Matt Dunbar (left) and Brandon Priebe (right) run in the men's 110 meter hurdles Apr. 9. The teammates finished first and second in the event while the team finished with eight individual or team wins total. -Rod Schneller

The Jackrabbit track and field teams were busy winning in Yankton in Apr. 9.

The women’s team won five events at the South Dakota/North Dakota Double Dual in Yankton. Sophomore Brooke Garner didn’t win the hammer throw, but she did break the school record in the event with a second place throw of 187 feet, 11 inches. However,Garner did win the discus with a throw of 158 feet.
“Brooke had an outstanding day to go with what is

s becoming a breakout season for her,” said head coach Rod DeHaven. “The exciting part is that there is quite a bit of season left and the hammer throw and discus are events that we usually get better as the season progresses.”

Senior sprinters Brittany Garner and Heather Wollman claimed the 100 and 200 meter events. Garner’s time in the 100 meter was 11.99 seconds and Wollman’s time was 24.70 seconds in the 200.

Two relay teams also finished first on the women’s side. The 4 x 100 relay team won with a time of 46.57 seconds and the 4 x 400 relay team won with a time of 3:49.51.

The women defeated the University of North Dakota 103-87 and lost to the University of South Dakota 105-90.

The men’s team won eight events at the dual.

Junior Luke Leischner won the 200 meter dash with a time of 21.69 seconds. Leischner also finished second in the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.83 seconds.

Hammer thrower specialists Sean Burns and Jake Brinkmann finished first and second in the event with throws of 184-11 and 180-11. Brinkmann’s throw is second in school history.

The men’s hurdlers had a good turnout. Matt Dunbar and Brandon Priebe finished first and second in the 110 meter hurdles with times of 15.01 and 15.13 seconds. Priebe also won the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 53.90 seconds.

Three more juniors took home first place finishes.

Jared Vlastuin won the high jump event with a jump of 6-02. Jake Schneller won the 1,500 meter run with a time of 3:52.07 and Aaran Davis won the javelin with a throw of 184 feet, 5 inches.

The 4 x 400 relay team also took home a top place finish with a time of 3:18.99.

The men’s team won both of their duals. The Jacks defeated the University of North Dakota 135-45 and defe

Alison Anderson begins her run in the 4x400 meter relay. The team finished first in the event running the fourth-fastest time in school history. -Rod Schneller

ated the University of South Dakota 105-96.

“We competed well on both sides,” DeHaven said. “It was nice to come out on top on the men’s side,

but more importantly we had a ton of personal bests that placed individuals on the Summit League lists.”

Senior Ben Jasinkski competed in the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas. He finished second in the high jump with a jump

of 6-10.75.

The Jacks will be in Walnut, Cal. and Des Moines, Iowa this weekend.

For better or worse, fours were important in Game one of the Jackrabbits 11-3 loss to Southern Utah. Four of the eight SDSU hits were doubles. Freshman centerfielder Emily Weber went 4-for-4 at the plate. The Jacks also had four errors.

“We’ve struggled a little bit with the defensive side but not as much as the pitching side, so that was a little bit of a surprise,” said Jacks head coach Joanna Lane of the her team’s uncharacteristic defense.

Defensive Durazo

Senior Ashley Durazo owned the top of the seventh inning for the Jackrabbit defense in game two. She made a great stop on Darleen Fernandez’s ground ball to start the inning. After the Thunderbirds’ Heather Richardson singled, she was caught stealing on a throw by Sammy Bingham, caught at second base by none other than Durazo.

“Ashley is a defensive shortstop. She would be a Big Ten starter on the defensive end. She’s struggled a little bit this year as a hitter, which is new to her, but she hasn’t seen that wave her on the defensive side” Lane said. “She always makes big plays in the field for us.”

A strange second

The top of the second inning in game two was a little strange. Before the Thunderbirds plated their first run of the game, SDSU recorded two of their outs through the infield fly rule after pop outs to Kelly Kleppin and Ashley Durazo, respectively.

Also during the inning, the home plate umpire, Kevin Killingsworth looked at the ball and said “garbage,” and bringing it over to the SDSU dugout, looking for a replacement. Someone from the Jackrabbits dugout in responded by saying, “It’s brand new.”

By Dustin Veurink
Sportswriter

Sean Burns spins in his delivery of the hammerthrow in a meet earlier this season. Burns has 13 career victories, including seven in the hammer throw. Submitted Photo

Senior weight thrower Sean Burns dominated the indoor weight throw competition this year, but the amazing thing is that he hasn’t been competing in the event long.

Burns, a Rapid City native, didn’t know the weight throw was an event until he arrived on campus.

As a kid, Burns was influenced by his older sister to compete in throwing events after watching her in middle school.

“I thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” Burns said.

“I knew out of all the events in track and field that was the one I wanted to do.”

Going into the indoor season track season, Burns held the SDSU weight throw record with a throw of 58 feet, 10.75 inches, a record throw he set in 2009.

In December, Burns started the 2010-2011 indoor season off by breaking his record in the weight throw with a throw of 61 feet, 10.25 inches in Fargo. That throw also broke the South Dakota state collegiate record.

“It’s pretty exciting. I’ve met the last two record holders before I broke it,” Burns said. “I feel like they are good company to be mentioned with.”

With a month off between the next meet, Burns broke his record with a throw of 64 feet, 8.75 inches in Vermillion.

On Jan. 29, Burns broke his record for the third time this season with a throw of 65 feet, 7.5 inches in Ames, Iowa. Burns tied his record two weeks later in Ames again.

Burns won the weight throw at the Summit League Championships with a throw of 62 feet, 11.50 inches and helped the Jacks to a second place performance, the program’s highest conference finish since joining the Summit League.

He also finished second in the ashot put with a personal best of 54 feet, 4.25 inches, which ranks sixth all-time in school history.

Burns wrapped up his indoor season with a sixth-place finish in the weight throw at the NCAA Qualifier with a throw of 58-08.75.

“He put in a ton of work to get himself in this position and it is great to see it pay off,” said head coach Rod DeHaven.

Burns was ranked in the Division I United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association weight throw rankings all year and finished the season ranked 29th.

“As far as being ranked, I’m excited, because I would have never thought I would be,” Burns said.

Burns has 13 career wins, including seven in the hammer throw, four in the weight throw and two in the shot put.

Burns’ success carried over into the hammer throw discipline, where he had a similar hot streak.

He broke the hammer throw record five times last year in the outdoor season. His record throw is 188 feet, 9 inches and will look to continue his success in the outdoor track and field season.

Looks like Sean Burns is getting this weight throw thing down.

For the third time this season, Burns broke the school record in the weight throw Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Burns finished second in the event with a throw of 65 feet 7.5 inches.

“Sean had a great day, and of course, it never gets old breaking a school record,” said head coach Rod DeHaven.

Luke Leischner also had a good day for the men. Leischner won the 400 meter dash with a time of 47.37 seconds. Leischner’s time is second best in school history.

Leischner anchored the 4 x 400 relay team to a school record. Other members of the relay were Brandon Priebe, Jake Schneller and Jared Foote. The relay finished second with a time of 3:14.87.

Freshman Gavin Cordell finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 44-9.75.

Michael Krsnak finished fifth in the mile run with a time of 4:12.86.

The men finished fifth with 44 points. Eight teams competed at the meet.

Ashley Lange finished third in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 37 feet, 3.75 inches.

Multiple finishers turned in fifth place finishes for the women. Megan Bren finished fifth in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.98 seconds. Bren also finished sixth in the 60 meter dash with a time of 8.01 seconds.

Mary Wirth placed fifth in the high jump with a jump of 5-5. Ashley Odesgaard finished fifth in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.98 seconds.

“In general the women’s team made progress,” DeHaven said. “We had several best personal best and some of our younger folks stepped against some very solid competition.”

The women accumulated 44 points also and finished sixth out of eight teams.

The teams will be in Fargo, ND next for the Bison Open on Feb. 4 to 5.

The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams go into the season ranked third in the Summit League preseason polls.

All seven of the men’s all-league selections return this year for the Jackrabbits. Long jump champion Jared Vlastuin and weight throw Jake Brinkmann are among the seven for the Jacks.

Jared Ailts, Jared Foote, Marshall Kambestad, Luke Leischner and Greg Vollmer also return for the Jacks.

Ben Jasinski and Sean Burns are both ranked in the Division I United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason rankings. Jasinski ranks 15th in the heptathlon and Burns ranks 32nd in the weight throw.

Last year, the men finished sixth at the indoor Summit League Championships.

The women also had seven all-league selections last year, but only five return. Brooke Garner, Brittany Garner, Rachel Hakk, Jennifer Mack and Lora Shearer return for the Jackrabbits.

Danielle Burke and Krista Creager also return for the Jacks who were part of last year’s distance medley relay championship team.

The women finished fourth at the indoor Summit League Championships last year.

The track and field teams started their 2011 season at the Graphic Edge Alumni Invite at Vermillion on January 15.

The national ranked duo of Burns and Jasinski each broke their own school records at Vermillion.

Burns’ season is off to a great start. He broke his record in the weight throw that he set in December. Burns’ first place throw of 64 foot, 8.75 inches also broke his state record which broke in December also.

“His goals are very high and he is getting closer to making the NCAA championships,” DeHaven said.

Burns also placed second in the shot put with a throw of 49 feet, 6.25 inches.

Jasinski broke his high jump record with a winning jump of 6 foot and 11 inches. He also won the triple jump with a jump of 48 feet.

“For Sean and Ben to break school records after the holiday break is a testament to their drive and focus,” said head coach Rod DeHaven.

Jake Brinkmann finished second in the weight throw with a throw of 53-11.25.

Jared Vlastuin finished second in high jump, long jump and triple jump. His jumps were 6-06, 22-07.25 and 45-05.25 inches.

Senior Ashley Lange was the women’s top performer at the meet. She placed first in triple jump with a jump of 37 feet, 8.50 inches.

Lange redshirted last year and DeHaven is glad to have her back.

“Ashley is a solid performer that missed last year,” DeHaven said. “Having her back healthy should mean that she will be picking up points for us at the conference meet in both the triple jump and the long jump.”

Rachel Hakk placed second in high jump with a jump of 5 feet, 6 inches.

Freshman Ashley Odegaard placed second in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.90 seconds. Odegaard’s time is 6th in school history.

The women’s throwers had a great day. Jennifer Mack, Michelle Schuch and Brooke Garner placed second through fourth in the weight throw. Their throws were 53-06.25, 53-05.50 and 53-05.

Brooke Garner also finished second in the shot put with a throw of 42 feet, 11 inches.

The teams will be in Minneapolis, Minn. next for the Jack Johnson Invitational on January 21 and 22.

After a great career of his own, the SDSU legend has helped grow the track and cross country programs since Division I transition.

Cross country head coach Rod DeHaven was named Summit League Coach of the Year for the second straight year, but his journey to this point is what makes him popular.

DeHaven grew up in Huron, S.D., and started running when he was 12 years old. After being successful in cross country and track in high school, DeHaven picked SDSU over Nebraska, because he thought it was a better fit.

At SDSU, DeHaven had an amazing career. He was an All-American and NCC Individual Champion all four years. DeHaven has track records that still stand today.

He moved to Madison, Wis., after graduating and continued his passion of running.

In 2000, DeHaven won the Olympic Trials and earned a spot at the Olympics Games in Sydney, Australia. DeHaven was the only American competing in the Olympic marathon. DeHaven finished 69th out of 81 runners with a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 46 seconds.

“My experience in Australia was fabulous,” DeHaven said. “Walking through the Olympic Village seeing so many different countries represented that my dream had become a reality.”

DeHaven was hired as SDSU’s cross country coach in 2004.

“The main reason I wanted to coach here is to make sure that the track and field/cross country program remained competitive and relevant as we moved from a division II to a Division I school,” DeHaven said.

The track & field and cross country teams have certainly been competitive since DeHaven was hired as head coach.

In 2005, the men’s cross country team won the NCAA Division I Independent Championships. In 2006, the women’s cross country team won the NCAA Division I Independent Championships. The women won the Summit League title in 2008 and the men have won it the last two years.

Cross country junior Michael Krsnak talks about why he chose SDSU.

“Rod is probably one of the top reasons I came to SDSU if not the reason, because he is not the typical Division I coach,” Michael Krsnak said.

Krsnak shared a moment from the meet at regionals.

“At the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, I saw Rod kicking and screaming at me, first because I was being stupid,” Krsnak said. “Then because he was so excited I was having a good race,”

The student athletes love DeHaven and he loves his job.

“I have really enjoyed working with the student athletes, they do so many things that make me proud to be alum, both outside the field of competition as well as inside it,” DeHaven said.

The track and field indoor season starts Dec. 4 in Fargo, N.D.

DeHaven really likes the men’s track team this year.

“This might be the best men’s track team ever at SDSU,” DeHaven said.

#1.1814398:1851823845.png:dehavenweb.png:The SDSU men?s cross country team poses after winning their second consecutive Summit League title.:Submitted Photo

The men’s cross country season is over, but it was one to remember.

Ranked 11th going into the NCAA Midwest Regional, the men beat out Nebraska and Kansas to place eighth.

Leading the way was junior Michael Krsnak, who placed 16th with a time of 30:22:.07. His 16th place finish was good for all-region honors.

“It feels great to run against some of the best runners in the nation,” Krsnak said. “I can’t really describe how it feels to be all-region.”

Coach Rod DeHaven was very satisfied with Krsnak’s performance

“Mike had an epic run, initially I thought that he had bitten off more than he could chew by going out with the leaders, but he just kept hanging on,” DeHaven said.

Krsnak, a Rapid City native, fell just short of being selected to compete at the NCAA Championships.

Krsnak needed Minnesota and Iowa State to receive at-large bids to be chosen as the four individuals in the region not from a qualifying team, but only Minnesota received an at-large bid.

Krsnak described what it would have meant to him to race in the Championships.

“For me to race in the NCAA championships would complete half of a career goal,” Krsnak said. “The other half would be to compete well in the championships.”

Krsnak described the competition he was running against.

“Most of those kids will end up being professional runners someday,” Krsnak said

Amazing is a simple way to put the year that Krsnak had.

He had four top-three finishes this year including wins at the Ron Pynn Classic and Oz Memorial to start of the year. Krsnak was named Summit League Athlete of the Week after his run at the Oz Memorial. He was also named to the Summit League all-league first team.

Junior Anthony Bongard finished off his great season with a 48th place finish with a time of 31:15.98.

Seniors Greg Vollmer and Marshall Kambestad finished their year with 63rd and 68th place finishes. Their times were 31:38.85 and 31:46.91. Junior Eddie Stenger finished closely behind for 73rd with a time of 31:51.12.

“The men ran with tremendous heart,” DeHaven said. “They were running for respect and I think they accomplished that.”

The men’s team won three meets this year including the SDSU Classic and the Summit League Championships.

Sophomore Erin Hargens finished her great season with a 55th place finish with a time of 21 minutes and 29.65 seconds.

“I felt like I could have raced smarter, but overall I had a good time and enjoyed regionals,” Hargens said.

Hargens, a transfer from Oklahoma, reflected on her first season as part of the women’s team.

“My first season as a Jackrabbit went well,” Hargens said. “I still have a lot of room to grow and improve, but I am happy with the season and how our team is continuing to better itself.”

Hargens, a Sioux Falls native, had three top-ten finishes on the year. She was also named to the Summit League all-league first team.

Sophomore Tera Potts finished 140th with a time of 23:00.02. Brooke Wyffels rounded out the top-three for the Jackrabbits with a time of 23:25.44 good for 157th place.

The women were short-handed this week, but coach DeHaven was pleased with the team’s performance.

“We ran without Kelsey Clausen and Mariah Hofer, our 2nd and 3rd runners at the conference meet, but we had some folks step up to help the team out,” DeHaven said.

The women finished 23rd out of 27 teams.

The women’s lone meet win of the year was at the Herb Blakley Invitational in Madison, SD.

The Jackrabbit women are hampered by injuries and the men will lean on Bongard and Krsnak at regionals.

After repeating as Summit League champions, the men’s cross country team now focuses on performing strong at the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional.

“For the men, our goal is to exceed our current regional ranking of 11th,” said head coach Rod DeHaven. “For us to move up and beat Kansas, Nebraska or Southern Illinois, we will have to run very well and have one or two guys in the top 50.”

The men’s team will need to rely on their top runners Michael Krsnak and Anthony Bongard to finish well in the standings.

“The other schools all have front runners that we will need to match for us to have a chance to do that,” DeHaven said. “I believe that Mike and Anthony have that capability.”

Krsnak is the Jacks’ top returning finisher from last year, finishing 73rd in last year’s field. A junior, Krsnak talks about preparing for the regional meet.

“I don’t do anything different; really the whole season has been building to this point,” DeHaven said.

The men will be racing in a 10K instead of their regular 6K.

“The length is not a big deal either, if anything it helps me out,” Krsnak said.

Krsnak has high hopes for himself and the team at regionals.

“A great turnout would be an All-Region finish for me (top 20) and a top-ten finish for the team,” Krsnak said.

Last year, the men placed 13th out of 25 teams.

“I think that the guys will be better prepared for the race than they were a year ago,” DeHaven said.

The women’s team continues to deal with injuries. According to DeHaven, Kelsey Clausen and Mariah Hofer will not be competing.

Clausen was the Jacks’ second-best runner from last year’s regionals with a 67th place finish.

The women will be competing on the same course as they did on Oct. 15 at the Bradley Invitational.

“For those that do run, it should be a good opportunity to see if they have improved since the Bradley Invitational,” DeHaven said.

Sophomore Erin Hargens has had a phenomenal year for the Jacks and coach DeHaven has high hopes for her at regionals.

“I believe she has the capability of finishing in top 40 (all-region) and possibly break 21 minutes for 6K, which has never been done by an SDSU student-athlete,” DeHaven said.

The Midwest Regional will take place Nov. 13 in Peoria, Ill.

The men’s cross country team had confidence heading into the Summit League Championship, and it showed.

The men out-scored Oakland 43 to 58 to repeat as Summit League Champions.

Leading the way was the Junior duo of Michael Krsnak and Anthony Bongard. Krsnak placed third with a time of 24 minutes, 48.6 seconds and was named to the all-league first team.

Bongard finished just behind Krsnak for fourth place with a time of 24:52. He was also named to the all-league first team.

“Anthony and Michael were in the exact positions that we needed them to be,” said head coach Rod DeHaven.

Sophomore Jared Ailts also finished in the top ten. Ailts placed ninth with a time of 25:16.9 and was named to the all-league second team. Senior Greg Vollmer was also named to all-league second team with a 12th place time of 25:20.4.

“Our third and fourth guys matched up with Oakland’s third guy,” DeHaven said. “Jared Ailts had a great race and Greg Vollmer was solid again to get 12th.”

Senior Marshall Kambestad rounded out the Jacks top five runners with a 15th place with a time of 25:34.

“Marshall Kambestad sealed the deal as he kept moving up the entire race,” DeHaven said.

Kyle Schmidt finished 21st beating out Oakland and NDSU’s fifth runner.

“It is not easy to repeat,” DeHaven said. “I really appreciate the guys passion to want to get this done and the respect they have for the tradition of the program.”

DeHaven was named Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.

The women’s cross country team finished sixth in the Summit League Championship.

Sophomore Erin Hargens continued her great season with a third place finish with a season best time of 21 minutes and 24.3 seconds. Hargens was named to the all-league first team.

“Erin had an amazing race,” DeHaven said. “Considering the two weeks she missed to injury and the caliber of runners she was competing against, it was very remarkable.”

Junior Kelsey Clausen finished 36th with a time of 23:09.5. Freshman Mariah Hofer finished 40th with a time of 23:22.

Sophomore Tera Potts and junior Brooke Wyffels rounded the scoring for the Jacks. Potts finished 43rd with a time of 23:25.2 and Wyffels finished 48th with a time of 23:33.4.

SDSU finished with 159 points Oakland edged out Southern Utah 45 to 50 to win the women’s Summit League Championship.

The teams will be in Peoria, Ill for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 13.

… conference championships Oct. 30 in Indianapolis, Ind.

The men’s cross country team took home the 2009 Summit League title last year. With a year under their belt, the men are now focused and confident in their ability to repeat their reign as champions.

Last year, the men edged out Southern Utah by five points to claim SDSU’s first men’s Summit League Championship.

Michael Krsnak led the way for the young Jacks team with a sixth place finish and Greg Vollmer rounded out the top ten.

Anthony Bongard and Greg Beesley followed Vollmer with 11th and 12th place finishes. Jared Ailts turned in an impressive 20th place finish as a freshman.

The men won the meet despite being predicted to finish fifth in the preseason poll. Not only did the men win the title but head coach Rod DeHaven was named Coach of the Year. This year the men hope to take home all the awards.

“Our expectations have been consistent throughout the year and that is to win the conference championship,” DeHaven said. “Nothing has occurred to think any differently about that goal.”

According to DeHaven, Oakland is the team to watch out for.

“Mike and Anthony will be up front battling with Oakland’s top two guys and then things will get interesting,” DeHaven said. “Our guys will have to match up with Oakland’s guys and in particular I think our 3-7 runners will make the difference.”

Bongard is excited to compete at the championships.

“This is the meet I have been waiting for all season,” Bongard said. “I am ready to just go out there and give it all I got.”

Bongard likes the team’s chance of taking home the Summit League title.

“Yes, the team is prepared to defend the title and prepared to race out of their minds,” Bongard said. “It is hard to talk about racing the conference meet without getting excited.”

Kelsey Aune and Terra Potts return for the women who finished 16th and 47th last year at the championships.

The women’s top runner and sophomore transfer Erin Hargens will try to help the Jacks in her first Summit League Championship after returning from suffering an injury.

“Erin has been running well since she returned from her injury,” DeHaven said. “It remains to be seen how much she might have lost of her conditioning, but it appears right now that her fitness is still very good.”

The women’s team has been battling with injuries this season.

“We have some other injuries we need to have heal quickly for the women to have a successful day,” DeHaven said.

Last year, the women finished fifth at the championships. The women look to have a good day at the championships despite the injuries.

“Right now if we finish in the top five that would be great,” DeHaven said.

The Summit League Championships will take place Oct. 30 in Indianapolis, Ind. The teams will then finish their season on Nov. 13 at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Ill.