March 9-10, 2001

BOSTON, Mass. -

Friday:

It was a record-setting day for Dean Gillen of South Dakota men's track and field team. Gillen of Black Hawk, S.D., set a new school record with a toss of 61'0.75 and placed fifth in the 35 pound weight throw at the NCAA Division II Indoor National Track and Field Championships on Friday in Boston, Mass. With the fifth place showing, Gillen earned his first all-American honor and became the first-ever Coyote men's team student-athlete to earn all-American honors.

Sara Deckert of Doland, S.D., who was most recently named the Most Outstanding Performer at the North Central Conference Meet on Feb. 23-24, qualified for the finals in the women's 400 meter dash with a time of 55.20. She will run at 2:20 p.m. (EST) on Saturday. Tonya Kneifl of Newcastle, Neb., qualified for the finals in the 55 hurdles by registering a time of 8.24. She will run at 2 p.m. (EST) on Saturday. Kneifl will also participate in the women's high jump at noon (EST). Both Sandy Pelkofer of Rapid City, S.D., and Becca Gross of Aberdeen, S.D. will compete in the women's pole vault at 11:30 a.m. (EST). In addition, Molly Wedel of Spencer, Iowa, will compete in the 5,000 meter run on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (EST).

In team points, South Dakota men's team is 12th with four points. In other men's results, Paul Brozik finished 11th in the high jump by going 6'06. Ryan Finley of Omaha, Neb., ran a 48.99 in the 400 meters but did not qualify for the finals. Chad Rohde of Watertown, S.D., will compete in the triple jump on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (EST). The men's 4x400-meter relay (Pat Belling of Omaha, Neb., Eric VanLaecken of Parkston, S.D., John Kehoe of Rapid City, S.D., and Finley) will run tomorrow at 3:55 p.m. (EST).

Saturday:

The University of South Dakota women's track and field team placed seventh in the nation as a result of several outstanding performances at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships in Boston, Mass., on Saturday. South Dakota women's team, which had two student-athletes crowned individual champions, finished with 30 points, just one point out of sixth place. The USD men finished in 25th place.

Sara Deckert of Doland, S.D., named the Most Outstanding Performer at the North Central Conference meet, ran a personal best and set a school record by racing to the 400-meter title in 54.65. She broke the USD 400-meters record of former Coyote Stephanie Knight, who had a 54.88 in 1998. Sandy Pelkofer of Rapid City, who finished sixth at the indoor nationals a year ago, won the pole vault competition by winning a jump-off against Jennifer Swanson of UC-Davis. Both vaulters went 12'03. 50. That mark was a personal best and a new South Dakota record for Pelkofer, who had gone 12'0 earlier this year.

The national titles in the 400-meters (Deckert) and pole vault (Pelkofer) are the first in those events in Coyote history. It is also the first time that two South Dakota women's student-athletes won national titles in the same year. The last national champion for the South Dakota women's program was Elena Swan, who won the long jump and triple jump in 1998. Tonya Kneifl of Newcastle, Neb., who was third a year ago, took second place in the high jump as she went 5'7.75. She also finished ninth in the 55-meter hurdles in a personal best of 8.23 and 10th in the long jump (18'01). Molly Wedel, running with a broken bone in her foot, finished seventh in the 5,000 meters. Wedel of Spencer, Iowa, had a time of 17:12.99 in the 5,000 meters. All four athletes earned all-American honors. The two individual titles gives South Dakota seven total national champions. Jen Feely of Fairmont, Minn., finished 12th in the 5,000-meters (18:19.96).

"It was a great performance," said women's head track and field coach Lucky Huber. "Sara (Deckert) and Sandy (Pelkofer), Tonya Kneifl just had outstanding efforts. Molly Wedel gave a gutsy performance in the 5,000 meters," said Huber.

The top 10 teams included: St. Augustine 63, Abilene Christian, 48, North Dakota State, 38.5, California-Davis and California State-Los Angeles, 33, Lewis, 31, South Dakota, 30, Morningside, 20, Western State, 19.5, and Massachusetts-Lowell, 15.5.

The highlight for the South Dakota men's team was the fifth place finish by Dean Gillen of Black Hawk, S.D., who threw a school record and personal best of 61.00.75 in the 35-pound weight throw on Friday. The 4x400 meter relay team finished eighth in the competition on Saturday. The South Dakota 4x400 meter relay finished eighth in 3:16.92. The team included Pat Belling of Omaha, Neb., Eric VanLaecken of Parkston, S.D., John Kehoe of Rapid City, S.D., and Ryan Finley of Omaha, Neb. The men's team finished in 25th place.

Chad Rohde of Watertown, S.D., finished 12th in the triple jump (45'11. 75) on Saturday afternoon.