Anna Willis set a new outdoor school record in the pole vault at the Drake Relays on April 24. Willis cleared a height of 15 feet, 2 and one-quarter inches in the women’s pole vault event, which also set a new meet record for the Drake Relays.
The achievement highlights the strength of South Dakota Coyotes Track and Field athletes during this stage of the season. Breaking a school and meet record at such a prominent competition underscores both individual talent and team progress.
Other notable performances included Bre Dunn running under one minute in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 59.65 seconds, placing seventh overall. Dunn became only the sixth athlete from South Dakota to break that mark. Kenya Harris moved up to sixth place on her school’s all-time list in triple jump after clearing 40 feet, five and one-half inches.
In men’s events, Caelan Harland won his pole vault competition by clearing 18 feet, three inches—ranking him fourth in school history for that event. The women’s 4×200 relay team finished fourth with a time of 1:39.16, which stands as sixth best in program history.
Additional results from Friday’s competition included top-10 finishes by Ethan Baessler (men’s 100 meters), Mikael Grace (men’s 110-meter hurdles), Evan Janzen (men’s 400 meters), Mason Sindelar (men’s 800 meters), Brandon Vander Sluis (men’s shot put championship division), Tristan Gray (men’s shot put university/college division), Dutch Neuweiler (men’s pole vault university/college division), Marleen Mülla and Elisa Aitken (women’s pole vault championship division), Kailee Swart (women’s pole vault university/college division), Kenya Harris again in women’s triple jump championship, Landon Olson (men’s high jump championship) as well as strong showings from various relay teams.
These performances demonstrate continued growth for South Dakota Coyotes Track and Field athletes as they compete against strong regional opponents.
