ST. PAUL, MN (Dakota News Now) – The top of the Summit League Track and Field Championship standings were a mirror image on both the men’s and women’s side with North Dakota State, South Dakota and South Dakota State going first through third place in 2024.

MEN’S TEAM STANDINGS

1. NDSU (190)

2. USD (175)

3. SDSU (158)

4. St. Thomas (112)

5. UMKC (66)

6. UND (60)

7. Oral Roberts (49)

WOMEN’S TEAM STANDINGS

1. NDSU (238)

2. USD (197)

3. SDSU (131.5)

4. UND (109.5)

5. St. Thomas (71)

6. UMKC (38)

7. Omaha (23)

8. Oral Roberts (11)

Click on the video viewer for highlights from the final day of competition! Recaps from USD and SDSU courtesy their media relations departments are below.

CORRECTION-In the highlights we state that Erin Kinney won the 200 meter dash. It was in fact Sara Reifenrath who edges her 23.30 seconds to 23.78 seconds

USD RECAP

South Dakota broke three more Summit League Championship meet records Saturday at O’Shaughnessy Stadium. Redshirt-junior Sara Reifenrath captured the women’s Track Championship MVP and fifth-year senior Meredith Clark took home the women’s Field Championship MVP from the meet.

Reifenrath, the Track Championship MVP, returns to Vermillion with four gold medals from the weekend and 25 points scored. She clocked a Summit League Championship meet record and a South Dakota program record of 52.81 seconds to take gold in the 400 meters, holding off indoor champion Nell Graham of NDSU down the home stretch. Reifenrath also took gold in the open 200 meters in 23.30 seconds, just one-tenth of a second off her own meet record from 2022. She’s captured three career titles in both the 200 meters and 400 meters. She also anchored the Coyotes’ victorious 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays.

Clark garnered the Field Championship MVP award for the second-straight year. She totaled 22 points with a pair of gold medals in the throwing events. After winning the shot put title yesterday, Clark returned to win the discus throw today. Her best mark of 161-2 (49.13m) came on her final throw of the competition. A Coyote has won the discus two years in a row.

In her final conference meet, senior Jacy Pulse took a victory lap in the 400-meter hurdles by breaking her own Summit meet record from yesterday’s preliminary with a clocking of 57.70 seconds. She’s won the event for three-straight years. Pulse also ran on the Coyotes’ championship 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays.

The women’s 4×100-meter relay of senior Erin Kinney, Pulse, junior Averi Schmeichel and Reifenrath opened up the running events Saturday by setting a new Summit League Championship meet record of 44.54 seconds. USD held the previous record of 44.99 seconds from 2022. The Coyotes have won three-straight league titles in the 4×100 relay and four overall.

Kinney successfully defended her title in the open 100 meters with a time of 11.38 seconds. She was just .04 shy of yesterday’s Summit League Championships meet record set in the preliminaries. Kinney was also runner-up to Reifenrath in the 200 meters, clocking 23.78 seconds.

The quartet of Schmeichel, Pulse, fifth-year senior Madison Jochum, and Reifenrath captured South Dakota’s fourth-straight championship title in the women’s 4×400-meter relay with a clocking of 3:40.68. The time was just off last year’s championship meet record of 3:40.25.

Sophomore Mikael Grace captured his first Summit League Championship title, taking the 110-meter hurdles in a personal record time of 13.90 seconds. His time ranks fifth in USD program history. He also finished seventh in the 400-meter hurdles with a clocking of 55.61 seconds.

Freshman Jaden Guthmiller, who entered the Summit meet with the 14th-best seed time in the men’s 100 meters, heads home a Summit League champion in the event. He took the tape in a personal best 10.31 seconds. The time ranks third in USD program history. Guthmiller also clocked a personal record 21.45 seconds in the 200 meters, finishing fourth in the event.

Fifth-year senior Marshall Faurot successfully defended his Summit League title in the men’s pole vault and the Coyotes swept the top-four spots. USD swept the podium in both pole vault competitions. Faurot was the lone athlete to clear 17-3 ¾ (5.28m) to win. Redshirt-junior Tre Young finished runner-up with a clearance of 17-0 (5.18m) and junior Spencer Buley rounded out the podium with a clearance at the same height. Buley’s make of 17-0 (5.18m) was a season best. Senior Eerik Haamer took fourth in the field, also clearing 17-0 (5.18m).

South Dakota finished with 13 conference champions with Clark (shot put), junior Joe Lynch (high jump) and senior Gen Hirata (pole vault) joining Saturday’s victors.

The Coyotes finished runner-up in both team races to North Dakota State. South Dakota’s men finished with 175 points to North Dakota State’s 190 points. The Coyote women finished with 197 points to the Bison’s 238 points.

Schmeichel, in addition to her gold medals in the 4×100-meter and 4×400-meter relays, made the podium in both hurdle races. She finished runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles in a personal best time of 13.30 seconds. The time is a new South Dakota program record in the event. She also placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 59.10 seconds, breaking the minute barrier for the first time this weekend. Her time ranks third in USD program history.

Redshirt-sophomore Mason Sindelar had a stellar performance in the men’s 1,500-meter run, finishing runner-up in 3:45.94. The Coyotes were not seeded to score in the event with Sindelar entering the meet with the 11th-best time this spring. He finished strong down the final 200 meters with a five-second personal best. The top three athletes were all under the previous conference meet record.

On the women’s side for the 1,500 meters, fifth-year senior Ella Byers finished runner-up in a season-best time of 4:28.29. She also took seventh in the 800-meter run.

Junior Thomas Nikkel took the silver in the men’s 400 meters with a personal best time of 47.22 seconds. He also finished sixth in the 200 meters. Sophomore Mark Daley was seventh in the 200 meters and eighth in the 400 meters.

The men’s 4×100-meter relay of Guthmiller, Nikkel, fifth-year senior Ardell Inlay and Daley finished runner-up in 40.10 seconds.

Freshman Carsen Staehr added a podium finish in the men’s triple jump, taking second in 48-10 ¼ (14.89m). Junior Jayden Green was sixth and sophomore Bennett Schwenn was seventh.

Junior Anna Robinson took fourth in the 400 meters with a time of 54.73 seconds and fifth in the 200 meters in a personal best 24.26 seconds.

Fifth-year senior Madison Jochum clocked 2:11.92 to finish fourth in the women’s 800 meters.

Junior Lauren Meyer placed fifth in the women’s triple jump with a leap of 39-4 ½ (12.00m).

Junior Wyatt Pruce took sixth and sophomore Quincy Warren was seventh in the men’s discus competition. Sophomore Kinsley Ragland was seventh in the women’s discus with a personal best throw of 137-3 (41.85m).

Select Coyote athletes will advance on to the NCAA West Preliminary meet held May 22-25 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Qualifiers will be announced next week.

Summit League Championships Men’s Point Scorers

1. Mikael Grace, 110m hurdles, 13.90 seconds

1. Jaden Guthmiller, 100m, 10.31 seconds

1. Marshall Faurot, pole vault, 17-3 ¾ (5.28m)

2. Tre Young, pole vault, 17-0 (5.18m)

3. Spencer Buley, pole vault, 17-0 (5.18m)

4. Eerik Haamer, pole vault, 17-0 (5.18m)

1. Joe Lynch, high jump, 6-9 ½ (2.07m)

2. Ethan Heitman, high jump, 6-9 ½ (2.07m)

2. Mason Sindelar, 1,500m, 3:45.94

2. Thomas Nikkel, 400m, 47.22 seconds

8. Mark Daley, 400m, 49.68 seconds

2. Tristan Gray, shot put, 54-9 ¼ (16.69m)

2. Quincy Warren, hammer throw, 183-10 (56.05m)

3. Tristan Gray, hammer throw, 176-1 (53.69m)

4. Wyatt Pruce, hammer throw, 164-7 (50.18m)

2. Bennett Schwenn, long jump, 24-1 (7.34m)

3. Carsen Staehr, long jump, 23-7 ½ (7.20m)

6. Jayden Green, long jump, 23-2 ¾ (7.08m)

2. Carsen Staehr, triple jump, 48-10 ¼ (14.89m)

6. Jayden Green, triple jump, 47-8 ½ (14.54m)

7. Bennett Schwenn, triple jump, 47-7 ¾ (14.52m)

2. Jaden Guthmiller, Thomas Nikkel, Ardell Inlay, Mark Daley, 4x100m relay, 40.10 seconds

4. Jaden Guthmiller, 200m, 21.45 seconds

6. Thomas Nikkel, 200m, 21.96 seconds

7. Mark Daley, 200m, 26.49 seconds

5. Derek Eidsness, decathlon, 6,629 points

6. Townsend Barton, decathlon, 6,618 points

7. Noel Spence, decathlon, 6,441 points

6. Wyatt Pruce, discus, 157-0 (47.86m)

7. Quincy Warren, discus, 155-5 (47.39m)

7. Mikael Grace, 400 hurdles, 55.61 seconds

Summit League Championships Women’s Point Scorers

1. Sara Reifenrath, 400m, 52.81 seconds

4. Anna Robinson, 400m, 54.73 seconds

1. Jacy Pulse, 400m hurdles, 57.70 seconds

3. Averi Schmeichel, 400m hurdles, 59.10 seconds

1. Erin Kinney, 100m, 11.38 seconds

1. Sara Reifenrath, 200m, 23.30 seconds

2. Erin Kinney, 200m, 23.78 seconds

5. Anna Robinson, 200m, 24.26 seconds

1. Meredith Clark, shot put, 52-0 ½ (15.86m)

1. Meredith Clark, discus, 161-2 (49.13m)

7. Kinsley Ragland, discus, 137-3 (41.85m)

1. Gen Hirata, pole vault, 14-1 ¼ (4.30m)

2. Jaidyn Garrett, pole vault, 13-4 ½ (4.08m)

3. Eliza Aitken, pole vault, 12-10 ¾ (3.93m)

7. Kailee Swart, pole vault, 12-10 ¾ (3.93m)

1. Erin Kinney, Jacy Pulse, Averi Schmeichel, Sara Reifenrath, 4x100m relay, 44.54 seconds

1. Averi Schmeichel, Jacy Pulse, Madison Jochum, Sara Reifenrath, 4x400m relay, 3:40.68

2. Averi Schmeichel, 100m hurdles, 13.30 seconds

2. Ella Byers, 1,500m, 4:28.29

2. Kenzie Campbell, hammer throw, 185-2 (56.45m)

6. Delaney Smith, hammer throw, 176-4 (53.76m)

7. Meredith Clark, hammer throw, 175-10 (53.59m)

8. Riley Griffith, hammer throw, 165-7 (50.47m)

2. Danii Anglin, high jump, 5-7 ¾ (1.72m)

3. Maddie Olson, high jump, 5-7 ¾ (1.72m)

5. Matayah YellowMule, high jump, 5-5 ¾ (1.67m)

4. Madison Jochum, 800m, 2:11.92

7. Ella Byers, 800m, 2:17.72

4. Sammy Neil, long jump, 19-3 ¼ (5.87m)

8. Matayah YellowMule, long jump, 18-7 ¼ (5.67m)

5. Lauren Meyer, triple jump, 39-4 ½ (12.00m)

8. Abbie Schmidt, 3,000m steeplechase, 11:08.43

SDSU RECAP

South Dakota State track and field finished third in both the men’s and women’s team standings after medaling in 14 different events on Saturday at the 2024 Summit League Championships.

Three Jackrabbits won the conference titles, starting with James Pierce, who won the 400-meter dash in a personal best of 47.12, now second all-time. Thailan Hallman also took fifth in 47.65 for a new PR and the sixth-fastest time in school history.

Claire Beckman was champion of the 800-meter finals, clocking a PR of 2:10.09 (now eighth all-time), and Grace Waage took bronze in 2:11.22.

Leah Hisken defended her 5k title, winning the gold in a time of 17:25.98. Jessica Lutmer (17:43.75) came seventh and Ashlyn Hillyard (17:52.50) was eighth.

Additional Jackrabbits earning a trip to the podium include Milee Young, who was runner-up in the women’s discus at the championship meet with a throw of 153-05.00.

Brielle Dixon broke her own school record in 13.37 seconds to take third place as Savannah Risseeuw finished fifth with a PR of 13.61, now third in school history.

The women’s 4×100-meter relay team of Dixon, Risseeuw, Maggie Madsen and Jaiden Boomsma ran into second place with a time of 45.90, taking the silver medal with the fourth-fastest time in school history.

Jessica Boekelheide, Emily Rystrom, Madsen and Erika Kuntz teamed up for the bronze medal in in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:44.52, now fourth on the SDSU All-Time List.

Jake Werner took home two medals on the day, as he ran a 10.46 in the 100-meter dash finals for a third place finish and a 21.25 for second place in the 200-meter dash.

Carson Noecker tallied his second silver medal of the championship meet after running a 14:15.41 in the 5k. Josh Becker (14:40.89) was fifth and Will Lohr (14:43.89) came eighth.

Tristen Hanna leaped his way onto the podium for the triple jump with a mark of 48-08.00.

Ethan Fischer was runner-up in the discus, taking silver with a mark of 172-06.00, while Caiden Fredrick was third with a 169-08.00. Ryan Hackbart (153-07.00, PR) also scored for SDSU, taking eighth place.

SDSU then clocked the sixth-fastest men’s 4×100-meter relay time (40.58) in school history enroute to a bronze medal courtesy of Evan Henderson, Werner, Carter Toews and Drew Olson.

The 4×400-meter relay team of Sam Castle, Hallman, Kudra Nzibariza and Pierce clocked the eighth-fastest time in school history (3:12.99) to take silver.

In other results, Carter Johnson finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdle finals with a new PR of 14.47, now ninth on the SDSU All-Time List, as Jeremiah Donahoe ran a 55.54 for sixth in the 400-meter hurdle finals.

Daniel Burkhalter and Brandon Kampsen finished back-to-back in the 800-meter finals, clocking a 1:55.30 for seventh and 1:56.58 for eighth place, respectively. Burkhalter also scored for the Jackrabbits in the 1500-meter run with a fourth-place finish in 3:46.89

Matt Katz and Ryan Karajanis finished back-to-back in the men’s pole vault, taking seventh (15-06.25) and eighth (15-00.25), respectively.

Boomsma ran a time of 11.93 for a fifth place finish in the 100-meter dash finals as Rich-Ann Archer took seventh in 12.08.

In the finals of the 400-meter dash, Kuntz ran a 57.05 for seventh place as Boekelheide took eighth with a PR of 57.46.

Risseeuw crossed the finish line in a time of 1:04.24 for eighth place in the 400-meter hurdle finals while Nicole Greyer clocked a 4:33.77 in the 1500-meter run for a fifth place finish.

The SDSU men finish third in the team standings with 158 points as North Dakota State took first with 190 points and South Dakota was second with 175 points.

On the women’s side, SDSU came third with 131.5 points while North Dakota State won with 238 points and South Dakota came second with 197 points.

UP NEXT: Should SDSU have any qualifiers, the NCAA West Regional Prelims will take place May 22-25 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Copyright 2024 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – May is American Wetlands Month and the Prairie Pothole Region has the highest wetland densities in the world.

“These wetlands provide many uses for wildlife, especially ducks providing breeding pair habitat, brood habitat, migration habitat. They’re very important for other wildlife species too, with the cover surrounding wetlands, for pheasants, deer and then also other migrating shorebirds and water birds,” said Mike Szymanski, waterfowl biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

While the state has lost nearly 60% of its wetlands over time, North Dakota remains the duck factory of North America.

“We are centered in the Prairie Pothole Region, and in the United States portion of the Prairie Pothole Region, North Dakota has about half of the breeding ducks,” said Szymanski.

Wetlands also benefit people in a variety of ways.

“Our hunters enjoy hunting waterfowl in the wetlands. Pheasant hunters get out, and especially, seasonal wetlands after they dry up a little bit and have good cattail cover. Bird watchers have exceptional opportunities to go out and check out wildlife and photograph and observe wildlife and waterfowl and wetlands,” said Szymanski.

There are many different types and sizes of wetlands in North Dakota.

“They all have different permanence on the landscape and different purposes for wildlife and purposes for ecological goods and services that wetlands provide for water quality, water storage and replenishment of aquifers,” said Szymanski.

North Dakota has wet and dry years, which is important for wetlands to recycle from time to time.

“It’s very important that wetlands go through these processes on a natural basis. However, they do periodically need to dry up to maintain fertility and production of food and vegetation for wildlife,” said Szymanski.

The next time you take a drive, and you see wetlands full of ducks, shorebirds and other wildlife, remember wetlands are also important for people and the entire ecosystem.

Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.

There is a real problem on the campuses of North Dakota’s small state colleges and universities. Many non-academic buildings are falling apart. Buildings such as dorms and student unions.

The problem is the state will not fund non-academic buildings. The philosophy is that the small schools must raise the funds themselves. That’s not possible. The donor base is too small, and there aren’t enough students to pay for these costs with increased fees.

Funding dorms and student unions should be the state’s responsibility. These buildings are vital to all students on campus. Other facilities, such as college football practice complexes, should be paid for with private funding, because they don’t benefit all the students. In nearby states, the states that North Dakota is competing with for college students, dorms and non-academic buildings are paid for with public money.

Currently, there are college dorms across the state that need to be renovated. Other dorms are in such poor shape that they need to be replaced with new dorms. However, nothing is happening on those fronts because the colleges don’t have the money. North Dakota has the money. It’s time for the Legislature to step up and support the state’s smaller colleges and universities.

North Dakota Rep. Jason Dockter, R-Bismarck, should resign. Dockter was found guilty in a Bismarck court of a conflict of interest, for voting on legislation that he financially benefited from. Those were budgets for the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office. Even without the criminal conviction, Dockter should resign for making the sweetheart deal with former Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. That sleazy deal for a building project sent millions of dollars to Dockter’s companies.

Likewise, Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell, D-Woodbury, should resign

. Mitchell was charged with first-degree burglary after being found in her stepmother’s house in Detroit Lakes. I realize you are considered innocent until proven guilty, but the evidence against Mitchell is overwhelming. According to police, Mitchell entered the house through a window and was found in the basement at 4:45 a.m. wearing all-black clothing and a black hat.

Donald Trump’s whining about his gag order is getting old. That order was well-deserved because of Trump’s public comments blasting those connected to his trial. Trump’s complaints that he can’t defend himself are untrue. He can testify if he wants to. He likely won’t do it because he knows he authorized the hush-money payments.

Just wondering if Minnesota Rep. Michelle Fischbach will ever stop ducking the media and actually talk to them. It’s her job. As a member of Congress, Fischbach needs to answer questions from the news media and appear on talk shows that aren’t MAGA echo chambers. Say what you will about North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer and North Dakota Rep. Kelly Armstrong, but they rightfully make themselves accessible to the media.

InForum columnist Jim Shaw is a former WDAY TV reporter and former KVRR TV news director.