NEW ORLEANS—South Dakota men's track and field has moved up to No. 25 in the week three U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association national rankings. South Dakota's women remain 41st in the rankings.
The Coyote men's pole vault and high jump squads pave the way for the improvement.
South Dakota boasts the top-ranked pole vault squad led by NCAA leader
Chris Nilsen. Nilsen improved his own nation-leading mark at the Dakota Realty Alumni Meet last weekend with a 19-1 jump. Redshirt-junior
Ethan Bray also posted an indoor best last weekend with a clearance of 18-1.
Nick Johnson and
Kaleb Ellis round out the pole vault squad, which has an average height of 17-8.
The men's high jump squad remains second in the country with an average height of 6-11. Senior
Zack Anderson and sophomore
Jack Durst continue to lead the crew, but junior
Blake Vande Hoef jumped a season-best 6-9 ½ at the Dakota Realty Alumni Meet last weekend to improve the average. The Coyotes also saw the addition of multi-eventer
Kenneth McMahan moving into the squad's top-four with his clearance of 6-9 last weekend.
South Dakota also has the nation's best women's pole vault squad with its average height of 13-10 ½. Previous marks from senior
Helen Falda, junior
Landon Kemp and redshirt-junior
Makiah Hunt continue to lead the group. The Coyotes swept the top-five spots at the Dakota Realty Alumni Meet this weekend with Falda winning in 14-1 ¾ and the other four women all jumping 13-7 ¾. While Kemp and Hunt have jumped higher this season, it marked a season best for sophomore
Deidra Marrison and freshman
Gen Hirata. The pair are tied for the fourth spot in the vault squad.
Other events where the Coyotes are ranked in the top-20 include the women's throws squad. The Coyotes are 14th in the women's weight throw (59-11 ½) and 17th in the women's shot put (46-7 ¼). South Dakota is also ranked 15th in the men's 60-meter hurdles (6.98 seconds).
The USTFCCCA event squad rankings take the average mark of the top-four competitors by a school in an event. The schools are then ranked, starting with the best average.
The Coyotes return to action at the Iowa State Classic held Friday and Saturday in Ames, Iowa.
