SIOUX FALLS - Due to weather, University of Sioux Falls Track & Field has canceled the second annual Vance Butler/Rich Greeno Dual with Augustana, which was scheduled to be hosted at USF's Lillibridge Track & Field Complex.

The Cougars will still open competition for the 2018 outdoor season this week, traveling to Maryville, Mo. for the MIAA vs. NSIC Showdown, hosted by Northwest Missouri State.

Field events are slated to begin at 11 a.m. at the Bearcat Track & Field complex and track action starts at noon.

Entering their first meet of the outdoor season, Sioux Falls was picked in the top half of both NSIC preseason coaches' polls. The USF Men's Team was slated fourth, two points behind city rival Augustana. Senior Derrick Sheppard was cited as USF's men's field athlete to watch after placing in two events at the NSIC Outdoor Championships last season. Fellow thrower Jaimie McNamee was pegged as USF's women's field athlete to watch after a record-breaking freshman campaign in which she broke the school discus record and joined the USF all-time top 10 list in two other events last season. 

A pair of newcomer of the year winners headlined USF's men's and women's track athletes to watch. The reigning NSIC men's newcomer of the year, sophomore Zach Lundberg was tabbed the men's track athlete to watch for USF after he scored in three events at the NSIC Outdoor Championships last season and was an All-NSIC and All-American performer during this year's indoor season. Freshman Taryn Ceglowski has lived up to her billing thus far in her career and she has been named USF's women's track athlete to watch. After second team All-NSIC honors during the cross country season, Ceglowski broke four USF records and earned two All-NSIC honors in the indoor season, nearly winning the women's mile conference title. 

Returning to action this season, junior Kimberly Peterson sat out the 2017 outdoor season as a redshirt and she is seeking her second NSIC outdoor title and sixth trip to the NCAA Championships. This past indoor season, Peterson collected her third career women's pole vault title at the NSIC Indoor Cahmpionships then logged a career-best runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships with a personal-best indoor-season mark.The Elizabeth, Colo. native owns the USF outdoor record at 4.25 meters (13 feet-11.25 inches) and she is a three-time NCAA All-American. 

USF had 13 All-NSIC performances at last season's NSIC Outdoor Championships and they return five athletes who combined for six all-conference performances. Distance specialist junior Steven Brown kicks off the outdoor season where he is the defending NSIC men's 10k champion and 5k runner-up. Senior Nick Lawson earned All-NSIC honors in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase and sophomore Christian Gruschin returns after a runner-up finish in the men's discus throw. Senior Hannah Linder joins Peterson as a title contender in the women's pole vault after a third-place effort at last year's conference meet and sophomore Miranda Phipps eyes another all-conference performance in the javelin throw.