SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of South Dakota's first NCAA Division I National Champion, Bethany (Buell) Firsick ('13), is entering the Summit League Hall of Fame, conference commissioner Josh Fenton announced Wednesday.
 
Firsick is one of four honorees that make up the 2024 class. The other three are Keith Benson (Oakland men's basketball), Dennis Bigley (Oral Roberts baseball), and Nicol (Terpstra) Wondaal (DePaul softball). Firsick is the first Coyote to join the Summit League Hall of Fame and is the first track and field athlete from any Summit League school to receive the honor.
 
"I greatly appreciate this honor as it elevates the talent and dedication of my coach, Derek Miles, along with the recognition of my career as a pole vaulter," Firsick said. "It was a joy to compete for South Dakota and some of my best memories are from our conference trips in the Summit League where team unity was at its highest."
 
Firsick also entered the Henry Heider Coyote Sports Hall of Fame this fall. As a student-athlete, she was a five-time All-American and five-time Summit League Champion. She won the 2012 and 2013 Summit League outdoor Field Athlete of the Year awards.
 
Additionally, Firsick was named the 2013 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Outdoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received CoSIDA (now College Sports Communicators) Academic All-America honors.
 
"We are extremely proud of everything Bethany accomplished as a student-athlete, and even more proud of the things she has accomplished since," said Lucky Huber, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. "Bethany was an incredible competitor, and the jump to win the NCAA Championships exemplified her drive and passion."
 
In 2013, Firsick became USD's first Division I National Champion with a then-meet record pole vault height of 4.45-meters (14-7 ¼). She also became the Summit League's first female student-athlete to win a NCAA championship.



The Summit League's 2024 Hall of Fame Class is the fourth (2017, 2018, 2020) class, bringing the total number of honorees to 21. A nine-member selection committee representing each institution from the 2023-24 membership selected the class.
 
Nominees for the 2024 class came from The Summit League's 30 Distinguished Contributors not already in the Hall of Fame and a list of 10 additional honored contributors that were announced during the league's 30th Anniversary celebration in the summer of 2011. Each nominee must have achieved significant honors during his/her career within the league, on a national level, and/or in professional or Olympic competition.