The SDSU cross country team began their season on the right foot at the Rod Pynn Invitational Cross Country Meet hosted by the University of North Dakota.
The men’s team took the top three spots and four of the top five, while the women’s team took the top two spots and four of the top seven. The Jacks competed against runners from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Minot State University and host North Dakota.
The meet used a unique style of team scoring, matching each team against another. Both the men’s and women’s teams went 3-0 against opposing teams at the meet.
Senior Greg Vollmer took first place by 30 seconds in the 6K with a time of 25 minutes and 31.70 seconds. Freshman Trent Lusignan came in second place with a time of 26:03.42. Not far behind was junior Jared Ailts with a time of 26:07.55 and rounding out the top five was senior Kyle Schmidt with a time of 26:26.65.
“On the men’s side we tried to run five guys together until about half-way through, then it was kind of every man for himself. It was really nice to see freshman Trent Lusignan come in second place, however, the meet was not as long as one of our typical runs. It was only 6K instead of 8K,” head coach Rod DeHaven said.
In the women’s 5K run it was junior Erin Hargens who grabbed the top spot with a time of 18 minutes and 52.40 seconds. Junior Tera Potts locked up second place with a run of 18:56.18. Along with Hargens and Potts, Junior Danielle McCann and Freshman Courtney Neubert finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively, with times of 19:33.12 for McCann and 19:37.86 for Neubert.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the women’s team. It was nice to see their times improve from this time last year, especially since the conditions were not as good for the women,” DeHaven said.
DeHaven also went on to say that he didn’t really place an emphasis on expectations, given that the team has only been practicing for one warm week. While only practicing one week may not have a big impact on the team, SDSU will be tested Sept. 9 at the OZ Memorial in Minneapolis.
“It was nice to run against a couple of schools that we wouldn’t normally run against…but we’ll probably get a better feel for where our team is at next weekend,” DeHaven said.

Others play by different rules.

For the SDSU golf, tennis, and cross country teams, the first day of practice coincides with the first day of classes.

“The biggest challenge (to starting late) is that everything is so hectic. They’re worried about class, meetings, practice…the kids get thrown into the fire. There isn’t much of an adjustment period,” new head tennis coach Michael Engdahl said.

With cross country and men’s golf events scheduled within the first week of classes, it’s somewhat surprising that the practices don’t start sooner. Luckily, we have head cross country coach Rod DeHaven to put things into perspective:

“I don’t know of a cross country team that’s running a cover-two zone right now, and because we’re not running a cover-two, that’s probably why we can get away with it”

Starting practices so close to the first match, meet, or game may seem like a stressful time, but the three head coaches who were interviewed didn’t seem too worried about how their athletes would handle getting back into the swing of things.

“It’s nothing to get all worked up about. If our kids do the work in the summer, we don’t need to bring them in…it’s all part of the learning process,” DeHaven said.

Head golf coach Jared Baszler said he actually prefers not starting practices  until classes begin, so his golfers can play in tournaments that run up until the time school starts. For example, Jackrabbits men’s golfer David Smith played in the USGA Amatuer Championship just last week in Erin Hills, Wis., among 312 of the best men’s amateur golfers in the world.

Baszler also pointed out the fact that golf and tennis have two seasons: one in the fall, one in the spring.

“It works fine for us. It just makes it a little hectic, this year especially because typically we have two full weeks of practice, but this year we’re in a new tournament,” Baszler said.

The men’s and women’s tennis teams are the late bloomers, as they don’t have events scheduled until Sept. 23 and 30, respectively. That doesn’t mean they won’t be stressing about the start of their season and school. Engdahl said on the men’s side, they have 12 possible players to fill nine spots, so the team will have a “tryout-type atmosphere” in the month leading up to their first match.

The cross country team begins the year at the North Dakota Double Dual in Grand Forks, N.D. on Sept. 3.

For golf, the first tournament for the men is Sept. 5-6 at the Battle in the Tetons in Victor, Idaho, while the women are set to compete at the Hawkeye Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa, Sept 10-11.

“It’s nothing the kids can’t handle. I know they’ve been working hard all summer and we’re ready to get off to a running start,” Engdahl said.

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 SDSU men’s basketball team defeated Iowa on Sunday 79-69 to the surprise of many, but don’t include the players or the coaches in that group.

Point Guard Nate Wolters had the best game of his short career with a career best 25 points and nine assists, earning him Co-Summit League Player of the Week, a first for SDSU since they joined the conference. Wolters is a unique player, the likes of which hasn’t been seen at SDSU in a while.

Clint Sargent is the steady senior assassin from the outside, putting up 19 points in the season opening win at Eastern Illinois and 16 at Iowa.

Add to that the freakishly athletic senior Dale Moss, along with the most highly touted recruiting class in school history and SDSU has all the makings of an exciting and winning team on the rise.

The question now is how will the Jacks back up this win and prove that they are among the elite in the Summit League.

Last season, SDSU opened with an impressive 77-61 win at Wyoming, but then went on to lose five of the next six. Also, Wyoming finished only 10-21 losing 10 of their last 11.

In 2008-09, the Jacks had their signature Division I win up to that point with a 65-58 defeat of Iowa State, who finished at 15-17. SDSU went on to lose their next two games, both in conference, by a combined 39.

In 2007-08, SDSU defeated Northern Iowa at home 61-55, and then proceeded to lose four of the next five.

The difference between those years and this year is that the Jacks begin the longest home stand since 1991 starting this Thursday against Southwest Minnesota State. With marquee matchups against Nevada on Nov. 30th and North Dakota State on Dec. 4th, anything less than a 5-2 home stand and a 7-2 start overall would be seen as a disappointment in my eyes. Although if you ask the players and coaches, they will probably tell you that they expect to win all seven, which they very well could.

Ever since the jump to Division I, many sports at SDSU have exceeded expectations. Whether it’s volleyball making the NCAA Tournament in their first eligible year, football getting better after moving up a class and making the playoffs for the first time in 30 years last season, or the women’s basketball team staying steady and transitioning from a Division-II national title to back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids and four straight years of postseason action.

The only thing missing is Jackrabbit men’s basketball getting back to the glory days, where Frost Arena filled with over 4,000 fans every game and leading D-II in attendance. For four years in a row, the SDSU women have outdrawn the men, something that only a handful of colleges can say.

If men’s basketball can become a winning program again, hopefully the crowds will come back to Frost for good.

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 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.

The SDSU cross country teams started where they left off last year.

Last year, the men took home the Summit League Championship and the women finished fifth. Thanks to juniors Anthony Bongard and Michael Krsnak, the men have a good chance to win it again this year.

The men started the season with a great win at the UND Ron Plynn Classic. Krsnak won the meet while five other Jacks finished in the top 10.

The women came in second at the meet. Sophomore transfer Erin Hargens led the way for the Jacks with a fourth place finish. Kelsey Aune and Tera Potts also finished in the top 10 with fifth and eighth place finishes.

The teams were next at the Oz Memorial in Minneapolis. Krsnak won the individual title for the second straight week in a row. Bongard had another strong performance finishing third. The men finished second behind Drake. Hargens finished in 12th place to lead the women to a fourth place finish at the Oz Memorial.

The teams were back in Minneapolis for the Griak Invitational. Bongard led the way for the men with a 60th place finish and Krsnak finished 90th. The men finished 15th out off 22 teams.

Hargens finished 81st out of 300 runners to lead the women at the Griak; Aune finished 133rd. The women placed 23rd out of 29 teams.

The Jacks cross country teams were next at home for the SDSU Classic. Bongard and Krsnak finished first and second to lead the men to the title. Bongard and Krsnak’s times of 24:46.10 and 24:50.80 were both career-best 8K times.

Greg Vollmer, Kyle Schmidt and Jared Ailts each finished in the top 10 to help the men win the title.

Hargens finished sixth and Aune finished 15th to lead the women to a fourth place finish at the SDSU Classic.

The men were next at the Pre Nationals in Indiana. The men finished 32nd out of 35 teams. Krsnak led the way with an 83rd place finish. Bongard turned in a 121st place finish for the men.

The women were at the Bradley Invitational. Leading the way for the women was Aune with a 52nd place finish. Close behind was Potts with a 57th place finish.

“For the men I think things have gone the way that we expected them to go to this point,” said head coach Rod DeHaven. “We have looked very good at times and struggled a little bit in the bigger meets.”

Bongard likes how the men’s team is performing.

“It is good to know my teammates are working hard and it goes to show how much we want the conference title,” Bongard said.

The women’s team has been affected by injuries.

“But many of the younger team members have made some nice improvement during the fall and that is exciting to see that,” DeHaven said.

The cross country teams will next be at the Summit League Championships on Oct. 30 in Indianapolis, Ind.

“We are running to win the conference meet on the 30th and everyone on the team will be disappointed if that does not happen,” DeHaven said.

Bongard is looking forward to the conference meet.

“It is not going to be an easy win,” said Bongard. “The team is going to have to work together to win the conference title.”

SDSU men Anthony Bongard and Michael Krsnak finished first and second for the men, finishing first as a team in the Brookings Invitational.

rookings on Saturday. Junior Anthony Bongard won the meet with a personal best 8K time of 24:46:10.

“I’m not sure if I can express the way I feel after setting a personal record, winning the race and the team winning the meet all in one day,” Bongard said.

Finishing right behind Bongard was Michael Krsnak with a personal best time of 24:50.80.

“Mike and I communicated really well throughout the race,” Bongard said. “I plan on working with him these next few races.”

It was a good day all around for the Jacks. Senior Greg Vollmer rounded out the top five with a time of 25:12.00. Kyle Schmidt and Jared Ailts finished eighth and tenth with times of 25:36.30 and 25:42.50.

“Almost everyone finished over a minute faster than they did last year,” Bongard said.

Chris Gruenhagen finished seventh to lead the SDSU alumni with a time of 25:32.10. The men ran away with the meet, tallying 26 points. Nebraska-Kearney came in second with 66 points. The SDSU alumni placed sixth with 175 points.

The men will be in Terre Haute, Indiana next for Pre Nationals on Oct. 16. Sophomore Erin Hargens continued her great season with a sixth place finish in the 5K with a time of 17:58.50 in her Jackrabbit home debut.

“I enjoyed getting to run at our home meet and my friends and family were able to come and watch,” Hargens said.

Hargens, an Oklahoma transfer, is enjoying her first year at SDSU.

“The season so far has gone well,” Hargens said. “I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to race and that running for state has been such a great experience.”

Kelsey Aune finished 15th with a time of 18:38.20 and Brooke Wyffels finished 28th with a time of 19:22.80.

The women placed fourth out of nine teams with 102 points. Minnesota won the meet with 24 points. The women’s next meet is Oct. 15 at Peoria, Ill.

#1.1669092:3500806118.jpg:X-Country-7-Color-Ryan-Robinson.jpg:Anthony Bongard (right) and Michael Krsnak (left) finished in first and second place in the Brookings Invitational Saturday at Edgebrook Golf Course.:Collegian Photo by Ryan Robinson
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