The Meet

South Dakota sends 22 entries to the NCAA West Preliminaries hosted by Arkansas at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The meet will take place Wednesday through Saturday with men and women competing on alternating days.
 

The Coyotes

To reach the first round of the national championships, the NCAA West and East Preliminaries, athletes had to post a mark in the top-48 of their region for their event. A total of 20 individuals and one relay account for USD's 22 entries. Among the Coyote athletes, there are 13 making a return trip from a year ago to guide the way.
 
South Dakota advanced eight pole vaulters to the preliminary round, the second-most by any school in the nation. The Coyotes' five female vaulters are tied for the most by a women's program in the country. Freshman Marleen Mülla and sophomore Eerik Haamer, both All-Americans indoors, have some of the region's top marks in the pole vault with rankings of third and seventh, respectively.
 
The Coyotes are sending a relatively young group to the preliminary with most making first or second-time appearances. The numbers are slightly deflated due to the 2020 outdoor season being canceled. Women's pole vaulters Deidra Marrison and Landon Kemp, along with men's high jumper Jack Durst are all making their third career appearance.
 

The Schedule

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
 

The Competition

At the NCAA preliminary round, the nation is split in half between the NCAA West and NCAA East regions. With a few exceptions – namely Wisconsin, Illinois, and Louisiana – the two regions are split by the Mississippi river. The Coyotes will compete in the NCAA West region with schools from a variety of conferences across the Midwest, West Coast and South.
 

One Last Thing

The goal of the weekend is to advance to the final round of the NCAA Championships held June 8-11 in Eugene, Oregon. To punch their ticket, athletes must finish in the top-12 of their event. Each event is unique this weekend as the meet is contested as a preliminary with the winner not being crowned until June. Distance races and field events are contested as semifinals, while sprints will have a preliminary and semifinal to narrow it down to 12. In the throwing events or horizontal jumps, each athlete is held to just three attempts. In the vertical jumps, the bar will continue to be raised until 12 or fewer remain alive in the competition.