The Meet

The South Dakota cross country squad takes on the Summit League Championships this Saturday at Edgebrook Golf Course in Brookings, South Dakota. The men's 8,000-meter race will begin at 11 a.m. with the women's 6,000-meter race to follow at noon.
 
A live stream with commentary will be available on the Summit League Network with a Midco Sports Plus subscription.
 

The Coyotes

South Dakota looks to exceed expectations from the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll that picked USD fourth for both the women and men. The Coyote women won five-straight titles from 2014-18, but have not been back atop the podium since seventh-year senior Abby Ripperda's sophomore season. Ripperda has led the Coyotes on the course twice this fall – at the SDSU Classic and the Bradley Pink Classic. Fourth-year junior Abrielle Jirele was the Coyotes' lead runner at the Roy Griak Invitational, while freshman Madison Brouwer led the charge at the Augustana Twilight. In addition to that trio, fifth-year senior Ella Byers has been in USD's scoring five all fall. Freshman Alexis Pagel was among the scorers three times and fourth-year junior Abbie Schmidt scored in the first two meets of the fall.
 
Sophomore Carson Lauterbach has established himself as the Coyotes' frontrunner this fall. With shakeups in the lineup, junior Riley Ruhaak was the only other men's runner to finish in the scoring five at each meet so far this fall.
 

The Competition

The Summit League women's race will be an arms race with three league teams ranked in the USTFCCCA Midwest Region. South Dakota State enters at No. 9, North Dakota State is No. 10 and South Dakota is ranked No. 11. On the men's side, South Dakota State is No. 8 and North Dakota State is No. 13 in the Midwest regional rankings.
 

Up Next

The postseason is up next for the Coyote harriers with the Summit League Championships scheduled for 11 a.m. on Oct. 28 in Brookings, South Dakota.