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Track and Field
Merga Gemeda

Track and Field Britni Smith, USD Sports Information

Gemeda tops 5k record at Drake Relays distance carnival

DES MOINES, Iowa— Fifth-year senior Merga Gemeda crushed his own South Dakota program record in the 5,000 meters at the 113th Drake Relays distance carnival on Thursday night inside Drake Stadium.
 
Gemeda clocked a career best time of 14:00.86 to finish eighth in the competitive Drake Relays field. The time is 11 seconds faster than the school record time he set two weeks ago at the Bryan Clay Invitational in California. He also owns USD's school record in the 10,000 meters.
 
Fourth-year junior Charlie Babcock crossed the finish line a personal best of 30:50.31 in the 10,000-meter race, finishing in 11th place. He owns the 10th-fastest time in USD program history with the mark.
 
On the women's side, sixth-year senior Abby Ripperda finished third in the unseeded 5,000 meters with a season-best clocking of 17:11.93.
 
Making a return to her hometown, fourth-year student-athlete Helen Gould took 15th in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. She posted a season-best time of 10:45.44, which leads the Summit League this season.
 
Fourth-year junior Ella Byers notched a season-best clocking of 4:31.56 in the 1,500 meters for 18th in the field.
 
A trio of Coyotes – Abbie Schmidt, Renee Thompson and Haley Miller – also raced the 5,000 meters on Thursday at the nearby Kip Janvrin Open in Indianola, Iowa. Schmidt led the group with a time of 17:56.60.
 
South Dakota track and field picks back up on Friday with athletes in action at the Drake Relays and the Kip Janvrin Open.

 
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Players Mentioned

Charlie Babcock

Charlie Babcock

Distance
Junior
Junior
Ella Byers

Ella Byers

Distance
Junior
Junior
Merga Gemeda

Merga Gemeda

Distance
Fifth Year
Senior
Helen Gould

Helen Gould

Distance
Senior
Senior
Haley Miller

Haley Miller

Distance
Senior
Senior
Abby Ripperda

Abby Ripperda

Distance
Sixth Year
Senior
Abbie Schmidt

Abbie Schmidt

Distance
Junior
Sophomore
Renee Thompson

Renee Thompson

Distance
Junior
Sophmore

Players Mentioned

Charlie Babcock

Charlie Babcock

Junior
Junior
Distance
Ella Byers

Ella Byers

Junior
Junior
Distance
Merga Gemeda

Merga Gemeda

Fifth Year
Senior
Distance
Helen Gould

Helen Gould

Senior
Senior
Distance
Haley Miller

Haley Miller

Senior
Senior
Distance
Abby Ripperda

Abby Ripperda

Sixth Year
Senior
Distance
Abbie Schmidt

Abbie Schmidt

Junior
Sophomore
Distance
Renee Thompson

Renee Thompson

Junior
Sophmore
Distance