VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota men's and women's track and field swept the Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championship team titles for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon inside the DakotaDome.
 
The Coyote women successfully defended their team title with 214 points to runner-up North Dakota State's 166 points. South Dakota's men locked up the men's team title with 179.5 points to South Dakota State's 161.5 points. USD last swept the men's and women's team titles indoors in 2011 as members of the Great West Conference.
 
This marks South Dakota's second-straight women's team title indoors, while it was the men's fourth all-time and first since 2015.
 
Abrielle Jirele, a third-year sophomore from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, captured the Summit League Track Championship MVP. Jirele tallied 21 points across three events, finishing runner-up in the mile and 5,000 meters on Sunday in addition to yesterday's fourth-place finish in the 3,000 meters. She clocked 4:55.02 in the mile and 17:03.81 in the 5,000. She becomes the first Coyote to earn the award since Amber Eichkorn in 2017 and third all-time.
 
There's a new NCAA leader in the women's pole vault following Sunday's Summit League competition. Sophomore Marleen Mülla vaulted a personal best 14-11 ¼ (4.55m) to win and break her own school record. The height also broke the Summit League Championship meet held by former Coyote Bethany Buell (2013). Fourth-year junior Gen Hirata and third-year sophomore Cassidy Mooneyhan joined Mülla on the podium as the Coyotes swept the top seven places in the event. Hirata cleared a personal best 14-4 (4.37m) for second place and Mooneyhan vaulted a personal best 14-2 ¼ (4.32m) for third. All three currently sit in qualifying position for the upcoming NCAA Championships. Senior Landon Kemp was fourth, redshirt-sophomore Alayna Falak was fifth, sophomore Jaidyn Garrett was sixth and senior Deidra Marrison was seventh as USD racked up 38 points.
 
South Dakota's sprint duo of junior Dylan Kautz and sophomore Erin Kinney swept the 60 and 200 meters on the men's and women's side, respectively, to score 20 points each.
 
Kautz tied for points with the Track Championship MVP with 20, but lost on the tiebreaker of highest national rank to SDSU's Joseph Minor-Williams. Kautz defended his 60-meter title in 6.68 seconds and added a win in the 200 meters in 21.56 seconds. He broke his own Summit League Championship record in the preliminaries with a time of 6.64 seconds. He became the first Coyote to sweep the two races since Brandon Kovash in 2014.
 
Kinney tallied 7.27 seconds to win the 60 meters and leaned at the tape to win the 200 meters in 23.96 seconds. She broke the Summit League Championships meet record for the 60 meters in the preliminaries yesterday with a time of 7.24 seconds. Kinney's gold in the 60 meters was the first by a Coyote since 2016.
 
Sophomore Danii Anglin took gold in the women's high jump with a clearance of 5-10.75 (1.80m), a height just one centimeter off the meet record. Junior Carly Haring, the Summit League Scholar of the Championship, finished runner-up with a mark of 5-8.75 (1.75m). Freshman Matayah Yellowmule tied for seventh.
 
South Dakota swept the podium in the men's high jump with 28 points in the event. Senior Jack Durst won his third-straight crown and the seventh-straight by a Coyote in the event. Durst cleared 6-11 (2.11m) for the win. Sophomores Joe Lynch and Ethan Heitman joined him on the podium. Lynch finished runner-up in 6-9 (2.06m) and Heitman was third with the same height. Freshman Landon Olson placed fifth.
 
Sophomore Jacy Pulse completed a busy weekend with two golds, a bronze and 19.75 points. She won the 400 meters in 54.48 seconds, becoming the third-straight Coyote to win the event. She also anchored the Coyotes' winning 4x400-meter relay and placed third in the 200 meters in 24.47 seconds.
 
Joining her on the winning 4x400 relay were sophomore Anna Robinson, junior Madison Jochum and junior Hannah Young with a time of 3:46.59. Robinson added a fourth-place finish in the open 400 meters and sixth place in the 200 meters, while Jochum was fourth in the 800 meters.
 
Junior Meredith Clark won the shot put with a throw of 49-1 (14.96m). With the victory, this marked the first time that USD has swept the women's throwing events at the Summit League Championship.
 
With strong kicks to earn all-Summit League honors in the mile and 5,000 meters, senior Merga Gemeda tallied 17 points on the weekend. He finished runner-up in the 5,000 meters with a personal best of 14:28.20. He also clocked a personal best of 4:10.71 in the mile.
 
Freshman Bennett Schwenn tied in points for the Newcomer of the Championship with 16, but fell to WIU's Toriano Tate based on the tiebreaker of national rank. Schwenn added a runner-up finish in the triple jump Sunday to yesterday's long jump performance. He leaped 46-6 ¼ (14.18m). Sophomore teammate Jayden Green took fourth.
 
USD's men swept the top four spots of the 200 meters behind Kautz. Sophomore Ken-Mark Minkovski finished runner-up in 21.63 seconds and junior Ardell Inlay was third in 21.72 seconds. Freshman Mark Daley was fourth in 21.85 seconds. Inlay added a third-place finish in the 60 meters in 6.79 seconds, while Minkovski was seventh in the 60.
 
Junior Hugo Morvan tied his personal best in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking 7.93 seconds for second place. He made the podium in the event for the third time of his career.
 
Sophomore Luke Olson finished with a strong kick in the 800 meters, clocking a personal best of 1:52.15 for second place and all-league honors.
 
Junior Ella Byers earned a pair of bronze medals, placing third in both the 800 meters and the mile. She clocked 2:13.98 for the 800 and 4:56.42 for the mile.
 
The quartet of Daley, Minkovski, sophomore Thomas Nikkel and Olson placed third for all-Summit honors in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:18.76.
 
Following two days of competition, redshirt-sophomore Wyatt Lubarski tallied 5,124 points in the heptathlon for fourth place.
 
Sophomore Averi Schmeichel placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.47 seconds. The personal best time ranks second in USD history.
 
Behind Kinney in the 60 meters, sophomore Sammy Neil placed fifth with a time of 7.73 seconds.
 
Sophomore Lauren Meyer placed sixth in the triple jump with a leap of 39-1 (11.91m) with Yellowmule just behind in seventh with a height of 39-0 ½ (11.90m).
 
Freshman Brandon Vander Sluis and senior Jackson Coker took sixth and seventh, respectively, in the men's shot put. Vander Sluis posted a mark of 54-8 ¾ (16.68m) and Coker threw it 53-10 ¼ (16.41m).
 
Next up for the Coyotes is the NCAA Championships held March 10-11 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
 
Summit League Championships Women's Point Scorers
1. Marleen Mülla, pole vault, 14-11 ¼ (4.55m)
            2. Gen Hirata, pole vault, 14-4 (4.37m)
            3. Cassidy Mooneyhan, pole vault, 14-2 ¼ (4.32m)
            4. Landon Kemp, pole vault, 13-2 ¼ (4.02m)
            5. Alayna Falak, pole vault, 13-2 ¼ (4.02m)
            6. Jaidyn Garrett, pole vault, 12-8 ½ (3.87m)
            7. Deidra Marrison, pole vault, 12-8 ½ (3.87m)
1. Lydia Knapp, weight throw, 67-2 ¾ (20.49m)
            2. Delaney Smith, weight throw, 66-1 (20.14m)
            4. Kenzie Campbell, weight throw, 63-9 ½ (19.44m)
            6. Meredith Clark, weight throw, 61-8 ¼ (18.80m)
1. Meredith Clark, shot put, 49-1 (14.96m)
1. Jacy Pulse, 400 meters, 54.48
            4. Anna Robinson, 400 meters, 56.29
1. Erin Kinney, 60 meters, 7.27
            5. Sammy Neil, 60 meters, 7.73
1. Erin Kinney, 200 meters, 23.96
            3. Jacy Pulse, 200 meters, 24.47
            6. Anna Robinson, 200 meters, 24.99
1. Danii Anglin, high jump, 5-11 (1.80m)
            2. Carly Haring, high jump, 5-9 (1.75m)
            t-7. Matayah Yellowmule, high jump, 5-3 (1.60m)
1. Anna Robinson, Madison Jochum, Hannah Young, Jacy Pulse, 4x400-meter relay, 3:46.59
2. Abrielle Jirele, mile, 4:55.02
            3. Ella Byers, mile, 4:56.42
2. Abrielle Jirele, 5000 meters, 17:03.81
3. Ella Byers, 800 meters, 2:13.98
            4. Madison Jochum, 800 meters, 2:14.48
4. Averi Schmeichel, 60 hurdles, 8.47
4. Liberty Justus, pentathlon, 3,561 points
4. Matayah Yellowmule, long jump, 18-10 ¾ (5.76m)
4. Abrielle Jirele, 3,000 meters, 9:51.02
4. Distance Medley Relay, Abbie Schmidt, Jacy Pulse, Madison Jochum, Helen Gould, 12:09.51
6. Lauren Meyer, triple jump, 39-1 (11.91m)
            7. Matayah Yellowmule, triple jump, 39-0 ½ (11.90m)
 
Summit League Championships Men's Point Scorers
1. Jack Durst, high jump, 6-11 (2.11m)
            2. Joe Lynch, high jump, 6-9 (2.06m)
            3. Ethan Heitman, high jump, 6-9 (2.06m)
            5. Landon Olson, high jump, 6-7 (2.01m)
1. Dylan Kautz, 60 meters, 6.68
            3. Ardell Inlay, 60 meters, 6.79
            7. Ken-Mark Minkoski, 60 meters, 6.87
1. Dylan Kautz, 200 meters, 21.56
            2. Ken-Mark Minkovski, 200 meters, 21.63
            3. Ardell Inlay, 200 meters, 21.72
            4. Mark Daley, 200 meters, 21.85
1. Marshall Faurot, pole vault, 17-0 (5.18m)
            2. Eerik Haamer, pole vault, 17-0 (5.18m)
            4. Spencer Buley, pole vault, 16-8 (5.08m)
            t-5. Tre Young, pole vault, 16-2 ¼ (4.93m)
2. Merga Gemeda, 5,000 meters, 14:28.20
2. Hugo Morvan, 60 hurdles, 7.93
2. Luke Olson, 800 meters, 1:52.15
2. Bennett Schwenn, triple jump, 46-6 ¼ (14.18m)
            4. Jayden Green, triple jump, 46-1 ½ (14.06m)
2. Bennett Schwenn, long jump, 23-7 ½ (7.20m)
3. Merga Gemeda, mile, 4:10.71
3. Mark Daley, Ken-Mark Minkovski, Tommy Nikkel, Luke Olson, 4x400-meter relay, 3:18.76
4. Wyatt Lubarski, heptathlon, 2,967 points
5. Quincy Warren, weight throw, 57-9 ½ (17.61m)
            7. Wyatt Pruce, weight throw, 55-8 ½ (16.98m)
6. Merga Gemeda, 3,000 meters, 8:16.11
6. Distance Medley Relay, Dylan Blake, Tommy Nikkel, Luke Olson, Riley Ruhaak, 10:43.01
6. Brandon Vander Sluis, shot put, 54-8 ¾
            7. Jackson Coker, shot put, 53-10 ¼