BROOKINGS, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's and women's track & field teams traveled east river last Friday and Saturday, competing at the SDSU Indoor Classic against individuals from 38 opposing schools. The women's team was led by a career-best and NCAA Provisional performance in the pole vault from Spearfish's own Gretchen Adamski, while the men's team saw a second school record in as many meets fall by Evan Smith as he broke the 400m dash with the first sub-49 second time in the event in the program's history.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MEN'S TRACK & FIELD

• The weekend began as Evan Smith once again led the way in the 800m run after breaking the school record last time out. On Friday afternoon he posted a sixth place finish with a time of 1:52.94, while Caden Strasser found his way into the top-10 all-time in school history with a 30^th place finish and time of 1:55.31. His time ranks seventh in the Yellow Jacket record books. Also competing in the event and running to a season-best time was Anthony Ackerman who notched a 51^st place finish and time of 1:58.73.
• The distance pair of Gavin Kuhlenbeck and Landrum Wiley found their way into the top-10 all-time in school history in the 3,000m run on Friday afternoon, running to career-best times of 8:24.83 for ninth place and 8:31.40 for 13^th place respectively. Kuhlenbeck's time ranks fifth on the Yellow Jacket All-Time Performance list while Wiley's is tenth.
• In Friday afternoon's pole vault action, the Green & Gold notched a trio of top-10 finishes. Led once again by Chase Maher, he posted a sixth place finish by clearing 4.70m (15' 5"). Both McKalester Johns and Dawson Lindeen tied for ninth place by clearing 4.40m (14' 5.25") on their first attempts.
• The Yellow Jackets were led by the pair of Turner Christians and Jaxon Straus who notched top-20 finishes in the 5,000m run on Friday, running to times of 15:17.06 and 15:22.12 respectively for 17^th and 18^th place. Rounding out the Green & Gold in the event was a trio of freshmen as Thomas Oylear, Emmett Swartzentruber, and Sean Shipp recorded finishes of 21^st (15:25.43), 29^th (15:35.40), and 36^th (15:41.36).
• The first track event of the day on Saturday for the men saw ten Yellow Jackets competing in a packed field of more than 150 athletes in the mile. Leading the way for Black Hills State was Wiley with his second career-best and top-10 time in program history of the weekend, running to a time of 4:14.91 for 17^th place. His time ranks tenth in the school record books. Just a few seconds behind in 31^st place was Straus who was 31^st place with a career-best time of 4:17.84. The freshman duo of Ackerman and Oylear finished 57^th and 58^th respectively with season-best times of 4:27.78 and 4:28.09. The next duo to cross the finish line was Alberto Spotted and Christians, who tallied times of 4:29.20 and 4:30.14 for 65^th and 71^st place respectively. Christians' time in the event was a new career-best. Rounding out the Yellow Jackets in the event were Caden Strasser in 80^th with a time of 4:34.05, Shipp in 88^th with a time of 4:36.17, Swartzentruber in 91^st with a time of 4:36.47, and Jonah Rigg in 105^th with a time of 4:38.78.
• The pair of Adam Stimes and Trennan Pearson recorded 17^th and 23^rd place finishes in the high jump respectively on Saturday, clearing heights of 1.90m (6' 2.75") and 1.85m (6' 0.75").
• The Yellow Jackets saw three athletes competing in the qualifying round of the 60m dash, led by a fifth place finish from Landon Scalise with a time of 6.97, while Drew Lehman added a career-best time of 7.04 for 16^th place and Dawson Lindeen was 58^th with a time of 7.25. Lehman's time ranked the seventh-fastest in school history. Scalise and Lehman qualified for the prelims, as they went on to record times of 7.01 and 7.05 respectively for 23^rd and 29^th place finishes.
• In the long jump, the Yellow Jackets saw five athletes compete and were led by a third place finish by Lehman. Lehman recorded a mark of 6.97m (22' 10.5") for his third jump of 6' 9" or better this season in the event. Also competing in the event was Seth Wilson, who was 14^th with a mark of 6.47m (21' 2.75"), Jayden Curtis, who was 16^th with a mark of 6.43m (21' 1.25"), Bridger Anderson, who was 20^th with a mark of 6.32m (20' 9"), and Javin Walker, who was 38^th with a mark of 5.69m (18' 8").
• In one of the final field events of the weekend, Ryan Baker tallied a sixth place finish in the weight throw, posting a mark of 17.33m (56' 10.25").
• Also, among the final field events of the day on Saturday, Walker recorded a 15^th place finish with a jump of 12.41m (40' 8.75").
• Smith secured his second top-10 finish of the weekend and second school record in as many meets on Saturday afternoon, running to a time of 48.96 for eighth place in the 400m dash. His time marked the first time in program history that a Yellow Jacket has ran a sub-49 second time in the event. Also competing in the event was Flynn Johnston who finished 48^th with a time of 51.26.
• Saturday's 200m dash saw a trio of Yellow Jackets competing, led by the fifth-fastest time in school history as Scalise clocked a career-best 22.64 for 27^th place in the event. Johnston added a career-best in the event with a 42^nd place finish and time of 22.97, while Ashley Williams rounded out the group with a time of 23.27 for 57^th place.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED – WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD

• The weekend began with four top-10 finishes in the pole vault for the Yellow Jackets, highlighted by a new career-best and NCAA Provisional mark by Gretchen Adamski, who cleared 3.75m (12' 3.5") for fourth place. Adamski's mark ranks fourth in school history. The pair of Lauryn Bennett and Erin Weibel tied for seventh in the event, each clearing 3.45m (11' 3.75") on their first attempts. The mark was a new career-best for Bennett. Brekkan Lockhart rounded out the top-10 in the event with a mark of 3.30m (10' 10"), and Hope Bryant was 16^th in the event with a mark of 3.15m (10' 4").
• Jillian Brennan led a trio of Black Hills State athletes in Friday's 800m run, recording a season-best time of 2:20.32 for 32^nd place. Also competing were the freshmen duo of Abigail Hardersen and Madison Zander who ran to season-best times of 2:20.80 and 2:24.1 respectively for 34th and 42^nd place in the event.
• In the 3,000m run, the trio of Zena Tapia, Kadence Baun, and Nicole Clark ran to times of 10:51.16, 11:12.49, and 11:13.83 respectively for 49^th, 53^rd, and 54^th place finishes.
• Rounding out Friday's action on the track, the pair of Emma Hofmeister and Ava Allen ran to top-10 times in school history in the 5,000m run. Hofmeister recorded an eighth place finish with a career-best time of 17:47.47 for the sixth-fastest time in program history, and Allen was 11^th place with a season-best time of 17:53.36 for the seventh-fastest time in Yellow Jacket history. Also competing in the event was Mason Berg, Sierra Hopp, and Abigail Robberson who clocked times of 18:07.63, 18:27.22, and 18:28.18 for 16^th, 22^nd, and 24^th place respectively. Hopp and Robberson's times were new career-bests in the event.
• Saturday's action on the track began with eight Yellow Jackets competing in a field of more than 100 athletes in the mile. The Green & Gold was led by Hofmeister, who clocked a career-best time of 5:14.50 for 36^th place. Just tenths of a second behind her in 38^th place was Allen, who tallied a time of 5:14.90. A trio of freshmen, Berg, Hardersen, and Clark were next to cross the finish line for BHSU with times of 5:24.77 (60^th), 5:28.32 (68^th), and 5:30.14 (70^th). Rounding out the group in the event was Robberson, Baun, and Hopp, who were 71^st (5:30.31), 75^th (5:32.51), and 76^th (5:33.14).
• In the qualifying round of the 60m hurdles, the trio of Madyson Wolfe, Alivia Weathers, and Bennett, recorded finishes of 27^th place with a time of 9.51, 36^th place with a time of 9.74, and 48^th place with a time of 10.75 respectively.
• In the first field event of the day on Saturday morning, the pair of Saraya Afrank and Adlyn Eng posted marks of 5.12m (16' 9.75") and 4.65m (15' 3.25") respectively for 24^th and 45^th place in the long jump.
• In the weight throw, Hanah Sullivan led the way with a 12^th place finish and a mark of 15.40m (50' 6.25"), while Cassidy Goddard finished 22^nd with a throw of 14.20m (46' 7.25").
• The lone Yellow Jacket in Saturday morning's 60m dash was Avery Marler, who clocked a time of 7.90 for 27^th place in the qualifying round.
• Eng, the lone Yellow Jacket in the triple jump as well, posted a mark of 10.01m (32' 10.25") for 32^nd place in the event.
• In the shot put, Sullivan secured a top-3 finish in the event, recording a mark of 13.50m (44' 3.5") for third place.
• The lone Yellow Jacket competing in the high jump, Gracie Wilts cleared a height of 1.53m (5' 0.25") for 12^th place in the event.
• The pair of Brennan and Zander ran to career-best times in the 400m dash, crossing the finish line in 1:01.22 and 1:02.94 respectively for 50^th and 54^th place.
• After competing in the 60m dash in the morning, Marler went on to also lead the Yellow Jackets in the 200m dash on Saturday afternoon, posting a season-best time of 25.84 for 24^th place overall and fifth all-time in school history. The pair of Afrank and Weathers also competed and ran to times of 26.69 and 28.55 respectively for 44^th and 78^th place.

UP NEXT
Black Hills State men's and women's track & field will be at home in Spearfish on Saturday, February 21, hosting the Myrle Hansen Open. Field events are slated for a 9:30 a.m. start time, while track events are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in the Donald E. Young Center Fieldhouse.