DES MOINES, Iowa—South Dakota senior Megan Billington raced to victory in the 10,000 meters during Thursday night's distance carnival at the 110th Drake Relays inside Drake Stadium.
 
Billington becomes the 22nd Coyote to take home a Drake Relays flag and the second winner in the women's 10,000-meter run, following in the footsteps of alumna Kelsey Barrett (2015). Billington took the lead at the halfway point in the race and never relinquished, posting a winning time of 35 minutes, 12.24 seconds. The senior's season best time of 34:47.75 from the Mt. SAC Relays last weekend ranks 75th in the nation, while she sits 44th in the NCAA West Region.
 
Fellow senior Madeline Huglen and sophomore Jonna Bart posted top-five finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Huglen took fourth in 10:33.22, while Bart finished just behind in a season-best 10:34.42.
 
Redshirt-freshman Abby Ripperda continues to impress this spring. A week after cracking USD's top-10 list in the 10,000 meters, Ripperda moves onto the chart for the 5,000-meter run with the sixth-fastest time in school history. Ripperda clocked 16:59.74 to finish runner-up in the unseeded 5,000 meters at Drake.
 
Drake Relays action unofficially began for the Coyotes on Wednesday night as alumna Emily Grove captured the Capital Square Vault inside the Des Moines mall to take home $1,000 in prize money. Grove vaulted 14-11 ½ at the event.
 
South Dakota track and field returns to action at the Drake Relays at 10 a.m. Friday.