SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - With outdoor season in full swing, the University of Sioux Falls Track and Field Teams will look to continue some strong momentum as they travel to compete at the Minnesota State Open & Multi meet in Mankato, Minn., on Friday, April 8 through Saturday, April 9. 

Click here for live results. Fans can also check out the outdoor history by viewing USF's top 10 marks all-time - click here . 

So far, USF has competed in two different meets. The Cougars kicked off the outdoor campaign at the Wildcat Outdoor Classic in Wayne, Neb. While there, USF tallied eight first-place finishes for the women and two first-place finishes for the men. Tyler Hiatt had an NCAA provisional mark in the shot put, while Emma Hertz had NCAA DII provisional marks in both the discus and hammer throw. In total, USF had 10 titles, 29 top-five finishes, and several top-10 marks at the first outdoor meet of the season.

On Friday, April 2, the Cougars competed at the USD Early Bird Meet in Vermillion, S.D. USF finished the day with seven top-ten finishes on the women's side and five top-ten finishes on the men's side. Tyler Hiatt had an NCAA provisional mark in the shot put and set USF 's outdoor mark in the shot put, while Emma Hertz had NCAA DII provisional marks in both the discus and hammer throw.

Before the outdoor season began, 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 Women's Season Recap -- Whipps named NSIC Outdoor Athlete of the Week for the first time
Wildcat Outdoor Classic - For the first time in her career, junior Kayleigh Whipps was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week. At the Wildcat Outdoor Invite in Wayne, Neb., Whipps, a junior from Eau Claire, Wisc., had an impressive day for USF, including winning the 3000 meter steeplechase with a clocking of 12:07.59. The mark by Whipps ranks seventh-best outdoors in USF school history and is her first-career outdoor title at USF. In addition to the title and top-10 mark, she ran to a second-place finish in the 400 meter hurdles (1:24.60) in her first attempt at that event.

Senior Emma Hertz had NCAA DII provisional marks in both the discus and the hammer throw at the Wildcat Classic. She won the discus with a throw of 48.40 m (158-09), which would rank second all-time at USF outdoors but her mark of 175-10.25 a year ago is the school record. Hertz also took second place in shot put, with a throw of 13.98 m (45-10.50), and sixth in the hammer throw, with a toss of 53.82 m (176-07), which is an NCAA DII provisional mark.

Sophomore Cassidy O'Meara brought home two first-place finishes for the Cougars, including a 2:23.98 clocking in the 800 meter run and a 4:16.11 time as a member of the winning 4x400 meter relay team. Other team members included Anika Aho (soph.), Gracie Bucher (fresh.), and Khot Juac (soph.). In the 1500 meter run, Juac took first place with a clocking of 4:54.67 which ranks 10th all-time and is her second best of her career. Sophomore Karlee Simmons won the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:18.69. In the field events, sophomore Kenna Comstock won the pole vault with a height of 3.30 m (10-10.00).

USD Early Bird Meet - Senior Emma Hertz had two more NCAA DII provisional marks in both the discus and the hammer throw. She placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 47.10 m (154-06 1/2), which would rank third all-time at USF outdoors but her mark of 175-10.25 a year ago is the school record. Hertz also took sixth place in the hammer throw, with a throw of 55.79m (183-00 1/2), which is an NCAA DII provisional mark and the second-best throw at USF, just short of her own school record.

On the track, KaNya Henderson brought home a second place finish for the Cougars in the 100 M dash, running a 12.19 -- not a personal best for Henderson but it is fifth all-time at USF. In the 1500 M run, freshman Morgan Gehl took 10th place for USF, running a 4:47.08 which is seventh all-time at USF. In the 100 M hurdles, Swanson ran a 15.28 for 20th place and seventh all-time at USF.  Tianna Voigt ran a 12:12.12 to place 14th in the 3000 m steeplechase, which is ninth all-time at USF. 

USF Men's Season Recap --
Wildcat Outdoor Classic - In his first outdoor competition at USF, sophomore Tyler Hiatt had a big day for the Cougars. He placed second with an NCAA provisional mark in the shot put (16.75 m 54-11.50). The throw of 54-11.50 ranks second all-time at USF outdoors. He also took fifth-place finish in the discus (48.64 m 159-07). The discus throw by Hiatt ranks tied for fifth all-time outdoors at USF.

Junior David Ecker had a successful day for the Cougars, including a first-place finish in the 3000 meter steeplechase (9:40.24) and a third-place finish in the 400 meter hurdles (9:40.24). In the 5000 meter run, USF took places 3-5, with Micade Shumway in third (15:30.58), Christian Lietz in fourth (16:29.13), and Justin Steffensmeier in fifth (16:35.68). 

In the field events, senior Jake Person brought home a first-place finish for the Cougars in the pole vault with a height of 4.37 meters - 14-04. Freshman Samuel Olson came in second behind Person, with a height of 3.80 m (12-05.50), and freshman Nicholas Cole came in third at 3.20 m (10-06.00). 

USD Early Bird Meet - Sophomore Tyler Hiatt had a strong day for the Cougars. He placed third with an NCAA provisional mark in the shot put, with a throw of 16.95 m (55-07.50), which is a new outdoor school record at USF. A sophomore from Sioux Falls, SD, Hiatt continued his strong start to the outdoor season by breaking the eight-year old record of Jordon Bents of 55-04.25.

On the track, junior David Ecker finished third in the 3000 m steeplechase, with a third all-time at USF time of 9:20.32 although short of his own school record. Aaron Voigt finished in fifth with a time of 9:34.79, which is sixth all-time at USF and just off his best all-time. Ben Mandel finished eighth in the 110 m hurdles, with a time of 14.90, which is sixth all-time at USF and Mandel's PR.

Looking Ahead
The Cougars' outdoor season continues with a busy week next week, including the Red Raider Open in Orange City, Iowa (Wed., April 13 - Thurs., April 14), UW-Platteville Invitational (select group of distance student-athletes) and the Loper Invitational in Kearney, Neb. on Friday, April 15. USF has a handful meets afterwards before heading to the NSIC Outdoor Championships in Aberdeen, S.D. on May 12-14.