Yellow Jackets to Host the Dave Little Alumni Mile Open

SPEARFISH, S.D. – More than a month removed from their first meet of the season, the Black Hills State University men's and women's track and field teams are back in action, competing in the first of two home indoor meets this season on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets are set to host six opposing schools in the annual Dave Little Alumni Mile Open as they look to continue the momentum of 12 top-10 marks/times in school history in the season opener.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, January 17 / 9:30 a.m. / Spearfish, S.D. / Donald E. Young Center Fieldhouse

MEN'S TRACK & FIELD STORYLINES

Black Hills State is set to compete in their second meet of the season after having last competed on December 6 at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in Chadron, where they finished second as a team with 146 points. The Green & Gold collected six event wins in the meet as Braden Anderson won the 1,000m run (2:29.58), Jayden Curtis won the 60m hurdles (8.78), Trennan Pearson won the high jump (1.98m, 6' 6"), Chase Maher won the pole vault (4.75m, 15' 7"), Drew Lehman won the long jump (6.98m, 22' 11"), and Ryan Baker won the weight throw (17.42m, 57' 2").
The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 11^th in the 2025-26 RMAC Men's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' Poll. A year ago, they finished tied for seventh in the conference meet with 23 points.
Black Hills State returns three student-athletes who earned all-conference last season during the indoor conference championships, including Anderson who was First Team All-RMAC in the 800m run, Maher who was Second Team All-RMAC in the pole vault, and Pearson who was Second Team All-RMAC in high jump.
Anderson, one of the top mid-distance runners in school history, enters the meet currently holding the school record for the 800m run as he clocked a time of 1:50.93 at the UND Tune-Up last winter. He also ranks fifth in program history in the 600m run with a time of 1:22.77 in the 2023 BHSU Holiday Open and is sixth in school history in the 1,000m run as he ran to a time of 2:29.58 in the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December.
Also cracking the top-10 in school history in the 1,000m run at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December was newcomer Evan Smith, who clocked a time of 2:30.56, which ranks eighth in school history.
Maher, only a sophomore from nearby Rapid City, looks to improve upon his rank in school history as he is fifth in the Yellow Jacket record books in the pole vault, clearing a mark of 4.77m (15' 7.75") at the 2025 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. He began the 2025-26 season with a jump of 4.75m (15' 7") at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December, which ranks second on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.
Also in the pole vault, McKalester Johns ranks tenth in school history having cleared a mark of 4.56m (14' 11.5") at the 2024 Birds and the Bees Holiday Open.
Rounding out the trio of returning all-conference performers, Pearson already notched a top-10 mark in school history this season, as the sophomore recorded a career-best jump of 1.98m (6' 6") to win the high jump in the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open last month. His mark in the season opener also ranks third on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.
In the sprints, the Yellow Jackets are highlighted by another sophomore, Landon Scalise, who entered the season in the top-10 in school history in the 60m dash and already recorded a new career-best time in the event in the season opener. At the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December he posted a pair of sub-7 second times, including a time of 6.93 seconds in the finals to move to fourth in school history in the event. The time also ranks eighth on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.
Jayden Curtis entered the season holding the fifth-fastest time in program history in the 60m hurdles, clocking a career-best time of 8.59 seconds at the 2025 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Additionally, he also entered the season tied for eighth in program history in the long jump, recording a mark of 6.81m (22' 4.25") at the 2024 Birds and the Bees Holiday Open. In his season debut he posted a time of 8.78 seconds to win the event at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December, ranking 16^th on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List, and recorded a mark of 6.41m (21' 0.5") in the long jump.
In the 400m dash, Flynn Johnston cracked the top-10 of the program's best times last season, tying for ninth with a time of 50.50 seconds at the 2025 SDSU Indoor Classic.
Jaxon Straus returns having clocked the ninth-fastest time in program history in the 5,000m run a year ago, posting a time of 15:07.38 at the 2025 SDSU Indoor Classic.
Drew Lehman, recorded a pair of the best long jump and triple jump performances in Black Hills State history to begin the season the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December, posting the second-best mark in the triple jump (14.31m, 46' 11.5") and the fourth-best mark in the long jump (6.98m, 22' 11"). His mark in the triple jump was the best by a Yellow Jacket since 1976, and the long jump mark was the best since 2013. He currently ranks fifth in the conference in triple jump and seventh in the long jump on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.
Bridger Anderson, who entered the season top-10 in school history in the long jump, also entered the top-5 along with Lehman in the event at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December. He posted a career-best mark of 6.96m (22' 10"), which ranks eighth on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.
Ryan Baker, who enter the season ninth in program history in the weight throw, held down his spot in the school record books and improved his career-best mark in the event in the season opener with a throw of 17.42m (57' 2") to win the event at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December. The throw currently ranks fourth on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD STORYLINES

Black Hills State is set to compete in their second meet of the season after having last competed on December 6 at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in Chadron, where they finished first as a team with 184 points. The Green & Gold collected nine event wins as Avery Marler won the 60m dash (7.93), 200m dash (25.96), and the long jump (5.53m, 18' 1.75"), Jillian Brennan won the 1,000m run (3:13.63), Alessandra Broussard won the 60m hurdles (9.81), Gracie Wilts won the high jump (1.57m, 5' 1.75"), Erin Weibel won the pole vault (3.65m, 11' 11.75"), Cassidy Goddard won the weight throw (15.26m, 50' 0.75"), and Alivia Weathers won the pentathlon (2,822).
The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish tenth in the 2025-26 RMAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Coaches' Poll. A year ago, they finished 11^th in the conference meet with 6.5 points.
Black Hills State returns one student-athlete who earned all-conference last season during the indoor conference championships, as Erin Weibel is back after receiving Second Team All-RMAC honors in the pole vault.
Weibel entered the 2025-26 season tied for fifth in program history in the pole vault, having cleared 3.68m (12' 0.75") at the 2025 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. She began the season last month with a mark of 3.65m (11' 11.75") to win the event at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open, tying for third on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.
Also in the pole vault, Gretchen Adamski entered the season top-10 in school history and improved her mark with a career-best of 3.65m (11' 11.75") at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December. The mark moved her up to eighth all-time in the Yellow Jacket record books and is tied for third on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.
Avery Marler had one of the best collegiate debuts in school history, posting three top-10 marks in program history. She ranks second in the Yellow Jacket record books with a winning time of 7.93 in the 60m dash, second in the long jump with a winning mark of 5.53m (18'1.75") and is seventh in the 200m dash with a winning time of 25.96. In the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List, she ranks fifth in the league in the 200m dash, ninth in the long jump, and tenth in the 60m dash.
Also, in the 60m dash, Saraya Afrank returns and entered the season with a top-10 time in program history, clocking an 8.08 at the 2025 Dave Little Alumni Mile that currently ranks tenth in the record books. She began the 2025-26 season with a time of 8.19 in the prelims and 8.25 in the finals at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December.
In the mile, Katelyn Krieger enters the season ranking ninth in school history with a career-best time of 5:08.70 at the 2025 SDSU Indoor Classic.
Black Hills State currently has two of the top-10 runners in school history in the 5,000m run, as Evie Boyd ranks seventh and Emma Hofmeister is tenth, posting times of 17:56.62 and 18:15.22 respectively at the 2025 SDSU Indoor Classic.
In the shot put, Hanah Sullivan entered the year ranking seventh in school history with a mark of 13.74m (45' 1") at the 2024 Dave Little Alumni Mile. She began the year with a mark of 12.36m (40' 6.75") at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December, which ranks tenth on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.
In the pentathlon, Weathers remained tenth in school history having accumulated a new career-best of 2,822 points to win the event at the Birds and the Bees Holiday Open in December. She currently ranks tenth on the 2025-26 RMAC Indoor Performance List.