FARGO, N.D.—South Dakota men's track and field edged out North Dakota State by 1½ points to capture back-to-back Summit League Championship team titles inside the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track & Field Facility.
 
This marks the Coyotes' fifth Summit League indoor title since joining the league in 2012. The Coyotes tallied 165 points to the Bison's 163.5 through the two-day competition on NDSU's home track. It was the closest margin of victory in a Summit title race since 2000.
 
South Dakota's women finished runner-up to North Dakota State. The Bison finished with 203.5 points to South Dakota's 192.5 points. The Coyotes have finished in the top-two at the Summit League Indoor Championships for 11-straight years.
 
The women's 4x400-meter relay of junior Averi Schmeichel, fourth-year junior Sara Reifenrath, fourth-year junior Erin Kinney and fourth-year junior Jacy Pulse set a new Summit League Championships standard. The quartet broke the meet record with a clocking of 3:41.71. The time bested USD's previous meet record of 3:42.90 from 2022. South Dakota has captured four-straight women's 4x400 ttiles.
 
Kinney also captured gold in the 60 meters, successfully defending her title with a winning time of 7.31 seconds. She owns the meet record in the event after clocking 7.24 seconds last season. Kinney also finished runner-up in the 200 meters with a clocking of 23.77 seconds.
 
Fifth-year senior Dylan Kautz took the tape in the men's 200 meters with a season best time of 21.61 seconds. Kautz was the defending champion in the event and gave USD its third-straight 200-meter title. Fifth-year senior Ardell Inlay finished runner-up in 21.74 seconds for all-Summit accolades. Junior Ken-Mark Minkovski finished fourth in the event.
 
The Coyote women swept the top seven places in the women's pole vault field and racked up 38 points in the event. Fifth-year senior Gen Hirata won her second career Summit League indoor title with a third-attempt make at 13-11 (4.24m). South Dakota has won five-straight in the women's pole vault and 11 Summit titles overall. Junior Marleen Mülla and fourth-year junior Jaidyn Garrett tied for second at 13-5 (4.09m), joining Hirata on the podium. Fourth-year sophomore Alayna Falak also cleared 13-5 for a new personal best and fourth in the competition. Freshman Eliza Aitken and fourth-year junior Cassidy Mooneyhan tied for fifth, while freshman Kailee Swart was seventh.
 
Fifth-year senior Meredith Clark defended her women's shot put title with a victorious throw of 51-11 ¼ (15.83m). She became the first Coyote to win two indoor titles in the event. Sophomore Kinsley Ragland took fourth with a throw of 47-4 ½ (14.44m) and fifth-year senior Riley Griffith was eighth.
 
With an additional four titles on Friday, South Dakota finished with nine Summit League event titles on the weekend.
 
Freshman Carsen Staehr was named the Summit League Newcomer of the Championship. He totaled 12 points during the meet, finishing runner-up in the triple jump with a personal best leap of 48-10 ¾ (14.90m). He also took fifth in the long jump yesterday.
 
Reifenrath was presented with the Summit League Scholar of the Championship award prior to the meet, recognizing her academic excellence. Reifenrath was a member of the Coyotes' victorious 4x400-meter relay, finished runner-up in the 400 meters and took third in the 200 meters this weekend. She clocked 24.02 seconds in the 200 meters and 54.19 seconds in the 400 meters.
 
Pulse garnered all-Summit honors in the 400 meters, placing third in a time of 54.19 seconds. She also took fifth in the 200 meters in 24.64 seconds.
 
It was a wild men's high jump competition on Saturday with a jump-off determining the champion. Coyote junior Joe Lynch and NDSU's Zach McGlynn both cleared 6-11 (2.11m) without any misses in the competition. The competition went to a jump-off to break the tie. Lynch cleared a new personal best of 7-0 ¼ (2.14m) during the jump off, a height ties for sixth in USD program history. Lynch finished with the silver and fourth-year junior Ethan Heitman joined him on the podium in third with a clearance of 6-9 ¾ (2.08m).
 
Kautz and Inlay also picked up points in the 60 meters. Kautz finished runner-up in 6.76 seconds for all-league accolades, while Inlay was sixth with a time of 6.83 seconds.
 
South Dakota picked up 15 points through two-days of competition in the men's heptathlon. Junior Derek Eidsness made the podium, finishing runner-up with a point total of 5,103. Sophomore Noel Spence was fifth, sophomore Townsend Barton was seventh and senior Bryce Paulsen took eighth.
 
Junior Danii Anglin finished runner-up in the women's high jump, making 5-8 ½ (1.74m) to secure all-Summit accolades. Freshman Maddie Olson and Mülla placed fourth and fifth, respectively, with a clearance of 5-6 ½ (1.69m). Sophomore Matayah YellowMule took seventh with the same height.
 
The men's 4x400-meter relay of junior Thomas Nikkel, Minkovski, fourth-year junior Luke Olson and freshman Alexander Wear made the podium with a runner-up finish. The quartet clocked 3:17.75.
 
Fifth-year senior Ella Byers finished runner-up in the women's one mile run with a season-best clocking of 4:47.07. Freshman Madison Brouwer took eighth in the field in 4:58.10. Brouwer and Byers were also seventh and eighth, respectively, in the women's 800-meter final. Freshman Alexis Pagel took fourth in the 800 meters in 2:15.28 and fifth-year senior Madison Jochum was fifth in 2:15.87.
 
Joining Staehr on the podium in the men's triple jump was junior Jayden Green in third place. He leaped a personal best of 48-6 ¼ (14.78m). Sophomore Bennett Schween returned from Friday's long jump title to take sixth in the triple jump.
 
The hurdle duo of junior Averi Schmeichel and sophomore Mikael Grace both earned podium spots and personal records on Saturday in the 60-meter hurdles. Schmeichel took third in 8.46 seconds and Grace was third in 8.03 seconds.
 
In addition to the relay, Olson finished fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 1:54.18.
 
Junior Lauren Meyer took fifth in the triple jump with a personal best of 39-8 ¾ (12.11m). The mark ranks seventh in USD program history.
 
Redshirt-sophomore Tristan Gray placed fifth in the shot put with a throw of 5-17 ¾ (15.74m). Freshman Tyler Laughlin was seventh in the field.
 
Junior Anna Robinson took seventh in the 200 meters and junior Caelyn Valandra-Prue was eighth in the 400-meter final.
 
The NCAA Championships are set for March 8-9 in Boston, Massachusetts, with athletes finishing the weekend in the top-16 of their respective event qualifying for the indoor meet.
 
Summit League Championships Women's Point Scorers
1. Erin Kinney, 60 meters, 7.31 seconds
1. Sammy Neil, long jump, 20-1 ½ (6.13m)
1. Meredith Clark, shot put, 51-11 ¼ (15.83m)
            4. Kinsley Ragland, shot put, 47-4 ½ (14.44m)
            8. Riley Griffith, shot put, 43-5 ¾ (13.25m)
1. Gen Hirata, pole vault, 13-11 (4.24m)
            t-2. Jaidyn Garrett, pole vault, 13-5 (4.09m)
            t-2. Marleen Mülla, pole vault, 13-5 (4.09m)
            4. Alayna Falak, pole vault, 13-5 (4.09m)
            t-5. Eliza Aitken, pole vault, 12-11 (3.94m)
            t-5. Cassidy Mooneyhan, pole vault, 12-11 (3.94m)
            7. Kailee Swart, pole vault, 12-11 (3.94m)
1. Averi Schmeichel, Sara Reifenrath, Erin Kinney, Jacy Pulse, 4x400 relay, 3:41.71
1. Madison Brouwer, Jacy Pulse, Madison Jochum, Ella Byers, distance medley relay, 11:36.56
2. Danii Anglin, high jump, 5-8 ½ (1.74m)
            4. Maddie Olson, high jump, 5-6 ½ (1.69m)
            5. Marleen Mülla, high jump, 5-6 ½ (1.69m)
            7. Matayah YellowMule, high jump, 5-6 ½ (1.69m)
2. Sara Reifenrath, 400 meters, 54.19 seconds
            3. Jacy Pulse, 400 meters, 54.26 seconds
            8. Caelyn Valandra-Prue, 400 meters, 56.94 seconds
2. Erin Kinney, 200 meters, 23.77 seconds
            3. Sara Reifenrath, 200 meters, 24.02 seconds
            5. Jacy Pulse, 200 meters, 24.64 seconds
            7. Anna Robinson, 200 meters, 25.04 seconds
2. Ella Byers, mile, 4:47.07
            8. Madison Brouwer, mile, 4:58.10
3. Averi Schmeichel, 60-meter hurdles, 8.46 seconds
4. Matayah YellowMule, pentathlon, 3,751 points
4. Kenzie Campbell, weight throw, 60-11 ½ (18.58m)
            5. Meredith Clark, weight throw, 60-6 ¾ (18.46m)
4. Alexis Pagel, 800 meters, 2:15.28
            5. Madison Jochum, 800 meters, 2:15.87
            7. Madison Brouwer, 800 meters, 2:17.18
            8. Ella Byers, 800 meters, 2:20.74
5. Lauren Meyer, triple jump, 39-8 ¾ (12.11m)
 
Summit League Championships Men's Point Scorers
1. Dylan Kautz, 200 meters, 21.61 seconds
            2. Ardell Inlay, 200 meters, 21.74 seconds
            4. Ken-Mark Minkovski, 200 meters, 21.83 seconds
1. Marshall Faurot, pole vault, 18-1 ¼ (5.52m)
            2. Eerik Haamer, pole vault, 17-7 ¼ (5.37m)
            4. Spencer Buley, pole vault, 17-1 ½ (5.22m)
            5. Tre Young, pole vault, 17-1 ½ (5.22m)
            8. Wyatt Stewart, pole vault, 15-7 ¾ (4.77m)
1. Bennett Schwenn, long jump, 24-11 (7.59m)
            5. Carsen Staehr, long jump, 23-6 ¾ (7.18m)
2. Joe Lynch, high jump, 6-11 (2.11m)
            3. Ethan Heitman, high jump, 6-9 ¾ (2.08m)
2. Carsen Staehr, triple jump, 48-10 ¾ (14.90m)
            3. Jayden Green, triple jump, 48-6 ¼ (14.79m)
            6. Bennett Schwenn, triple jump, 46-10 ¾ (14.29m)
2. Dylan Kautz, 60 meters, 6.76 seconds
            6. Ardell Inlay, 60 meters, 6.83 seconds
2. Derek Eidsness, heptathlon, 5,103 points
            5. Noel Spence, heptathlon, 4,980 points
            7. Townsend Barton, heptathlon, 4,881 points
            8. Bryce Paulsen, heptathlon, 4,762 points
2. Thomas Nikkel, Ken-Mark Minkovski, Luke Olson, Alexander Wear, 4x400 relay, 3:17.75
3. Mikael Grace, 60-meter hurdles, 8.03 seconds
3. Mason Sindelar, Luke Olson, Alexander Wear, Carson Lauterbach, distance medley relay, 10:03.56
4. Luke Olson, 800 meters, 1:54.18
4. Wyatt Pruce, weight throw, 60-4 ½ (18.40m)
            5. Tristan Gray, weight throw, 59-11 (18.26m)
            6. Quincy Warren, weight throw, 58-0 ½ (17.69m)
5. Tristan Gray, shot put, 51-7 ¾ (15.74m)
            7. Tyler Laughlin, shot put, 48-9 ½ (14.87m)