South Dakota Women’s Team Sets League Record for Points and Rolls to Fifth Straight NCC Outdoor Title; Men’s Team Finishes Second
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of South Dakota women's track and field team rolled up a league record 255 points and won its fifth consecutive North Central Conference outdoor title on Saturday at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, S.D. In the final NCC meet, the Coyotes broke the NCC record for team points held by North Dakota State which scored 239.33 in 2002.
The South Dakota men’s team finished second with 167 points. Minnesota State captured the men’s title with 283.50 points. Minnesota Duluth was third in the men's team race with 115.50 points followed by North Dakota, 112; St. Cloud State, 73.50; and Augustana, 61.50. In total, the Coyote men finished with five individual titles. The Coyote men, directed by 24-year head coach Dave Gottsleben, finished with five individual titles at the NCC meet. The USD men’s program, which won the first-ever NCC championship in 1922, has finished first or second in 14 consecutive league meets.
The Coyote women, directed by 14-year head coach Lucky Huber, had a dominating performance at the 2008 league championship meet. Overall, they won 12 of the 22 events contested during the two-day competition. The final title was captured by Ramsey Kavan (So., Yankton, S.D.) in the 5,000-meter run on Saturday morning. Kavan, who also won the 10,000-meter run on Friday, clocked a 17:22.13, which is an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark for the outdoor nationals. Kelsey Maloney (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) finished fourth (18:11.57) in the same event. With those points, the Coyotes surged to the all-time team points record.
The title is the eighth overall outdoor title captured by the Coyote women’s team. With seven indoor titles, the Coyotes finished with 15 NCC team crowns in the history of the league. Minnesota State finished second in the women’s team race with 164 points, which was 91 behind the Coyotes. Augustana was third with 143 points followed by Minnesota-Duluth, 105.5; North Dakota, 77; Nebraska-Omaha, 65.5; and St. Cloud State, 44.
“Our program has come a long way,” said Huber, who has coached seven of USD’s outdoor championship squads. “Coach Greg Willey laid the foundation for this program and we have tried to work hard to take it to another level. It is really neat to see our team responded this weekend with an historic performance in the final NCC meet,” he said.
Huber has directed the Coyotes to 14 NCC titles (seven indoor, and seven outdoor). “This team has great senior leadership, led by Stephanie Gebhart, Stacy Gould and Betsy Lubbers. This is a team that was deep and talented. I learned from men’s head coach Dave Gottsleben about the importance of balance and depth. It is a combination that wins championships,” he said.
During the NCC Championship meet, the Coyote women’s team recorded two automatic and 10 provisional qualifying marks for the NCAA Division II nationals.
For the first time in school history, the Coyote women won all four throwing events (javelin, shot put, discus and hammer). The throw team was led by Jasmine Mosley (So., Bellevue, Neb.), who won the discus and shot put events. Her toss of 143’01 in the discus and season-best throw of 48’04 in the shot put were both provisional marks for the NCAA Division II outdoor nationals. Shaneka Parkes (Jr., St. Ann, Minard Hill, Jamaica) claimed the women’s javelin title with a throw of 143’0, which was also a provisional mark for nationals. Danielle Dornbusch (So., Papillion, Neb.) won her first-ever NCC title by capturing the women’s hammer throw with a toss of 160’0.
USD exhibited strength in not only field events but also on the track. Gebhart (Sr., Elkton, S.D.) won one individual event and anchored two winning relays for the Coyotes. She picked up her third career NCC outdoor title in the 400-meter dash with a clocking of :54.62. Emma Erickson (Fr., Gayville, S.D.) won the 800-meter run in 2:11.22.
Gebhart and Erickson led USD to titles in both relays. The Coyotes’ 4x100-meter relay captured a title with a provisional qualifying mark of :46.89 which was their second best time this season. Parkes and Jenessa Filler (Jr., Crooks, S.D.) also ran on the relay squad. Gebhart anchored the 4x400-meter relay to a title in 3:49.07 while meeting another provisional mark for nationals. Erickson, Allison Smith (Jr., Wahpeton, N.D.) and Rosalie Brueske (So., Woonsocket, S.D.) also ran on the winning 4x400-meter relay.
Amber Hegge (Fr., Crofton, Neb.) also played a key role for USD. In her first NCC meet, Hegge won the triple jump (38’04.25) and finished second in both the high jump (5’03.25) and long jump (17’10.25). Hegge’s triple jump mark was a provisional mark for outdoor nationals. Hegge and Mosley did not compete at the indoor league meet but combined to score 54 points (Hegge, 26; Mosley, 28) at the outdoor championship.
In addition, USD’s Lindsay House (Sr., Lennox, S.D.) won her first outdoor hurdles title by clocking a 14:67 in the 100-meter hurdles.
The Coyote men's team was led by Terry Liggins (Sr., Omaha, Neb.), who won both hurdles events. He picked up wins in both the 110-meter hurdles (:14.86) and the 400-meter hurdles (:54.08). He became the first student-athlete in NCC men’s history to win four straight titles in the 110-meter outdoor hurdles and the 60-meter indoor hurdles.
Ben Walters (Jr., Lennox, S.D.) also had a huge meet for the Coyote men’s team. He won the hammer throw with a toss of 175’06, finished second in the shot put (51’01) and was third (149’06) in the discus. USD’s Preston Scott (Jr., Parker, S.D.) won the discus with a throw of 152’02 and he was second (171’04) in the hammer throw.
Also winning a title for the men’s team was Colte Haines (Sr., White Lake, S.D.) who won the triple jump at 46’08.25.
On Saturday, USD’s Sean Fitzsimmons (Yankton, S.D.) was sixth (10:05.70) in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Rob Gregiore (Wakonda, S.D.) placed seventh (15:47.16) in the men’s 5,000-meter run.
In the women’s 3,000-meter run on Saturday, Allison Duba (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) was seventh (10:50.55).
Next for the Coyote track and field teams will be the NCAA Division II outdoor nationals on May 22-24 in Walnut, Calif.
*Courtesy: USD Sports Information
