The Meet

South Dakota hosts the 2021 Summit League Championships presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare at Lillibridge Track Complex and Gottsleben Field this Thursday through Saturday.
 

The Coyotes

Championship season is upon us! South Dakota enters this weekend's meet picked second in the preseason poll on the women's side and third in the men's race. It has been the men's squad gaining recognition on the national stage, entering the meet No. 25 in the USTFCCCA's national rankings, in large part thanks to the squad's top dogs. The Coyote men have four individuals – senior Zack Anderson (high jump), senior Ethan Bray (pole vault), freshman Eerik Haamer (pole vault) and redshirt-freshman Brithton Senior (110-meter hurdles) ranked in the top-10 nationally. Anderson enters the weekend as the three-time defending champion ('17, '18, '19). The Coyotes boast the nation's No. 1 men's high jump squad and have the top-six marks in the conference standings. USD also boasts the nation's No. 2 men's pole vault group behind the duo of Bray and Haamer, who are tied for first in the Summit. Senior will sit out the conference meet, but teammate Hugo Morvan has the league's next-fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles. Other Summit favorites this weekend include freshman Demar Francis in the 400 meters, freshman Jacob Jenkins in the triple jump and the men's 4x100-meter relay.
 
Senior Helen Falda is the only Coyote woman to have won an outdoor title (pole vault '18). She leads the nation's No. 1 women's pole vault squad. Freshman Sara Reifenrath was the Summit's Indoor Newcomer of the Championship, sweeping the 200 meters, 400 meters and 4x400-meter relay. She leads the Summit in both individual events outdoors as well. The Coyote women also have depth in the women's steeplechase behind USD steeple record-holder Jonna Bart. USD ranks as the No. 10 squad for women's steeplechase. Other favorites this weekend include senior Kamberlyn Lamer in the heptathlon and redshirt-freshman Carly Haring in the high jump.
 

The Competition

The field includes seven women's and six men's programs from the Summit League. North Dakota State was picked as the preseason favorites for both the men and women, followed by the Coyotes on the women's side and South Dakota State on the men's side. The four Dakota institutions were picked top-four in both polls. Other league programs include Oral Roberts, Western Illinois and the Omaha women.
 

The League Leaders

A Coyote enters as the favorite in 12 of the 44 events contested at this weekend's Summit League Championships meet.
 
Men's 110m Hurdles: Hugo Morvan, 14.03 seconds
Women's 200m: Sara Reifenrath, 23.51 seconds
Men's 400m: Demar Francis, 46.56 seconds
Women's 400m: Sara Reifenrath, 53.22 seconds
Women's 3,000m Steeplechase: Jonna Bart, 10:14.58
Men's 4x100m Relay: Virgil Steward, Demar Francis, Ardell Inlay, Dylan Kautz, 40.24 seconds
Men's High Jump: Zack Anderson, 7-5 (2.26m)
Women's High Jump: Carly Haring, 5-10 ¾ (1.80m)
Men's Pole Vault: Ethan Bray/Eerik Haamer, 18-4 ¾ (5.61m)
Women's Pole Vault: Helen Falda, 14-6 (4.42m)
Men's Triple Jump: Jacob Jenkins, 47-8 ½ (14.54m)
Women's Heptathlon: Kamberlyn Lamer, 5,332 points
 

One Last Thing

Athletes will be looking to punch their ticket to the NCAA Preliminaries during conference championships weekend. The top-48 athletes in each event will qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary in College Station, Texas, scheduled for May 26-29.

Pre-Summit League Championships Presser