FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—South Dakota senior pole vaulter Gen Hirata will make her third career appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after punching her ticket Thursday evening during the NCAA West Preliminary competition at John McDonnell Field.
 
Hirata is a four-time All-American in her career, placing third at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene last spring. She vaulted 14-1 ¼ (4.30m) on a first-attempt make to advance. She had one miss in the competition and tied for fourth overall.
 
Hirata joins men's vaulters, fellow seniors Eerik Haamer and Marshall Faurot, in qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in two weeks.
 
Senior Jacy Pulse took 14th in the first round of the 400-meter hurdles, advancing to Saturday's quarterfinals with the second-best time in her heat. She clocked 57.86 seconds on Thursday. Pulse was a second-team All-American in the event a year ago.
 
Joining Pulse in Saturday's quarterfinals will be senior Erin Kinney in the 100-meter dash. Kinney clocked a school record time of 11.22 seconds in the 100 and earned an automatic qualifying spot from her heat to Saturday's quarterfinal races. Kinney also finished 29th in the 200 meters, clocking a wind-aided 23.26 seconds.
 
Rounding out the trio of quarterfinal qualifiers on Thursday afternoon was redshirt-junior Sara Reifenrath in the 400 meters. She tied her school record from two weeks ago of 52.81 seconds in the race to earn the last time qualifying spot in 24th.
 
Senior Jaidyn Garrett took 22nd in the pole vault competition with a clearance of 13-5 ¼ (4.10m).
 
Junior Averi Schmeichel took 30th in the 400-meter hurdles and 33rd in the 100-meter hurdles on Thursday. She crossed the tape in the 400 hurdles in 59.17 seconds, shy of her personal best 59.10 seconds set at the conference meet. She also clocked 13.54 seconds in the 100 hurdles, two-tenths of a second off her school record of 13.30 set two weeks ago. Schmeichel snuck into the field for the 400 hurdles with the 48th-best mark.
 
Senior Meredith Clark took 38th in the shot put with a top throw of 51-1 ¾ (15.59m).
 
South Dakota's men are back to it at John McDonnell Field on Friday with a pair of Coyotes in action beginning at 11:30 a.m.