:49 for 3,000 meters. She's an honor roll student and earned academic all-conference for cross country three times. A member of the National Honor Society, Phillips plans to study business management at South Dakota.
 
Jacy Pulse | Sprints and Hurdles| Salem, S.D. | McCook Central HS
 
The 2019 South Dakota Class A Track MVP, Jacy Pulse took home state titles in three out of four sprints in one day, capturing gold in the 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles and 200 meters while finishing runner-up in the 100 meters. Pulse is a 14-time state medalist for McCook Central-Montrose. Her personal bests in the hurdles include 14.57 seconds for the 100 hurdles and 44.72 seconds for the 300 hurdles. She owns bests of 12.1 seconds for the 100 meters, 25.37 in the 200 meters and 57.79 in the 400 meters. Pulse also played volleyball and basketball for the Fighting Cougars. An honor roll student and member of the National Honor Society, she earned academic all-state accolades for volleyball, basketball, and track and field. Pulse plans to enroll in the nursing program at South Dakota.
 
Sara Reifenrath | Sprints | Hartington, Neb. | Cedar Catholic HS
 
A four-time Nebraska state champion for Cedar Catholic High School, Sara Reifenrath clocked the fastest time among all four classes at the state meet in the 200 meters the past two seasons. She finished in 24.66 seconds as a junior for a new personal best. Reifenrath swept the Nebraska Class C titles in the sprints last year, taking the gold in the 100 meters and 400 meters in addition to the 200. She swept the same three events at the 2019 Norfolk Classic to earn the outstanding performer award at the meet. Reifenrath also owns personal bests of 12.18 seconds for 100 meters and 56.83 for 400 meters. She also ran cross country in the fall for the Trojans. An honor roll student, Reifenrath earned academic all-state honors last year on the track.
 
Abbie Schmidt | Distance | Lincoln, Neb. | East HS
 
A four-time state medalist at the Nebraska Class A Cross Country Championships, Abbie Schmidt joins elite company after helping Lincoln East to a pair of Nebraska state titles and a pair of runner-up finishes. She's a four-time member of the Lincoln Journal Star's super state cross country team and four-time all-state honoree on the cross country course. Schmidt finished runner-up at the 2017 Nebraska Cross Country Championships and earned the Spartan Runner of the Year award. On the track, she's a three-time medalist in the 3,200 meters and ran on the Spartans' runner-up 4x800-meter relay last spring. Schmidt recorded a personal best of 18:21.2 for 5,000 meters at the 2017 Nike Heartland Regional Championships and 11:21.71 for 3,200 meters at the 2018 Nebraska Track and Field Championships. A National Honor Society member and Spartan HERO Award winner, Schmidt plans to major in medical biology at South Dakota.
 
Tré Young | Pole Vault | Toledo, Ohio | Whitmer HS
 
The pole vault runner-up at the 2019 Ohio Division I Track and Field Championships, Tré Young vaulted a personal best of 16 feet, 2 inches, to lead Whitmer High School to a team runner-up finish. The height also set a Whitmer High School record. Young improved from a third-place finish at the state meet as a sophomore. He holds personal bests of 6-5 in the high jump and 14.8 seconds in the high hurdles. A three-sport letterwinner, Young also played on the Panthers' football and basketball teams. Young plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at South Dakota.
 
All 19 will be eligible to compete for South Dakota in the fall of 2020.