TULSA, Okla. – The South Dakota Coyote women brought home their first outright Summit League outdoor championship trophy and the North Dakota State Bison men extended their win streak to take home their 12^th consecutive title Saturday inside the ONEOK Sports Complex. The entirety of the championship was highlighted by broken records, repeat champions and a handful of personal-best performances.

Final Standings
The South Dakota women capture their first-ever outright outdoor crown with a total of 243 points with reigning champion North Dakota State finishing runner-up with 225 points. South Dakota State took third place with 136 points followed by North Dakota (97), Oral Roberts (74), St. Thomas (19), Omaha (13) and Western Illinois (10).
 
For the 12^th straight outdoor season, the Bison men claimed the league title with a total of 241.5 points. South Dakota State earned runner-up status after posting 205 points followed by South Dakota (163), St. Thomas (63.5), Oral Roberts (59), North Dakota (56) and Western Illinois (23).
 
Women’s Individual Awards
Newcomer of the Championship: Jadyn Keeler, North Dakota
Field Championship MVP: Elise Ulseth, North Dakota
Track Championship MVP: Kelby Anderson, North Dakota State
 
Men’s Individual Awards
Newcomer of the Championship: Gary Afram, St. Thomas
Field Championship MVP: Trevor Otterdahl, North Dakota State
Track Championship MVP: Ben Olson, South Dakota State
 
Notes on Individual Honorees
North Dakota’s Jadyn Keeler took home the women’s Newcomer of the Championship. During the second day’s competition, Keeler notched a silver medal in the 3,000m steeplechase in a personal-best time of 10:46.45. Her runner-up finish broke the UND school record (10:51.75) set back in 2005.
 
Keeler closed out her championship performance by finishing fourth in the 5,000m in a time of 17:35.51.
 
Fellow Fighting Hawk Elise Ulseth captured the women’s Field Championship MVP accolade after capturing 22 points for the UND women. She started off her championship weekend with a runner-up finish in the javelin. She tossed a mark of 151-3 (46.11m) to finish second.
 
On day two, Ulseth captured the gold medal in the long jump. She lept a personal-best and school-record mark of 20-10.75 (6.37m) to win the event.
 
Before her gold medal in the long jump, she finished fifth in the high jump clearing a height of 5-07.25 (1.71m).
 
North Dakota State’s Kelby Anderson took home the women’s Track Championship MVP award with a total of 26 points for the Bison. She opened the championship with a gold medal collecting her second career title in the 10,000m. She took the event in a time of 36:10.07.
 
During today’s competition, she took runner-up honors in the 1,500m and the 5,000m. She clocked a time of 4:26.48 in the 1,500m and a time of 17:16.45 in the 5,000m.
 
St. Thomas’ Gary Afram claimed the Newcomer of the Championship honor on the men’s side after collecting 12.5 points for the Tommies. He opened his first collegiate championship with a sixth-place finish in the long jump after achieving a career-best mark of 22-10 (6.96m).
 
Today, Afram earned his first career outdoor All-Summit League honor as a member of the 4x100m relay team that finished third. He ran the second leg of the relay and helped the squad clock a time of 41.38.
 
He closed out the championship with a runner-up finish in the 100m. He clocked a time of 10.56 to claim the silver medal.
 
NDSU’s Trevor Otterdahl earned the men’s Field Championship MVP accolade after competing in the hammer, shot put and discus. Otterdahl launched a career-best 225-4 (68.69m) to win the hammer throw on the opening day of the championship. The toss moved him up to No. 2 all-time at NDSU and into the top 20 nationally.
 
On the second day of competition, he took second in the shot put with a mark of 60-10.75 (18.56m). Today he completed his championship weekend with a fourth-place finish in the discus (167-03; 50.97m).
 
South Dakota State’s Ben Olson was awarded the Track Championship MVP honor after garnering 24 total points for the Jackrabbits. Olson kicked off the championship by collecting the gold medal in the 10,000m with a time of 31:37.49.
 
Today, he claimed his second event title of the championship notching the 5,000m crown in a time of 14:54.44. Earlier in the day, he finished fifth in the 1,500m with a time of 3:49.54.
 
Other Notable Performances
Reigning champion Jessie Sullivan of South Dakota defended his title in the discus. He launched a mark of 175-9 (53.56) on his second throw of the day to claim his second consecutive crown.
 
North Dakota State’s Amanda Anderson notched her second league title of the weekend with a victory in the shot put. She took the gold medal with a season-best mark of 51-11.75 (15.84m).
 
South Dakota’s women's 4x100m relay team took home the gold medal to kick off the running events. The relay team of Erin Kinney, Jacy Pulse, Caelyn Valandra-Pure and Sara Reifenrath clocked a meet-record time of 44.99 en route to the victory.
 
The defending champion Coyotes took home the men’s 4x100m relay title. The relay squad of Ken-Mark Minkovski, Demar Francis, Ardell Inlay and Dylan Kautz clocked a time of 40.02 to take the gold.
 
South Dakota’s Jack Durst took the high jump title after clearing a height of 6-09.75 (2.08m). His victory today marks the seventh year a Coyote has taken home the gold medal in the event.
 
North Dakota State’s Jodi Lipp defended her 2021 title in the triple jump. She lept a lifetime-best mark of 41-10.50 (12.76m) on her final attempt to take the gold.
 
Josh Samyn of North Dakota State went back-to-back in the 1,500m. He won his second-consecutive title in the event with a personal-best time of 3:47.37.
 
The Coyotes’ Reifenrath notched her second-straight 400m league title after she clocked a 53.66 to win the event. She then claimed her second-consecutive 200m title after she bested her record set yesterday in the 200m prelims. She won the event in a new meet record time of 23.20.
 
Defending his 400m title, USD’s Francis clocked a winning time of 45.79 to break his own meet record (46.45).
 
SDSU’s Oksana Johnson claimed her third-straight crown in the 800m. She won the event in a time of 2:05.48, besting her previously set record from yesterday’s prelims.
 
WIU’s Ackeen Colley earned back-to-back titles in the 800m. He clocked a time of 1:49.19 to take the top spot on the podium.
 
The Coyotes took the top four of five places in the women’s pole vault. Leading the efforts was Jaidyn Garrett who took the gold medal with a first attempt clearance of 13-03.75 (4.06m).
 
SDSU’S Reid Pierzinski took home his second-straight 400m hurdles crown. He clocked an impressive meet record time of 50.91 to win the event. The previous record was set back in 1990 by Dan Steele of Eastern Illinois (51.27).  
 
Fellow Jackrabbit Leah Hansen notched her second-consecutive 5,000m title. She finished in a time of 17:11.26 to win the event.
 
The South Dakota Coyote 4x400m relay squad of Pulse, Madison Jochum, Valandra-Pure and Reifenrath clocked a time of 3:43.65 to defend USD’s 2021 4x400m relay title.
 
The North Dakota State men’s 4x400m relay team consisting of Adrian Harris, Jacob Levin, Jacob Rodin and Cody Roder clocked a meet record time of 3:07.18 to defend the Bison’s 2021 event title.

Women's Champions Crowned
Shot Put: Amanda Anderson, North Dakota State | 51-11.75 (15.84m)
Pole Vault: Jaidyn Garrett, South Dakota | 13-03.75 (4.06m)
Triple Jump: Jodi Lipp, North Dakota State | 41-10.50 (12.76m)
4x100m Relay: South Dakota | 44.99
1,500m: Cailee Peterson, South Dakota State | 4:25.39
100m Hurdles: Gabrielle Gibson, Oral Roberts | 13.57
400m: Sara Reifenrath, South Dakota | 53.66
100m: Rich-Ann Archer, South Dakota State | 11.78
800m: Oksana Johnson, South Dakota State | 2:05.48
400m Hurdles: Jacy Pulse, South Dakota | 59.58
200m: Sara Reifenrath, South Dakota | 23.20
5,000m: Leah Hansen, South Dakota State | 17:11.26
4x400m Relay: South Dakota | 3:43.65 

Men's Champions Crowned
Discus Throw: Jessie Sullivan, South Dakota | 175-09 (53.56m)
High Jump: Jack Durst, South Dakota | 6-09.75 (2.08m)
Pole Vault: Trent Francom, South Dakota State | 17-03.75 (5.28m)
Triple Jump: Tristen Hanna, South Dakota State | 48-04.50 (14.74m)
4x100m relay: South Dakota | 40.02
1,500m: Josh Samyn, North Dakota State | 3:47.37
110m hurdles: Pierre Lear, South Dakota State | 14.18
400m: Demar Francis, South Dakota | 45.79
100m: Dylan Kautz, South Dakota | 10.50
800m: Ackeen Colley, Western Illinois | 1:49.19
400m hurdles: Reid Pierzinski, South Dakota State | 50.91
200m: Demar Francis, South Dakota | 20.65
5,000m: Ben Olson, South Dakota State | 14:54.44
4x400m relay: North Dakota State | 3:07.18

Up Next
The top 48 declared student-athletes will be accepted into their respective events in the West Region.?For each relay event, the top 24 declared relay teams will be accepted into the competition.?For the heptathlon and decathlon, the top 24 declared student-athletes in each event based on their position on the national descending-order list will be accepted directly into the Championships. 
 
The NCAA West Preliminary will be held May 25-28 at John McDonnell Field in Fayetteville, Ark. The NCAA will officially announce qualifiers in the future.