MANHATTAN, Kan. – The South Dakota track and field program heads down the interstate again this week as they trek to Manhattan, Kan. for the DeLoss Dodds Invitational Friday and Saturday.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
The action gets started Friday afternoon as Austra Skujyte Pentathlon competition starts at noon and the Steve Fritz Heptathlon follows with a start of 12:20 p.m.
 
Both multis start on the track with the women running the 60-meter hurdles and the men the 60-meter dash. While the pentathlon will conclude Friday night, the heptathlon will continue into Saturday, starting at noon with the 60-meter hurdles.
 
Non-multi events start Friday night with field events at 5:30 p.m. and track events at 6:15 p.m. Saturday's individual events start at 2 p.m., both on the track and in the field.
 
Live timing will be available on Flash Results. You can also follow South Dakota track and field on X (formerly Twitter) @SDCoyotesXCTF for Coyote results and more.
 
TOUGH COMPETITION
Last week, the Coyotes went up against Nebraska, the No. 12 rated men's and women's teams in the country. This week, three of the six teams in competition are from the Big 12 (Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Baylor). Outside of South Dakota, the other two non-Power Conference opponents are Northern Iowa and San Diego State.
 
The Oklahoma State men (No. 22 nationally) and the Baylor women (No. 15) will be competing Friday and Saturday.
 
PEAK PERFORMER
The Coyotes earned another Kwik Star Peak Performer of the Week honor this week as Anna Willis earn the co-women's field honor after her performance at last week's Mark Colligan Memorial.
 
Willis cleared 14-4 ¾ to win the women's pole vault event. It is a personal best for her and puts her 5^th in the Coyote Top 10. She also ranks No. 10 in Division I this spring with the result.
 
EARLY SEASON SUCCESS
The first NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Rating Index of the season was released this week, and the Coyotes are in a good spot early on.
 
On the men's side, the Coyotes are rated second in the Summit League behind North Dakota State. In the Midwest Region, the Coyotes rank 11^th. South Dakota's top event nationally is the pole vault, where they rank sixth.
 
On the women's side, the Coyotes are No. 8 in the Midwest Rankings. They are currently third in the Summit League ratings. The Coyote women have the No. 2 ranked pole vault squad in the country, trailing only Virginia Tech for the top spot.
 
AIMING HIGH
The Coyotes have seen their fair share of success this season, holding the top performances in the Summit League in 11 events.
 
Landon Olson ranks fourth in the country and first in the Summit League in the high jump this season at 7-2 ½. He, along with teammate Joe Lynch, will be competing in the high jump Friday night. In the women's high jump, Maddie Olson and Danii Anglin share the top result in the conference this season, and both compete Friday night.
 
In the women's pole vault, Cassidy Mooneyhan ranks sixth in the NCAA at 14-6 ¾, and Willis ranks 10^th at 14-4 ¾. They are also the top two performers in the conference so far this season. Both athletes will compete in the pole vault Friday night in Manhattan.
 
Four of the five best men's pole vaulters in the Summit League are in action Saturday afternoon, as Eerik Haamer, Spencer Buley, Wyatt Stewart, and Tre Young are set to compete.
 
The Summit League's top women's 400 runner, Sara Reifenrath, will run in that event and the 200-meters this weekend. Also on the track this weekend is the Summit League's top hurdler, Jaden Damiano, who will compete Saturday afternoon in the 60 hurdles.