Coyotes open outdoor season with flurry of meets

The Meet(s)

South Dakota track and field opens the outdoor season with a trio of meets, including the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, the Texas State Bobcat Invitational and the Wildcat Classic. The Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays begin on Wednesday with the multi-event competition and extend through Saturday inside Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas. The Bobcat Invitational runs simultaneously on Friday and Saturday on the campus of Texas State in San Marcos, Texas. Closer to home, the Wildcat Classic will be going on in Wayne, Nebraska, on Friday and Saturday.

The Coyotes

South Dakota opens the outdoor season picked as the preseason favorites on the women's side and picked second in the men's Summit League preseason poll. The freshmen quartet of Danii Anglin, Moe Bridgen, Jayden Green and Ken-Mark Minkovski were all named Summit League Athletes to Watch by South Dakota Director of Track and Field Lucky Huber.

South Dakota is coming off the program's first-ever Summit League Indoor Championship on the women's side. The Coyotes ran away with the title in Grand Forks back in February.

The Returning Champions

South Dakota sophomore Sara Reifenrath was the Summit's 2021 Most Outstanding Championship Performer and the Newcomer of the Championship on the women's side. Sophomore Demar Francis was the Newcomer of the Championship in the men's field. Reifenrath swept the 200 meters, 400 meters and anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay at the championship meet. Francis captured gold in the 400 meters, ran on the winning 4x100-meter relay and anchored the runner-up 4x400-meter relay.

Other returning champions on the women's side include Holly Gerberding in the 400-meter hurdles, Gen Hirata in the pole vault and Carly Haring in the high jump. Gerberding and Reifenrath joined Madison Jochum and Jacy Pulse on the championship 4x400-meter relay.

Returning champions for the men include Hugo Morvan in the 110-meter hurdles, Eerik Haamer in the pole vault and Jessie Sulivan in the discus. Francis was joined on the winning 4x100-meter relay by Virgil Steward, Ardell Inlay and Dylan Kautz.

The Competition

The 94th edition of the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays once again features some of the nation's best, welcoming elite high school, University and professional athletes from across the country.