Sean Seefeld - Dickinson State Sports Infomration Graduate Assistant
Brookings, S.D. - The Blue Hawk women's track and field team secured their seventh consecutive conference title with a dominant score of 279.5, finishing 94.5 points ahead of Dakota State, while the men's team placed second with a score of 200.5.
The women's team saw outstanding contributions across multiple events. Kaitlyn McColly led the charge, winning the 60m dash (7.94), 60m hurdles (8.72), and the pentathlon 60m hurdles (8.66). She also earned key points in the high jump (2nd, 1.60m), long jump (2nd, 5.19m), triple jump (2nd, 10.64m), 200m dash (4th, 26.92), and pentathlon shot put (1st, 11.64m). At last weekend's Bison Open, the pentathlon took place, with McColly claiming first place with a score of 3,548, while Sullivan-Brennan secured third with 3,114 points.
Faith Sullivan-Brennan had a standout meet while setting a conference record in both the long and triple jump, jumping 5.45m and triple jumping 12.18m. Sullivan-Brennan also finished second in the 60m (7.98) and third in the 60m hurdles (9.31). Jewel Olson also made her mark on the track, winning both the 200m (25.60) and 400m while setting a conference record with a time of 57.42, while Kyley Barnett placed third in the 60m (8.01) and sixth in the 400m (59.51).
In the field events, Adarra Hagelund took first in the high jump (1.70m), and Madison Wahl claimed the pole vault title with a conference record of 3.75m. The Blue Hawks dominated the throwing events, with Kori Nagel setting two conference records in the shot put and wight throw winning both, throwing 14.95m in the shot put and 18.88m in the weight throw. Chloe Gunderson and Taylor Laumeyer completed a DSU sweep in the shot put, finishing second and third, respectively, while Laumeyer also took second in the weight throw (16.73m).
The Blue Hawk women also put together strong relay performances, winning the 4x400m (4:16.41) behind Peyton McLaughlin, Zoey Heid, Morgan Aune, and Mia Handran, while the 4x800m squad of Morgan Aune, Loli Jarrett, Lauren Taylor, Jazmyn CarryWater placed second (10:55.26).
For the men, Christian Bowden and Quentin Lewis shined in the 60m dash, finishing second (6.89) and third (7.14), respectively, to earn a combined 14 points. Lewis also had an impressive showing in the 200m, claiming second place in 22.47, while Kohbe Smith placed fourth (22.70), and Mustafa Taylor took sixth (22.95), adding 16 more points to the team's total. Lewis continued his dominance with a third-place finish in the 400m (50.81), while Hayden Lockie secured eighth (51.60) to contribute additional points.
In the mid-distance events, Hudson Atkinson secured third place in the 800m with a time of 1:54.70, while Caleb Sarsland had an outstanding meet, winning the 5000m while setting a conference record with a time of 14:59.58 and finishing third in the 3000m (9:01.01), bringing in a crucial 16 points. The men excelled in the relays, with the 4x400m team of Maximus Kadrmas, Atkinson, Lockie, and Jarett Schuchard finishing second in 3:29.76. The 4x800m squad of Eli Heacock, Brady Hoverson, Jacob Littleton, and Lockie placed third in 9:06.19, combining for 14 more points.
In field events, DSU dominated the pole vault, with Adrien Calderon taking first place (4.45m), followed by Holden Will (4.30m) in second and Gage Glaser (4.30m) in third, earning 24 team points. Ty Leischner added a third-place finish in the high jump (1.93m) and secured first in the heptathlon pole vault (4.35m), while also finishing second in the heptathlon high jump (1.89m).
The throwing events saw more Blue Hawk success, with Corbin Harris winning the shot put (15.99m), followed closely by Nathan Woodruff in fourth (15.89m) and Galen Brantley III in fifth (15.82m). In the weight throw, Dylan Dahlgren took first (18.80m), with Harris finishing third (17.04m) and Woodruff placing fourth (16.63m), combining for 31 points between the two events. In the jumps, Kohbe Smith finished second in the triple jump (12.90m), while Garin Opdahl (12.68m) and Ethan Schiller (12.64m) placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Opdahl also secured second in the heptathlon long jump (6.28m), adding to his strong multi-event performance. At last weekend's Bison Open, the heptathlon took place, with Opdahl taking 3rd with a score of 4361 and Leischner placing 6th with a score of 4047.
UP NEXT
Dickinson State Track and Field heads to the NAIA National Championships beginning the 27th of February in Gainseville, Fla.