Coyotes qualify 22 entries to NCAA West Preliminary

VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota track and field has qualified 22 entries to the NCAA West Preliminary held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, starting next Wednesday. A total of 19 individuals and one relay account for the 22 entries.

Among the group taking the stage at the first round of the national meet there are eight making first-time appearances. There are 13 athletes making a return trip from a year ago.

South Dakota is sending five women’s pole vaulters to the preliminary, tying the program’s high from 2017. Freshman Marleen Mülla, an All-American indoors, owns the top mark of the group at 14-6 (4.42m). She enters with the third-best height in the field. Sophomore Jaidyn Garrett comes off her Summit League title with the 17th best mark in the West at 13-9 ¾ (4.21m) from the Beach Invitational in April. She’s making her second-straight appearance at the first rounds. Sophomore Cassidy Mooneyhan has qualified for the first time with her top mark of 13-6 ¼ (4.12m) ranking 27th. Fourth-year junior Deidra Marrison and fifth-year junior Landon Kemp are both making their third preliminary appearance. Marrison is tied for 35th in the field at 13-4 ¼ (4.07m) and Kemp ranks 47th at 13-2 ¼ (4.02m).

The men’s pole vault squad is sending three entries all ranked in the top-15 of the region. Sophomore Eerik Haamer, a two-time All-American indoors, sits seventh in the field with a height of 18-0 ½ (5.50m). Third-year sophomore Marshall Faurot had a career day last year’s NCAA preliminary meet to advance to the 2021 NCAA Championships. This season he owns the 13th-best height of 17-6 ½ (5.35m). Sophomore Tre Young jumped a personal best 17-5 ¾ (5.33m) at the USD Twilight in May for the 15th best height in the field. All three are making their second-straight NCAA West appearance.

South Dakota advanced eight pole vaulters to the preliminary, the second-most by any school in the nation. The Coyotes’ five women are tied for the most by a women’s program in the country.

The duo of freshman Danii Anglin and third-year sophomore Carly Haring rank in the top-21 of the women’s high jump field. Anglin’s personal best of 5-10 ¾ (1.80m) is tied for 17th in the region. Haring cleared a season-high 5-10 ½ (1.79m) at the Drake Relays, which is tied for 21st in the field.

After an incredible weekend at the Summit League Championships that included bringing home four gold medals, sophomore Sara Reifenrath secured a spot in the preliminaries for the second-straight season. While she qualified for both the 200 and 400 meters, she will focus on the 200 meters this weekend with the 17th-best mark in the field. She clocked a Summit League Championships meet record and South Dakota school record time of 23.20 seconds in the final last Saturday.

Reifenrath also anchored the Coyotes 4x100-meter relay that punched its ticket to the first round at the Summit meet. The quartet of sophomore Erin Kinney, sophomore Jacy Pulse, freshman Caelyn Valandra-Prue and Reifenrath clocked a time of 44.99 seconds. The time broke both Summit and school records, and moved the squad up to 21st in the West region. This marks the first time South Dakota has qualified a women’s relay team to the first round of the national meet.

Four Coyote throwers account for six entries at the preliminary rounds. Third-year sophomore Lydia Knapp and fourth-year junior Jessie Sullivan both punched tickets in the discus and the hammer throw. Knapp has the 19th-best mark in the hammer with her personal record of 205-9 (62.71m) from the Summit Championships, while she has the 27th-best throw in the discus with her school record distance of 175-2 (53.39m) from the South Dakota Challenge. This is her second appearance in the hammer throw and first in the discus. Sullivan sits 26th in the discus with his throw of 186-1 (56.71m) and 32nd in the hammer with his personal best and school record toss of 209-4 (63.80m) at the Summit meet. Fifth-year senior Matt Slagus joins him in the hammer throw, ranking 37th in the field with a mark of 208-2 (63.46m). This marks the second appearance for both Sullivan and Slagus at the preliminary round. Fourth-year junior Josephine Starner sits 38th in the javelin field with her mark of 156-7 (47.73m) from the USD Twilight. She qualifies for the second-straight season.

Fourth-year junior Jack Durst is making his third career appearance in the high jump. His season-best of 6-11 (2.11m) is tied for 36th in the West.

In addition to the 4x100-meter relay, sophomore Jacy Pulse also qualified individually in the 400-meter hurdles. Her personal best time of 59.58 seconds from winning the Summit Championships ranks 40th in the field. This marks her first appearance at the preliminary meet.

Sophomore Jacob Jenkins qualified in the triple jump for his first career appearance. His personal best mark of 50-0 ¾ (15.26m) is tied for 40th. He becomes the first Coyote to qualify in the men’s triple jump.

With a plethora of scratches in the women’s 1,500-meter run, third-year sophomore Ella Byers snuck into the field. Originally ranked 109th, Byers moved up to 46th with her time of 4:24.35. This marks her first career appearance.

South Dakota’s complete schedule of events follows.

Wednesday, May 25

10 a.m. Men’s Hammer Throw – Jessie Sullivan, Matt Slagus

6:30 p.m. Men’s Pole Vault – Eerik Haamer, Marshall Faurot, Tre Young

Thursday, May 26

10 a.m. Women’s Hammer Throw – Lydia Knapp

2 p.m. Women’s Javelin – Josephine Starner

6:30 p.m. Women’s Pole Vault – Marleen Mülla, Jaidyn Garrett, Cassidy Mooneyhan, Deidra Marrison, Landon Kemp

6:30 p.m. Women’s 1,500m First Round – Ella Byers

8:20 p.m. Women’s 400m Hurdles First Round – Jacy Pulse

8:45 p.m. Women’s 200m First Round – Sara Reifenrath

Friday, May 27

1 p.m. Men’s Discus – Jessie Sullivan

2:30 p.m. Men’s High Jump – Jack Durst

6 p.m. Men’s Triple Jump – Jacob Jenkins

Saturday, May 28

1 p.m. Women’s Discus – Lydia Knapp

2:30 p.m. Women’s High Jump – Danii Anglin, Carly Haring

5 p.m. Women’s 4x100m Relay Quarterfinals – Erin Kinney, Jacy Pulse, Caelyn Valandra-Prue, Sara Reifenrath

5:15 p.m. Women’s 1,500m Quarterfinals – Ella Byers*

7:25 p.m. Women’s 400m Hurdles Quarterfinals – Jacy Pulse*

7:50 p.m. Women’s 200m Quarterfinals – Sara Reifenrath*

*Must advance from first round