SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – After a strong indoor season, The University of Sioux Falls Indoor Women's and Men's Track and Field Teams is focused on continuing its momentum outdoors at the Wildcat Outdoor Classic in Wayne, Nebraska.

The Cougars will head to Wayne, Neb. on Friday, March 25-Saturday, March 26 to compete at the Wildcat Outdoor Classic, the first outdoor meet of the season. Click here for live results.

Last week, the Cougars were projected to finish seventh (women) and ninth (men), respectively, in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Outdoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll released Friday, March 18. 

USF, which is led by USF Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Doug Petersen, will look to experience in the sprints, distance, throws and jumps and will use that to try and better their projected finish. The USF Men's Team was 12th a year ago with 21 points and have been picked to finish ninth. As for the USF Women, they placed seventh with 49 points at the 2020-21 Indoor Championships.

USF Women's Preview –
The USF Women's Track and Field Team will strive to better its seventh place finish of a year ago when the Cougars scored 49 points and had three All-NSIC performances from five-time All-American Emma Hertz, who is USF's Field Athlete to Watch. The Cougars have a both experience and talented youth across the roster as they work on continuing its move up the NSIC standings. USF finished sixth indoors with 37 points as the Cougars had All-NSIC performances from Emily Swanson (pentathlon, high jump) and Emma Hertz (shot put).

In the preseason coaches poll, USF was projected seventh. USF Outdoor Track Athlete to Watch is Morgan Gehl, a talented freshman, who was All-NSIC in cross country and recorded USF's second best clocking all-time indoors in the mile (5:03.03), 3,000 meters (10:10.35) and 5,000 meters (17:38.55). 

Hertz will lead the way in the throws and ranks as one of the best ever at USF. A five-time All-American, including placing third in the shot put at the 2022 NCAA DII Indoor Championships, Hertz has 50 top-five placings in the indoor and outdoor throws with 19 titles in her career. Also look for Kamry Lindsey and Kayla Van Osdel to make an impact in the throws.  In the sprints, KaNya Henderson, who was all-American indoors two years ago, will lead the way in the 100 and 200 meters. She ranks first all-time at USF in the 100-meter dash (12.0) and the 200-meters (24.94) at USF all-time outdoors.  

Sophomore Emily Swanson will be a force in the field events (high jump) and multi-event (heptathlon). She had NCAA DII indoor provisional marks in both the pentathlon and high jump. In the pentathlon she ranks second all-time at USF with 3,538 points and had a 2021 mark of 4,244 points in the seven-event pentathlon for third all-time at USF. By going 5-7 in the high jump indoors, she ranks second all-time at USF and can be a factor at the NSIC Championships in events outdoors. Also look for the women's team to get big contributions from Gehl and Khot Juac (third all-time at USF, 1,500 meters, 4:40.62) in the races from the 1,500 to the 5,000 meters.

Also Emma Kenkel is a solid performer in the 400-meters (ranks 10^th all-time in the 400-meters outdoors) while the group of Annika Aho, Gracie Bucher and Cassidy O'Meara will continue to shine in the mid-distance. O'Meara (2:18.83) and Aho (2:20.51) rank top-10 in the indoors 800 and should continue to improve on those times as events move outdoors. Aside from Swanson, Natalie Meyers should be a contributor in the jumps as she ranks fifth all-time in the long jump (18-8, 2021) while Kenna Comstock will contribute in the pole vault.  

"This Outdoor season for the USF women can be one of the best team finishes USF has had in recent years," said Petersen. "Our depth will help us score in many events at the league meet. Plus, the group is highly motivated and work to improve at each competition," he said.  

NSIC - Athletes to Watch from USF - Women's Track and Field


Morgan Gehl, Freshman, Fulda, Minn.

• All-NSIC in Cross Country after placing 22nd at the NSIC Championships this past fall & was 31^st the DII Central Regionals
• At the NSIC Indoor championships, finished eighth in the mile with a 5:03.3 which ranks second all-time at USF
• As a member of the record-setting Distance Medley Relay, set a school record in 12:06.02, placed fifth at the NSIC Indoor Championships and had an NCAA DII provisional mark
•  Ranks second all-time at USF in the indoor mile (5:03.3), 3,000 meters (10.10.35) and 5,000-meters (17:38.55), all set this winter

Emma Hertz, Senior, Sioux Falls, SD/O'Gorman HS

•  Five-time All-American, finished a program-best and personal-best third in the shot put at the NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field
• Owns USF school record in all five throws (shot put weight throw – indoors; hammer throw, shot put, discus – outdoors) 
• Record 50 top-four finishes and 27 titles while finishing second 10 or more times in throws indoors or outdoors
• Earned All-NSIC in all three outdoor throws a year ago with third in the shot put, third in the discus and second in the hammer throw  
• Six-time qualifier indoor or outdoors for NCAA DII Championships
• Has the 10 best shot put throws all-time at USF with a best of 52-2 in the shot put, 175-10 in the discus throw, 184-10 in the hammer throw and 64-7.75 in the weight throw

USF Men's Preview -- The USF Men's Track and Field Team will look to improve on its 12th place finish of a year ago with a group of talented returners and newcomers. At the NSIC Indoors, USF was ninth with 17.5 points and have been projected ninth outdoors in the coaches preseason poll. 
 
This year, USF will lean on experience in the distance and field events.  Senior David Ecker was named USF's Track Athlete to Watch as the school record holder in the 3K steeplechase (3rd outdoor, 2021). He has had 15 top-five finishes in track and field/cross country and ranks in the top 10 at USF all-time in the 1,500 meters (10th, 4:00.76) and 5,000-meters (8th, 14:55.78). A CoSIDA Academic All-American and 8-time Academic All-NSIC honoree, he was All-NSIC in cross country with both Aaron Voigt and Jakob Hanna in cross country as USF placed third as a team. Eckert, Voigt. who was sixth at the outdoor 3K steeplechase in 2020-21 and owns USF's fourth best time (9:31.89) all-time in the event; Micah Shumway and Miles Olofson comprise a talented distance group. 
 
In the field events, sophomore Tyler Hiatt is USF's Field Athlete to Watch after qualifying for the  NCAA DII Indoor Championships in the shot. During the indoor season, he set a USF school record in the shot put by placing second at the NSIC Championships with a throw of 57-10.25.  In total, Hiatt had 13 top-six placements in 10 meets, including four titles, with nine combined throws in the shot put and weight throw that rank top 10 all-time at USF.  Also in the throws, USF will look for contributions from Patrick Hagan, Marek Rexand Jaymeson Wolkow. USF will also look for contributions from Jake Person in the pole vault and Steven Miner in the jumps.  

This indoor season, Ben Mandel placed in the hurdles at the NSIC Indoor Championships and moved into USF's top 10 list with an 8.26 clocking in the 60-meter hurdles. He earned points in the 110 meter hurdles in 2021 at the NSIC meet and is expected to score again.  
 
Joseph Donahue will lead USF's sprint squad after an impressive indoor season. He had a 6.95 clocking in the 60-meters dash for third all-time at USF and also had a top-three time in the 200-meter dash (22.38). He will compete in the 100, 200 and 400 meters.

USF will also look for contributions in the mid-distance from All-NSIC cross country standout Jakob Hanna, who will run between 800-meters and 3,000 meters. A transfer from NDSU, he placed top three in two events while running in the Summit League in 2021. Others in the mid distance, include Zach Matzner, who was sixth in the 800-meters indoor (1:56.97) while Caleb Rivera was sixth in the 1,000-meters (2:32.49) at the NSIC Championships. 

"Our men's team has worked hard to improve throughout the indoor season and this will carry over to the outdoor season," said Petersen. "We should score in many events outdoors and looking to improve from the 2021 outdoor team standings," he said. 

NSIC - Athletes to Watch at USF 


Tyler Hiatt Sophomore, Sioux Falls, S.D./Lincoln

• USF's Field Athlete to Watch Indoors and Outdoor after transferring to USF from NDSU where he had four top-eight finishes indoors a year ago.
• In his first appearance at the NCAA DII Indoor Track and Field Championships, placed 16^th with a throw of 16.13 meters – 52-11
• Will compete outdoors at USF for the first time
• Qualified for nationals and set a school record by finishing second in the shot put at the NSIC Indoors with a throw of 17.63 meters – 57-10.25  
• Indoors, had 13 top-six placements in 10 meets, including four titles, with nine combined throws in the shot put and weight throw that rank top 10 all-time at USF.  
• In terms of indoor shot-put throws all-time, has six of the top 10 throws In the school's top 10 list all-time  

David Ecker, Senior, Eau Claire, Wisc.

• School record holder (9:16.75) in the 3K steeplechase, finishing third in 2021 at the NSIC Outdoor Championships
• Has had 15 top-five finishes in track and field/cross country
• A CoSIDA Academic All-American and 8-time Academic All-NSIC honoree, earned All-NSIC honors in cross country with both Aaron Voigt and Jakob Hanna, who comprise a talented corps in the middle distance.
• Ranks eighth all-time at USF in the 5,000-meter run at 14:55.78; and 10^th in the 1,500 meter run at 4:00.76
• Serve as an officer for the USF SAAC
• Part of five USF teams in track and field and cross country that finished top six in the NSIC