The Meet

South Dakota track and field travels to Topeka, Kansas, for the Division I Challenge hosted inside Washburn's Indoor Athletic Facility. The Coyotes will compete against Arkansas State, Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Wichita State at the meet. The meet will be scored with six athletes earning points using the following scoring system: 10-8-6-4-2-1. There are no fans allowed at the meet.
 

The Coyotes

South Dakota's men sit just outside of the USTFCCCA's national top-25 in 26th for the second-straight week. The Coyote men are led by the nation's top pole vault squad with both senior Ethan Bray and freshman Eerik Haamer flying over indoor-best bars last weekend. The duo are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the nation. Other individuals currently in position to qualify for the NCAA Championships are high jumpers Jack Durst (ninth) and Carly Haring (ninth), pole vaulter Gen Hirata (11th) and 60-meter hurdler Brithton Senior (15th). Bray and Senior are the reigning Summit athletes of the week.
 

The Competition

The Summit League's South Dakota and Oral Roberts will be the only mid-major schools competing on Friday morning. The two schools will go head-to-head with the Sun Belt's Arkansas State and the American's Wichita State and Tulsa. The men's 60-meter hurdles will be a race to watch as the Shockers have a pair of hurdlers in the nation's top-25 to go head-to-head with USD's Senior. Arkansas State also brings seven athletes ranked in the top-30 of the nation for their events. ORU's Sasha Wells, the 2020 Summit League Most Valuable Performer, swept the 60 meters and 60-meter hurdles in her trip to Vermillion last month. She broke DakotaDome facility records in both events.
 

The League Leaders

The Coyotes currently lead the Summit League in 12 of 32 events this season.
 
Men's 60-meter hurdles: Brithton Senior, 7.84 seconds
Women's 200 meters: Sara Reifenrath, 23.71 seconds# (adjusted from 24.07 for track size)
Women's 400 meters: Sara Reifenrath, 55.37 seconds# (adjusted from 56.10 for track size)
Men's High Jump: Jack Durst, 7-0 ½ or 2.15m
Women's High Jump: Carly Haring, 5-10 ¾ or 1.80m
Men's Pole Vault: Ethan Bray, 18-1 ¼ or 5.52m
Women's Pole Vault: Gen Hirata, 14-1 ¼ or 4.30m
Men's Triple Jump: Jacob Jenkins, 48-2 or 14.68m
Women's Pentathlon: Holly Gerberding, 3,739 points
Women's 4x400-meter relay: Holly Gerberding, Madison Jochum, Danielle Thompson, Sara Reifenrath, 3:47.11# (adjusted from 3:50.12 for track size)
Men's Distance Medley: Brendan Scott, Lionel McPhaull Jr., Dylan Blake, Braden Peters, 10:42.09# (adjusted from 10:50.81 for track size)
Women's Distance Medley: Kelsi Kearney, Haley Arens, Brigit Blote, McKenna Herrmann, 12:29.60# (adjusted from 12:37.63 for track size)
 

One Last Thing

South Dakota saw 10 updates to the Coyote Top-10 last weekend in Fargo, including a new school record in the women's 200 meters set by Sara Reifenrath clocking 24.07 seconds.