Editor’s note: Seventh-year track and cross country head coach Rod DeHaven has seen athletes break 42 school records under his tenure at SDSU. We caught up with him to get his feelings on the Jacks’ track season.

Q. What are your thoughts on Sean Burns and Ben Jasinski great season’s so far?

A. Our men’s team has a handful of very high level athletes who can threaten school records almost every weekend.Sean has been at the forefront of that and they have been a symbol of what hard work and dedication can lead to.

Q. On the women’s team somebody different is stepping up each week, what does that say about the team?

A. We have lots folks that are doing nice things.I think we are looking for someone to step up and give us a wow moment like we seem to routinely get on the guys side.

Q. How does it feel to see your athletes train so hard in the off-season and during the season?

A. What off-season?For some of the distance runners it is possible that they will compete every month out of the school year, but seriously track is like all other sports for the successful student athletes there really is no off season, no matter your event area in our sport.

Q. What would it mean to have a home indoor meet?

A. A home indoor meet I assume would mean that we would have indoor track-which would dramatically change the experience a track and field student athlete would have at this university.And with the exciting and dramatic changes that have occurred on this campus in the past 5 years,perhaps something will happen with regards to an indoor training facility-which would have an impact on so many sports on campus.

Q. With the Summit League Championship a month away, are the teams getting close to where you want them to be?

A. The men’s team has tremendous quality, which help us tremendously, but we will also need some other folks to step up for us and pick up some the points at the 5-6-7-8 spots.This is probably the best men’s team we have had here in a long time, but unfortunately NDSU also has one of its best team’s ever as well. Our women will need to get going in order to finish second.Our field event people will score the majority of our points in the conference meet, but hopefully our track folks can get things rolling and get us some surprise points.

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.