The Meet

South Dakota men's and women's cross country travels to the Summit League Championships on Saturday, Oct. 30, at Holland Hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The men's 8,000-meter race is scheduled for 10 a.m. with the women's 6,000-meter race to follow at 11 a.m.
 

The Coyotes

South Dakota fourth-year junior Merga Gemeda and fifth-year junior Abby Ripperda are the only returning all-league finishers from the 2019 season, but there are plenty of newcomers that look to get into the mix at the championships this weekend. Gemeda has led the Coyote men at every meet this season and has the fastest time in the league this year at 24:23.7. He also tied the Summit League record this fall with five weekly league honors. Ripperda returns to the course for the first time since the season opener. She was the Coyotes' front runner at the Augustana Twilight, but in her absence Ella Byers and Abrielle Jirele have led the Coyotes throughout the rest of the season. Byers garnered two Summit weekly honors this fall, while Ripperda tallied one.
 

The Competition

With nine women's and eight men's teams, the Summit League will have its fullest field since 2012. On the women's side, both South Dakota State (12) and South Dakota (13) are ranked in the USTFCCCA Regional Rankings. The South Dakota State men are ranked 10th in the Midwest. The Jacks are the defending champions for both men and women, albeit the 2021 spring championship had a limited field of just four teams.
 

The History

Due to opting out of the delayed spring 2021 Summit Championship, this is the Coyotes' first crack at a league title since 2019. South Dakota's women won five-straight Summit team titles from 2014-18 before finishing runner-up to North Dakota State in 2019. The Coyote men have finished third in their last three tries (2017-19). Alum Eldon Warner's individual Summit crown during that span in 2018, the Coyotes' only individual league title on the cross country course.
 

One Last Thing

The Summit League turns 40 this year! The league will crown its 40th men's cross country champion and its 30th women's cross country champion this weekend. The Coyote women have five of those 29 team titles, the second-most by a program in league history.