VERMILLION, S.D.—The Coyotes captured 14 events as they hosted the South Dakota Challenge on Saturday at the Lillibridge Track Complex.
Senior
Ethan Fenchel capped off the night with a school record of 208 feet, 9 inches, to win the hammer throw. The mark ranks second in the Summit and ties for 29th in the nation.
Junior classmates
Chris Nilsen and
Ethan Bray both surpassed 18 feet in the men's pole vault. Nilsen made 18-8 ¾ to win the event before taking three cracks at 19-1 in an attempt to improve his NCAA-leading mark. He broke his own facility record at Lillibridge Track Complex. Bray neared his personal best, making 18-1 on Saturday.
Sophomore
Macy Heinz took home a pair of titles on Saturday. She raced to a new personal best of 2:10.12 in the 800 meters earlier in the day before anchoring the Coyotes' 4x400-meter relay to a win. Her time in the 800 meters ranks second in the Summit League this year and fourth all-time in USD history. Senior
Mallory Fine finished runner-up in the 800 meters in 2:13.32.
Heinz and Fine were joined by senior
Karina Dufoe and junior
Hannah Draayer on the winning women's 4x400-meter relay in 3:48.75. They hold the top time in the Summit League.
With a nine-foot personal best, junior
Armand Khan sent the javelin 204-11 to win the event with a Summit League-leading mark. He also ranks second in USD program history with the throw.
Freshman
Josephine Starner won the women's javelin in 149-11. The mark ranks third in the Summit League this season and is the third-best mark in USD's all-time history.
Senior
Megan Billington came from behind to win the 1,500 meters with a seven-second personal best of 4:33.60. She moves to 10th in USD's record books and has the fifth-fastest time in the Summit League this season.
On the men's side, senior
Eldon Warner captured the 1,500 meters in 3:53.23. Warner owns USD's school record in the event with a 3:45.22 clocking.
South Dakota's men's high jump squad, who led the nation in USTFCCCA's event squad rankings throughout the indoor season, swept the top four spots on Saturday. Junior
Zack Anderson took first with a jump of 7-1 ½, breaking his own Lillibridge Track Complex record. Anderson brushed the bar during two of three solid attempts at the NCAA-leading mark of 7-4 ¼. Freshman
Jack Durst was runner-up with a clearance of 6-11. Senior
Deshonn Brown and sophomore
Travis Larson took third and fourth.
Sophomore
Callie Henrich took first in the women's shot put with a throw of 49-5 ¾. The outdoor best moves her to third in South Dakota program history in the event.
The Coyotes swept the top-three spots in the women's 400-meter hurdles. Senior
Haley Bruggeman won the race in 1:02.74 for the second-fastest time in the Summit. Sophomore
Holly Gerberding finished runner-up in 1:03.03 and Draayer clocked 1:04.08 for third.
Senior
Ben Hammer captured the discus with a throw of 188-6. He improves his season best and ranks second in the Summit League. Junior
Kino Dunkley finished runner-up with a throw of 173-4.
Sophomore
Abby Ripperda won her first collegiate race, taking first in the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:19.29. The time was an 18-second personal best for Ripperda.
Junior
Samara Spencer was victorious in the long jump with a leap of 19-1 ¼. She also finished runner-up in the triple jump with a leap of 38-4 ¼.
South Dakota's sprinters swept second through fourth in the women's 100 meters. Senior
Karina Dufoe finished runner-up with an 11.92-second clocking. Junior
Tasheka Gordon placed third in 11.97 seconds and Spencer was fourth in 11.98.
Dufoe also finished runner-up in the 200 meters with a time of 24.35 seconds.
Junior
Kianna Stewart improved her personal best by two seconds to finish runner-up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She crossed the finish line in 10:59.74 and remains ranked fourth in USD's all-time history.
Sophomore
Aleksi Rosler finished runner-up in the men's 400 meters with a time of 48.54 seconds.
Both junior
Helen Falda and senior
Kimmy Peterson cleared 13-9 ¼ in the women's pole vault. Falda finished runner-up while Peterson took third.
Junior
Habib Jallow finished runner-up in both hurdle events on Saturday. He clocked 14.81 seconds for the 110-meter hurdles, while finishing the 400-meter hurdles in 54.24 seconds.
Freshmen
Merga Gemeda and
Jacob Waymire took second and third, respectively, in the men's 5,000 meters. Gemeda posted a final time of 16:21.92 while Waymire crossed the finish line in 16:33.23.
South Dakota splits its squad next weekend between the Sioux City Relays in Sioux City, Iowa, and the Minnesota Spring Open in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
