Healthy Pulse producing on the track

Jacy Pulse has followed an aggressive training regimen since she came to USD in the fall of 2020 but the big moves in performance were not initially quite as earthshaking as she’d hoped.

She kept doing what she was supposed to do though and now in her third year in the program she is starting to see why all that grinding is getting her somewhere.

With the Summit League indoor track and field meet set for Feb. 24-25 at the DakotaDome, Pulse has set personal records in the indoor version of the 400 meters, the 200 meters and the 60 meters this winter. It’s a comprehensive step forward and does not include the hurdles, where during the outdoor season she is expected to deliver some of her best stuff.

Part of the reason for her progress is that she’s been spared the kind of injuries that might have slowed her progress in the past. The initials P.R., used so often in track to keep track of best efforts, could also stand for personal resolve in this case. 

“It started off with a real good fall training season,” said Pulse, a junior who is in her sophomore season athletically for indoor track. “I haven’t had any injuries so I haven’t had to hold back on anything. I haven’t had to miss any workouts.”

Fans of South Dakota high school track remember Pulse’s work at McCook Central High School. She won her first state title as a seventh grader and then kept winning. It included a junior year where she earned state meet MVP honors after she won the 100-meter hurdles, the 300 hurdles and the 200 open. She also finished second in 100.

COVID canceled what promised to be a memorable senior year but she still left McCook Central as a 14-time state medalist.

She was also a very committed volleyball and basketball player in high school who spent more time on those sports than she did on the one that she dominated.

USD is looking forward to seeing what Pulse can do during the outdoor season, particularly in the 400 hurdles where refining technique and getting stronger can lead to significant advances.

There is not a lot of refinement in how USD hurdles and sprint coach Teivaskie Lewin describes Pulse’s main attribute, however.

“Jacy would run through a brick wall for you,” he said. “She puts 110% into everything she does whether it’s school or track or anything else in her life. Coaches love those kinds of kids because even when you’re having a down day, they’re going to be working hard for you.”

Pulse is a nursing major whose challenges in taking on that career path are starting to heat up a little bit. The schedule many of her colleagues maintain in their commitments to academics in other majors don’t necessarily match up with hers.

“For a lot of my friends if they miss a class they can just get the notes from somebody later,” Pulse said. “But if you miss a lab or a simulation or a seminar, those are things I have to make up or I won’t graduate.”

In other words, you can’t replace a clinical shift at a hospital with a Zoom call from your laptop.

“Playing three sports in high school probably built me an athletic foundation that helps me now but it helped too because it kept me insanely busy,” she said. “One of the things that has contributed to my success is that I’ve been able to be super busy and still maintain a balance between school and sports.”

Pulse’s progression from small school star to Division I sprinter and hurdler – she is the defending Summit League 400 hurdles champ – might surprise some. Lewin, a seven-time Summit League champion at USD in his own right, saw the potential for Pulse to make the kind of move she has made.

Pulse’s sister Brandy will join Jacy next year at USD. Brandy has a high school state title in the 300-meter hurdles herself. As the older sister, Jacy will be able to give Brandy, who is also a three-sport athlete – some insight into what the college version of competing is all about.

“One of the things that stands out for me – and it’s not really even athletic related – is the people I’ve met here,” she said. “I’ve met so many amazing people. There is a great team dynamic at USD. I look forward to going to practice every day. It doesn’t feel like something I’m obligated to do, it feels like something I get to do.”