WALNUT, Calif.—South Dakota fourth-year sophomore Gen Hirata vaulted the second-best height in the nation and the women's 4x100-meter relay broke the school record again to highlight Friday's action at the 63rd Mt. SAC Relays held at Hilmer Lodge Stadium.
 
Hirata won the Mt. SAC pole vault competition with a clearance of 14-7 ¼ (4.45m). That height ties for second in the NCAA this spring. Sophomore Marleen Mülla tied for third in the field with a jump of 14-1 ¼ (4.30m).
 
The quartet of junior Erin Kinney, sophomore Anna Robinson, sophomore Sammy Neil and junior Jacy Pulse took first in the 4x100-meter relay for the second time in as many days. The relay posted a school record time of 44.89 seconds, which is sixth hundredths of a second faster than their record mark set earlier this season. The time ranks 22nd in the NCAA West Region.
 
Pulse also won the 400-meter hurdles on Friday, clocking an impressive time of 58.31 seconds. The time is just off her personal best of 58.25 seconds from earlier this season. Sophomore Averi Schmeichel clocked a personal best in the race, clocking 1:01.63 to move to seventh in USD history.
 
Kinney placed third in the open 100 meters with a time of 11.55 seconds. She posted a new wind-legal personal best of 11.47 seconds in the preliminaries, the second-fastest time in USD history. She's now three-hundredths away from USD's school record in the event.
 
Fourth-year junior Hugo Morvan finished third in the 110-meter hurdles in 13.97 seconds. He was just a hundredth of a second off his personal best in the event.
 
Freshman Landon Olson was third in the 'a' section of the men's high jump with a height of 6-8 ¾ (2.05m), while fourth-year junior Ethan Heitman was third in the 'b' section with the same mark. Sophomore Joe Lynch was seventh and fifth-year senior Jack Durst tied for eighth in the 'a' section.
 
On the women's side, fourth-year junior Carly Haring was eighth in the 'a' section with a jump of 5-6 (1.68m).
 
Freshman Brandon Vander Sluis took sixth in the shot put with a throw of 53-7 ¾ (16.35m).
 
Junior Eerik Haamer tied for ninth in the 'a' section of the men's pole vault, clearing 16-4 ¾ (5.00m), while sophomore teammate Spencer Buley was fourth in the 'b' section with a vault of 16-2 ¾ (4.95m).
 
The quartet of fourth-year junior Madison Jochum, Pulse, sophomore Caelyn Valandra-Prue and Robinson took ninth in the 4x400-meter relay with a season-best 3:44.01. It also ranks ninth in USD history.
 
Junior Luke Olson clocked a new personal best in the 800 meters, posting a mark of 1:51.05 which ranks sixth in USD history. Jochum also ran the 800 meters, finishing just shy of a personal best with a clocking of 2:10.30.

 

Beach Invitational

 
LONG BEACH, Calif.—South Dakota sophomore Kenzie Campbell was the lone Coyote to compete at the Beach Invitational on Friday, throwing the hammer at Jack Rose Track.
 
Campbell took 24th in the hammer throw competition with a mark of 176-9 (53.87m).
 
The Coyotes are back in action Saturday split between three meets again. A majority of the squad is set to compete at the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, California, while a few athletes will race at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa and others will compete at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut.