VERMILLION, S.D.—A pair of facility records, four new Summit-leading marks and senior recognition highlighted Friday's USD Twilight held at the Lillibridge Track Complex.
 
Coyote alumnus and Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsen gave Coyote Nation a show in the men's pole vault as the sun set Friday evening. While the vaults he made impressed, including a pristine clearance of the imposing 6.00-meter bar (19 feet, 8 ¼ inches), it was the bar that eluded him that drew the attention of the crowd. Three attempts were made at an American outdoor record tonight at Gottsleben Field, with Nilsen just missing his shot at 19-11 (6.07m) in front of the home crowd. He did improve his Lillibridge facility record by a foot from his last collegiate outdoor season in 2019.
 
Across University Street, Coyote alumna Lara Boman captured the facility record in the women's hammer throw. She recorded a throw of 231-11 ¼ (70.69m) this afternoon.
 
Four new Summit League-leading marks were set by a Coyote on Friday as well. Three of them were in the sprints – sophomore Erin Kinney in the 100 meters, sophomore Sara Reifenrath in the 200 meters, third-year sophomore Hugo Morvan in the 110-meter hurdles – and freshman Danii Anglin joined them with a new league-best mark in the high jump.
 
Kinney clocked a personal best 11.64 seconds to edge out her Coyote teammates in a sweep of the 100 meters. In addition to the league lead, Kinney's time moves her to third in South Dakota program history. Reifenrath and sophomore Jacy Pulse rounded out the top-three with times of 11.80 seconds and 11.97 seconds, respectively. The pair join her in the top-five of the Summit standings entering next weekend's championship.
 
A week after sophomore teammate Carly Haring jumped to the top of the Summit standings, Anglin took her spot back on top with a personal best clearance of 5-10 ¾ (1.80m). The height also ranks 30th in the nation this season. Haring took second with a jump of 5-7 (1.70m).
 
Reifenrath tied her season-best and league-leading time of 23.76 seconds in the 200 meters. She was pushed by Kinney, who led until the final stretch, and finished in 23.91 seconds.
 
Morvan, the defending champion in the event, moved to the front of the pack in the 110-meter hurdles at the end of the regular season. He clocked a season-best 14.18 seconds to move to first in the Summit. Sophomore Tre Young placed third in 15.04 seconds.
 
Young was also the top collegian in the men's pole vault behind Nilsen, vaulting a personal best 17-6 (5.33m) in the competition. He improves to seventh in USD outdoor history with the height. The mark also ranks 27th in the nation, putting three current Coyote vaulters into the top-30 nationally. Third-year sophomore Marshall Faurot was third overall in 17-0 (5.18m) and fourth-year junior Sean McClellan vaulted a personal best 16-6 (5.03m) for fourth.
 
Third-year sophomore Lydia Knapp was runner-up and the top collegian in the women's hammer behind Boman. She launched a personal best throw of 204-1 ¼ (62.21m) to move to second in USD history. Knapp also won the discus throw in 161-2 (49.12m).
 
Alumna Emily Grove returned to the Lillibridge Track Complex and won the pole vault competition with a clearance of 14-6 ½ (4.43m). A current or former Coyote swept the top-six spots of the field. Freshman Marleen Mülla posted her fifth meet this outdoor season past 14 feet. She cleared 14-0 ½ (4.28m). Third through sixth place were determined by judge's decision with each clearing 12-10 ¾. Those next four spots in the results were sophomore Jaidyn Garrett, alumna Helen Falda, fourth-year junior Deidra Marrison and fifth-year junior Landon Kemp.
 
Third-year sophomores Dylan Kautz and Ardell Inlay were a one-two punch in the 100 meters. Kautz tied his season best of 10.39 seconds, which ranks him second in the league. Inlay clocked a personal best 10.52 seconds for the fourth-fastest Summit time this season. Inlay's mark also moves him to eighth in USD program history for the event.
 
The men's 4x100-meter relay of freshman Ken-Mark Minkovski, sophomore Demar Francis, Inlay and Kautz posted a season-best time of 40.32 seconds, which ranks second in the league this spring.
 
Fourth-year junior Josephine Starner threw a personal record distance of 156-7 ¼ (47.73m) in the javelin to win the event. The mark ranks second in USD program history. Starner added a third-place finish in the shot put.
 
Pulse crossed the tape in first in the 400-meter hurdles. She posted a personal record time of 1:00.66, a mark that ranks fourth in USD program history. She's ranked second in the Summit this spring.
 
Freshman Averi Schmeichel captured the 100-meter hurdles in a collegiate best 13.91 seconds. The time ranks sixth in Coyote track and field history. Third-year sophomore Kylie Larson took fifth in the race.
 
Redshirt-freshman Lauren Meyer moved into the Coyote Top 10 of the triple jump with tonight's winning mark of 39-7 ¾ (12.08m). The distance ranks seventh in USD history. Freshman Renee Brummels palced third with a jump of 38-2 ¼ (11.64m).
 
Fourth-year junior Merga Gemeda led from the gun in the men's 1,500 meters. He took the tape in a new personal best time of 3:53.83. Third-year sophomores Charlie Babcock and Alec Atwood took fourth and fifth in the field.
 
Freshman Caelyn Valandra-Prue posted a collegiate-best time of 56.65 seconds to win the 400 meters.
 
With a strong kick down the final stretch, third-year sophomore Ella Byers won the 800 meters in a personal record of 2:12.34. The time is edged off the Coyote Top 10 list by one-hundredth of a second. Third-year sophomore Madison Jochum and sophomore Abrielle Jirele took third and fourth, respectively. Jochum clocked 2:13.30 and Jirele was two-tenths behind.
 
Francis edged out the field in the 200 meters, winning with a time of 21.24 seconds. Sophomore Virgil Steward took fifth place in 22.13 seconds.
 
Third-year sophomore Meredith Clark was victorious in the shot put, launching a winning mark of 48-5 ½ (14.77m). She added a fifth-place finish in the hammer throw.
 
Third-year sophomore Haley Miller held off the competition in the 5,000 meters to win in 18:26.92. Classmate Lily Provenzano took third.
 
Alumnus Zack Anderson attempted three tries at breaking his own Lillibridge Track Complex record of 7-5 from a year ago but came up short. However, he did win the high jump competition in 7-2 ¾ (2.20m). Fourth-year junior Jack Durst was the top collegian and second overall with a season-best make of 6-11 ¼ (2.11m).
 
Fifth-year senior Holly Gerberding tallied a pair of runner-up finishes in the long jump and the 400-meter hurdles. Gerberding clocked 1:02.55 in the hurdles and leaped 18-8 (5.69m) in the long jump. Fourth-year junior Liberty Justus took third in the long jump.
 
Redshirt-freshman Lizzy Kramer finished runner-up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal best time of 11:13.18. She ranks ninth in USD history with the mark. Freshman Alyssa Gerth placed third.
 
Fifth-year junior Kallo Arno was runner-up in the men's steeplechase race with a time of 9:39.89. Sophomore Jarek Glenn was fourth.
 
Other top-five finishes on Friday included fourth-year junior Jacob Waymire in the 5,000 meters (third), third-year sophomore Helen Gould in the 1,500 meters (fourth), freshman Tristan Gray in the shot put (fourth), sophomore Dylan Blake in the 800 meters (fourth) and third-year sophomore Braden Peters in the 800 meters (fifth).