The Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships: Twin Cities Edition
May 9 - 11 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Alumni and parent gathering planned at Lake Monster Brewing.
For the first time in conference history, the Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships are headed to St. Paul, Minnesota, May, 9 - 11. The championships will be held at O’Shaughnessy Stadium on the campus of St. Thomas University.
The three-day meet will kick off on Thursday morning with the heptathlon and decathlon. Ryan Benson, who currently sits 4th on the Summit League’s Performance List for the decathlon, will get things started for the Jackrabbits. The first day will end with the 10,000 meter finals — one of SDSU’s traditionally strong events. Carson Noecker leads the conference with his 29:29.84 mark from March, and senior Leah Hisken currently sits second on the women’s side. It will also be a busy day in the field events with finals in the men’s and women’s hammer throw, the men’s and women’s javelin throw, the women’s pole vault, the men’s long jump and the women’s high jump.
Friday will see a full day of prelims with finals of the men’s and women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase to finish Day 2. A tight team race is expected on both sides, making Day 2 the most pivotal of the entire championships.
The league’s performance list can be found here.
Running events begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, where a full day of finals should make for an exciting end to the championships. The full meet schedule can be found below:
Full meet preview from Coach DeHaven:
ALUMNI AND PARENT GATHERING PLANNED:
From Coach DeHaven: We are planning an alumni and parent gathering on Friday evening after the meet at Lake Monster Brewing in St. Paul. They are anticipating around 50-75 SDSU supporters. The address for the venue is 550 Vandalia St. #160 in St. Paul.
FAN INFORMATION:
From the Summit League:
Parking: University of St. Thomas spectator parking can be accessed via the Anderson Parking Facility located at the corner of Cretin Ave. and Grand Ave. The rate is $2 per hour. University of Minnesota paid parking can be access using the 4th Street Parking Ramp located at 1625 4th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Tickets are available online here. Tickets will also be available onsite during the championships.
3-day Pass: Adults: $25, Youth $15
Single Day: Adults $15, Youth $10
STREAMING INFORMATION:
All events will be streamed to the Summit League Network. Fans can subscribe to watch coverage of every event for $9.99. A high follow from the midfield press box will be provided for track events while individual cameras will be dedicated to each non-track event. Broadcasters will be provided on the main feed who will cover a mix of all events while individual event streams will have one camera and ambient sound. Coverage of field events may be altered depending on schedule changes due to inclement weather.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE REGULAR SEASON:
It has been an exciting and busy two months of outdoor track and field. Here are a few highlights from the regular season:
SENIOR AWARDS:
Congratulations to Daniel Burkhalter and Caitlin Bright for being named to SDSU’s 2024 Scholar-Athlete Team!
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
In 1975, the SDSU men ended a 14-year title drought by dominating the North Central Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at old Sexauer Field.
JACKRABBIT TRACK AND FIELD ASSOCIATION:
The Jackrabbit Track and Field Association is a newly formed 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 (pictured above) for $25.
More information can be found on the website, here. 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.