SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University outdoor track and field teams will split up for competition this weekend. The majority of the team will be at the Blue Hawk Games in Dickinson, N.D., while a handful of athletes are in California to run.

In the final weekend before competition begins at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships, the majority of the Yellow Jackets will travel to Dickinson, N.D., to compete on April 19.

Meanwhile, Cailey Roth will run the 800 meters at the Cal State LA Twilight Open in the evening of April 18. On Friday morning, April 19, Jake Iverson and Jonah Theisen will run the steeplechase at the Beach Invitational in Long Beach, California. Friday afternoon will see Levi Fried and Jordan Theisen competing in the 800 meters at the Brian Clay Invite hosted by Azusa Pacific. Roth, Iverson, Jonah Theisen, Fried, and Jordan Theisen will all wrap up their California adventures at the Brian Clay Invite, running the 1500 meters on April 19.  

The Green and Gold enter the weekend with multiple provisional marks as well as top marks in the conference. In the 400 meter hurdles, Tristan Hepp has a provisional mark of 52.65, and is currently ranked second in the RMAC and 12th in Division II. In the steeple, Jonah Theisen is third in the league with a provisional time of 9:12.89, while Iverson is fifth, and Keith Osowski is seventh, respectively.

In field events, Allan McDonnell currently ranks first in the RMAC in high jump. His provisional mark of 2.06m is tied for 17th nationally. The Green and Gold hold the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots in women's pole vault. Hannah Hendrick leads the way with a provisional mark of 3.68m. Whitney Scott and Jordyn Huneke are fifth and sixth, respectively. In women's shotput, Kyla Sawvell leads the RMAC, and is the only student-athlete in the conference to record a provisional qualifying mark (13.77m). The freshman has also hit a provisional mark in the discus, and currently sits in second in the league, with Danielle Noble in third just behind her. Sawvell has the best hammer throw of the season in the RMAC to round out her performance list.

Following this weekend's competition, the Yellow Jackets will compete at the RMAC Championships in Rapid City, S.D. The meet, hosted by South Dakota School of Mines, will be held April 16-28.

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Black Hills State is located in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota, sponsoring 13 NCAA sports with membership in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the NCAA emerging sport of women's triathlon and NIRA rodeo. For all information regarding Yellow Jacket Athletics, please visit BHSUAthletics.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @BHSUAthletics.

---BHSUAthletics.com---