The Return of Cross Country
The SDSU men and women begin their season later this month
It’s that time of year again…the cross country season is upon us. After the quickest summer on record (breaking last year’s record), the team is deep in preparation for another season. First, they will head to student-athlete-led team camp in La Crosse, Wisconsin, before returning to campus where things will kick into high gear. Classes will resume on August 26 and then we’ll be off and running on a new year. The Summit League Championships are set for November 2 in Vermillion and the goal is simple: win the team title on both the men’s and women’s side. Before then, there are plenty of exciting races, highlighted by the SDSU Classic on October 4 in Brookings.
SCHEDULE RELEASE:
August 30 — Coyote Classic — Vermillion
September 6 — Augustana Twilight — Sioux Falls
September 20 — Roy Griak Invitational — Falcon Heights, Minnesota
October 4 — SDSU Classic — Brookings
October 19 — Pre-Nationals — Madison, Wisconsin
October 19 — Jim Drews/Tori Neubauer Invitational — La Crosse, Wisconsin
November 2 — Summit League Cross Country Championships — Vermillion
November 15 — NCAA Midwest Regional — Peoria, Illinois
November 23 — NCAA National Championships — Madison, Wisconsin
MEDIA DAY:
Coach DeHaven discusses the upcoming season.
SUMMER VACATION: How two Jackrabbits spent their summer
What did you do for your summer vacation?
I spent the summer in Flagstaff, Arizona, running and working at 7,000 ft.! I was lucky to have two of my teammates, Ben Anteau and Meghan Ford, out there as well. We stayed from late May through the end of July, so we were able fully acclimate to the altitude and running culture in Flag. Work was nothing special — stocking shelves — but getting to train with my teammates in a place that attracts so many professional and college runners was inspiring.
What were the highlights?
There were so many awesome moments throughout the summer, but I think the pinnacle was having my family visit the last week in Flagstaff. We got up to the Grand Canyon twice and enjoyed some good pizza around Flag. Other highlights include climbing the tallest peak in Arizona — Mt. Humphreys — with my teammates and running with some of the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks who have won 6 of the last 8 NCAA XC team titles. Being back in the Midwest is a highlight of its own, too.
What are you most looking forward to this fall?
I am looking forward to seeing the ceiling of our team. We set a great foundation last year with so many fresh faces, but this is a group that didn't come this far just to come this far. The highest our program has finished at the regional meet is 4th. After finishing 5th last year, we will certainly try to change that and hopefully extend our season one more meet. With all that said, the journey to that point will be the part I am most looking forward to with my teammates.
What was your favorite moment from the Olympic Games this summer?
It has to be the men's 1,500 meter final. Seeing Cole Hocker outkick both the (last Olympic Champion) and the (current) World Champ to win gold was nothing less than spectacular. Yared Nuguse finishing strong to get two US men on the podium was even better. It's a race I will remember for the rest of my life and definitely a tale I'll bring out, "back in my day..." for. Seeing Steph Curry put France to bed in the gold medal game was an honorable second.
What did you do for your summer vacation?
I went to Okoboji, Iowa, this summer with my family, and I also went to a family reunion in Howard celebrating my grandparents 70th anniversary!
What were the highlights?
I got to play miniature golf, swim in the lake and got to see all of my aunts, uncles and cousins!
What are you most looking forward to this fall?
I am looking forward to getting back to training with the girls and the with a lot of us returning, I am most excited for the Summit League Cross Country Championships in Vermillion!
What was your favorite moment from the Olympic Games this summer?
My favorite moment probably has to be watching the women's 4 x 400 meter relay destroy the field, but also watching Dakota Lindwurm in the marathon. It was super cool to see her represent and put everything out there that she had!
HALL OF FAME: Dauer and Jorgenson (Wirth) to be inducted
Sheena Dauer and Mary (Wirth) Jorgenson are slated to be inducted into the 2024 Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame class. On-campus induction ceremonies will be held Sept. 14.
SHEENA DAUER (2000-05)
Dauer continued the Jackrabbit tradition of championship distance running by winning six conference titles in cross country and track and field during a career that spanned both NCAA Division II and Division I competition.
The native of Springfield, Minnesota, became only the third female runner to win three consecutive North Central Conference individual cross country championships, joining fellow SDSU runners and Hall of Fame inductees Kristin Asp (1981-83) and Kiri Johnson (1990-92) by claiming titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Dauer went on to earn NCAA Division II All-America honors with a 14th-place individual finish at the 2002 national cross country meet.
Dauer carried the momentum from her 2002 cross country season into the 2003 indoor track and field campaign as she crowned NCC champion in the 5,000 meters and recorded a runner-up finish in the event at the NCAA Division II Championships.
With SDSU moving to Division I competition as her collegiate career wound down, Dauer capped her Jackrabbit tenure by winning both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs at the 2005 Division I Independent Outdoor Track and Field Championships and shared the Women's Athlete of the Meet Award.MARY (WIRTH) JORGENSON (2011-15)
Wirth excelled in the high jump, earning a pair of All-America honors to go along with five Summit League titles.
A Sioux Falls native, Wirth was an all-Summit League performer all four seasons she competed — both indoors and outdoors. She claimed three Summit League titles outdoors (2011, 2012, 2014) and two during the indoor season (2012, 2015).
Wirth earned All-America honors for the first time at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, bringing home second-team honors following a 12th-place finish in Eugene, Oregon. Another second-team All-America honor came the following winter with a 15th-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
For her career, Wirth won the high jump title in 26 collegiate meets. She continues to hold school records both indoors (6 feet) and outdoors (5 feet, 10.75 inches).
Wirth was further honored as the recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
In 2020, Mary was featured on the “Keeping up with the Jackrabbits” podcast: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=759624408100234
NOTABLE: Scholarships and awards
SDSU legend Leah Hisken was honored with an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship of $10,000 due to her excellence in the classroom and the cross country course.
“I feel honored to have received this scholarship,” Hisken said. “It is making it much easier and feasible to finish my education, during the chaos of life. Reaching the end of my line in sports is scary and sad, as I’m sure many people can relate.”
Hisken will begin her career in education this fall.
Ethan Fischer, Brielle Dixon, Leah Hisken, Madison Kizer and Nora Peterson were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes for their academic and athletic performances from this past semester.
To be named an All-Academic Athlete, student-athletes must finish the semester with a 3.25 GPA or higher, have completed at least two semesters at the nominating institution, and have finished the indoor season ranked in the top 96 in any championship individual event, or in the top 48 in any championship relay event. For outdoor track and field, the student-athlete must have participated in any NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships round.
Daniel Burkhalter and Hunter Wallster were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team. The honor recognizes student-athletes for outstanding performances in the classroom and in competition.
Both Burkhalter and Wallster were named to the Academic All-America Second Team. Burkhalter is a repeat selection as he was named to the third team last season. This is the first time the program has had two Academic All-America Selections in the same year since 2004. Wednesday's announcement brings SDSU's Academic All-American total to five student-athletes for the 2023-24 season and 110 all-time.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Old Sexauer Field
GOLF OUTING: September 14th
The annual SDSU Track and Field Golf Outing is slated for September 14th at Edgebrook Golf Course (in Brookings). Email Coach St. John at david.stjohn@sdstate.edu to get your team signed up. $125 per person. There are four open team spots remaining. Hole sponsors are welcomed. Email Coach St. John for more information.
There will be free drinks (beer), pin-prizes, lunch and games. Dinner will be provided after. This is also the same day that SDSU Football will renew their rivalry with Augustana. Kick off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. so there will be plenty of time to get to the game following the golf outing
REMINDER: Summit League Indoor Championships
SDSU is slated to host the 2025 Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex, Feb. 28 - March 1. An alumni reunion is being coordinated for the evening of the 28th following the conclusion of the first day of the meet. Food and drinks will be provided. A sign-up sheet will be up and running by Sept. 1.
ONE DAY FOR STATE: September 5th
On Sept. 5, the SDSU Foundation will host the eighth annual One Day for STATE, a 24-hour challenge for Jackrabbits to celebrate SDSU and the impact made through philanthropy.
This year’s goal is to rally 5,000 donors in 24 hours. Gifts of all sizes made during One Day for STATE help unlock more than $700,000 in additional funds, thanks to generous challenge donors.
Jack’s Journey will take place Sept 4. Jack will depart from the SDSU Foundation at 6 p.m. and start his trip around Brookings.
An on-campus patio party will be hosted during One Day for STATE outside of the Union from noon-1:30 p.m., including free SDSU ice cream and giveaways.
The Yellow and Blue Block Party will be held from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 5 on the Alumni Green. The event will include performances from The Pride of the Dakotas Marching Band and the SDSU dance and cheer teams, along with food trucks, free SDSU ice cream, the Bummobile and activities for kids.
To keep our guests safe during the celebration, Parking Lot 139 will close at 4 p.m., and Medary Avenue (from Eighth Street to 11th Street) will be closed from 4:30-8 p.m. that day. Detour signs will direct traffic around the road closure.
Learn more at onedayforstate.org.
REMINDER: Jackrabbit Track and Field Association
The Jackrabbit Track and Field Association is a 501© (3) to help directly support and promote the student-athletes on the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams. The group was formed to help close the budget gap, reconnect alumni to the program, and provide a mentorship network for current and former student-athletes.
Their mission is “to provide resources to help support the South Dakota State University track and field and cross country for unmet needs and expenses to be used at the discretion of the head track and field/cross country coach.”
The JTFA currently has five members on its board: Vicki and Brian Nelson, Chris Gruenhagen, Gabe Peters and Tami Fraser.
Donations to the JTFA will assist in covering costs associated with training cross country and track and field athletes as well as the expenses that come with traveling to national and international competitions.
In conjunction with KOOL Beans (a local coffee shop), the JTFA will be selling “Jacked Up” coffee (either whole bean or ground) for $17/bag. They will also be selling t-shirts with the JTFA logo for $25.
Donations can be made through either Venmo or PayPal. Initially, the JTFA hopes to raise enough to help pay for extra training shoes and alternate uniforms.
Can’t get enough SDSU TF/CC? Be sure to follow the team’s Twitter account to stay up-to-date on the latest comings and goings.
Love the pics. But no need to inflate Cordts' ego even more.