May 24, 2001

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - On the strength of junior Molly Wedel's second place finish in the 10,000 meters, The University of South Dakota women's track and field team was in fourth place at the NCAA Division II nationals at Edwardsville, Ill.

Wedel, a junior from Spencer, Iowa, ran a 35:01.05 to finish second to Zoila Gomez of Adams State in the 10,000 meter run late Thursday evening. The Coyotes have eight team points which ties them with Nebraska Kearney. Western State leads the women's competition with 18 points. North Dakota State is second with 13. Amanda Muller of Schuyler, Neb., finished ninth in the hammer throw with a toss of 160'11 while Sara Deckert, a senior from Doland, advanced to the finals of the 100 meter dash by going 12.04 (sixth best qualifying time).

For the men's team, Jason Probasco, a senior from Woodbine, Iowa, finished 11th in 30:52.23 in the 10,000 meters. Noah Deyo, a senior from Rapid City was 16th in 31.09.10.

Complete results can be found at the NCAA Division II Championships' Web site.