FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ­— Three South Dakota track and field student-athletes have claimed their spots at the NCAA Championships in a couple weeks after strong performances at the NCAA West First Rounds Thursday.
 
The first Coyote to punch a ticket was in the men's pole vault, where freshman Caelan Harland was one of the top performers on the day. Harland technically finished the competition in second place with a clearance of 17-11 ¼ (5.47m). In total, five athletes cleared that bar and two others passed it but were positioned high enough to advance.
 
The other two Coyotes heading to Eugene are women's pole vaulters Anna Willis and Marleen Mülla. The duo, each earning first team all-American honors indoor this season, cleared 14-6 ¼ (4.43m) to advance to the NCAA meet. They were two of 10 athletes to clear that height during Thursday's competition and were seeded second and fifth in the NCAA entering the regionals this weekend.
 
Four other Coyote men competed in Thursday's pole vault. Beau Karst placed in a tie for 17^th at 17-1 ½ (5.22m). Dutch Neuweiler cleared the opening height of 16-7 ½ (5.07m) to place 27^th. Wyatt Stewart and Dylan Curtis didn't clear the opening height in rainy conditions.
 
Also in competition Thursday morning was Delaney Smith in the hammer throw, where she placed 20^th with a toss of 196-10 (60.00m).
 
Friday, the final two Coyotes will look to advance to the NCAA Championships. Firstly, in the men's high jump at 2 p.m., Landon Olson is looking to punch his ticket to Eugene. Finally, on the track, Jaden Damiano will look to be in the top 12 of the men's 110-meter hurdles that begin at 6:15 p.m.. He placed 13^th in the opening round with a time of 13.59 on Wednesday. The 12^th best time was 13.57 during Wednesday's first rounds.
   
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