Yellow Jackets to Host Myrle Hanson Open

SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University track & field programs will host their second consecutive meet to begin the 2025 calendar year as they host the Myrle Hanson Open on Saturday, January 25, in the Donald E. Young Center Fieldhouse. While the Green & Gold look to continue a strong start to the season which included team wins last weekend, a pair of mid-distance runners in Braden Anderson and Kendall Tietjen will also look to compete against stiff competition in the 800s at the Jim Emmerich Alumni Meet hosted by South Dakota State this afternoon.

MYRLE HANSON OPEN DETAILS
Date & Times: Saturday, January 25 – field events begin at 9:30 a.m. while running events start at 11:35 a.m.
Location: Spearfish, S.D. – Donald E. Young Center Fieldhouse

JIM EMMERICH ALUMNI MEET DETAILS
Date & Times: Saturday, January 25 – running events start at 12 p.m.
Location: Brookings, S.D. – Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex

BLACK HILLS STATE MEN'S TRACK & FIELD STORYLINES

The Black Hills State men's track & field team earned a win in the Dave Little Alumni Mile Open last weekend, tallying 177.5 points and scoring seven individual event titles and a pair of relay titles. The relay victories included the distance medley relay which posted a time of 10:36.23 and the 4x400 that recorded a time of 3:26.51. The individual event winners were Jace Johnson in the 60m dash, Caden Strasser in the 800m run, Jaxon Straus in the mile, Trennan Pearson in the high jump, Shane Karajanis in the pole vault and long jump, and Seth Wilson in the long jump.
This season's Black Hills State men's track & field team features four of the top-7 all-time performance leaders in the 60m dash, led by school-record holder Jace Johnson who posted a time of 6.89 in the Dave Little Alumni Mile Open last weekend, Mason Sartain who holds the third-best time of 6.92, Landon Scalise holds the sixth-best time of 7.05, and Conor McGraw holds the seventh-best time of 7.11.
Sartain holds the all-time best performance mark in Yellow Jacket history in the 200m dash with a career-best time of 22.36, while McGraw is ninth-best in program history with a time of 22.78.
Anderson is fifth-best in BHSU history on the performance list for the 600m run as he holds a career-best time of 1:22.77 in the event. He also holds the programs top all-time mark in the 800m run as he's clocked a career-best time of 1:52.24.
The pair of McGraw and Curtis are each among the top-10 times all-time on the Yellow Jacket performance list in the 60m hurdles as McGraw ranks third with a time of 8.51 while Curtis is tenth with a time of 8.69.
In his collegiate debut, Curtis notched the eighth-best long jump mark among the Black Hills State indoor performance list, posting a mark of 6.81m (22' 4.25") to win the event at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December.
Another freshman who made his mark in his collegiate debut was Chase Maher, who won the pole vault at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in a dual meet against Chadron State, recording a mark of 4.56m (14' 11.5").
McGraw has been one of the top heptathlon athletes in Yellow Jacket history, ranking fourth on the program's all-time performance list with a career-best 4,470 points in the 2022 RMAC Championships.
Alex Kemp is in his first season as the head coach of the Black Hills State men's and women's track & field teams.

BLACK HILLS STATE WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD STORYLINES

The Black Hills State women's track & field team earned their second consecutive victory to open the season as they tallied 139.5 points in the Dave Little Alumni Mile Open as they notched a pair of relay wins and one individual event win. Among the relay victories were the distance medley relay that posted a time of 13:05.59 and the 4x400 that recorded a time of 4:12.08. The lone event winner on the day was Erin Weibel in the pole vault.
Saraya Afrank moved into the top-10 all-time in the 60m dash record books last weekend, posting a time of 8.08 in the Dave Little Alumi Mile Open.
Kendall Tietjen currently ranks eighth all-time on the Black Hills State performance list in the 400m dash, having posted a career-best time of 59.29.
Sylvia Brown is among the top-5 of a pair of events all-time in Yellow Jacket history, holding the top time in program history in the 5,000m run with a time of 17:14.57 and is then fifth all-time in the 3,000m run with a time of 10:11.65.
Sophie Louderback posted one of the top marks in program history in her collegiate debut in the long jump, recording a mark of 5.28m (17' 4") to win the event at the season opening Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December to rank eighth all-time.
Weibel remains one of the best pole vaulters in BHSU history, moving into seventh all-time with a career-best mark of 3.50m (11' 5.75") to win the Dave Little Alumni Mile Open last week.
In the shot put, Hanah Sullivan ranks seventh all-time on the Black Hills State performance list as she holds a career-best mark of 13.74m (45' 1").
Alex Kemp is his first season as the head coach of the Black Hills State men's and women's track & field teams.