MEN TAKE FIRST, WOMEN SECOND AT SDSU CLASSIC

Friday, October 4

Brookings, S.D.

6:15 p.m.

South Dakota State University

SDSU Classic

10/4/2024 10:01:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

By: Becca Ball

BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State University hosted six teams at the annual SDSU Classic Friday night. The women's team took second, while Carson Noecker took gold to lead the men's team to a first-place finish.

Men's Results | Women's Results

HEAD COACH ROD DEHAVEN

"I thought the men executed the plan really well tonight. We talked about trying to finish a race in contrast to what happened at the Roy Griak Invitational where we got to 6K and kind of fell off a cliff. Carson ran well; I think he broke the course record.

"To see Ben Anteau, who's been through a lot of injuries over the last couple of years, have that kind of race, was really cool. Jackson Dutcher ran well. Will Lohr, Cody Larson, all of those guys ran well, even Luke Johnson, who was kind of behind them. It was really heartening for a lot of our guys to have a bounce-back performance. I think that's why you have a meet like this. You have the ability to see your teammates and work with them and build off that energy. I'm really proud of how we performed this evening."

MEN'S TEAM

Noecker saw a stellar performance at the SDSU Classic as he won the Jay Dirksen Men's 8K for the second year in a row. The sophomore clocked a time of 24:11.28, finishing 21 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Noecker also managed to set a new Edgebrook course record, besting the record he had previously set at the Summit League Championships last year when he won the conference meet with a time of 24:17.2.

The next four Jackrabbits finished within 10 seconds of each other to round out the scoring five. Ben Anteau took fourth with a time of 24:54.44. Jackson Dutcher finished hot on Anteau's tail in fifth, crossing the line at 24:56.78. Will Lohr took sixth with a time of 25:00.74. Cody Larson clocked a time of 25:03.47 to finish seventh.

Luke Johnson was the sixth Jackrabbit across the line, finishing at 25:25.47 to take 17th. Cormick Logue finished not long after, clocking a time of 25:29.29 to place 21st. Cashton Johnson placed 27th with a time of 25:44.10. Dale Johnson finished 36th, clocking a time of 26:02.79, while Nathan Notgrass took 37th with a time of 26:10.90.

Also racing for the Jacks were Tyler O'Neill (27:09.49) and Will Harder (27:54.16).

Five Jackrabbits raced unattached at the SDSU Classic as well. Eli Hall continues to impress as the freshman took 12th with a time of 25:14.80. Joe Dustin clocked a time of 26:57.64 to finish 48th. Keaton Olson crossed the line at 27:08.27 to take 50th. Ty Brouwer and Jared Lutmer rounded out the unattached Jackrabbits. Brouwer clocked a time of 27:39.95, while Lutmer crossed the line at 28:15.50.

ASSISTANT COACH ALEX MUNTEFERING

"The big takeaways from today were that we had some really good pack running, especially in our two through six positions. I really liked what I saw with the ladies working together in those spots. Ultimately, I think we need to make a few race adjustments to capitalize on our potential for the next race. There were a lot of positives that came from today. Ultimately, we want to win the races that we are in, but we can't hang our heads low about the positive things we were able to move forward in.

"It was really great to have Grace Waage back in the lineup. For her to open up her season with that performance is really exciting, along with Meghan being able to rebalance coming off of a rough few weeks. Some other ladies also made some really big improvements this year. There is a lot for us to be excited about as we get through the next few weeks of the regular season and head into championship season."

WOMEN'S TEAM

Meghan Ford led the women, placing fourth overall with a 6K time of 21:22.19. Grace Waage, Kayla Christopherson, Jenna Soine, and Mya Kizer all finished together to round out the scoring five. Waage made her season debut at the SDSU Classic, finishing 11th with a time of 21:57.04. Christopherson took 12th, clocking a time of 21:58.98, while Soine finished less than a second later with a time of 21:59.28 to take 13th. Mya Kizer crossed the line at 22:05.93 to place 15th overall.

Courtney Stadter and Jessica Lutmer were next to finish for the Jacks. Stadter clocked a time of 22:12.69 to take 18th, while Lutmer finished 19th with a time of 22:18.32. Emma Ecker finished in 21st, crossing the line at 22:29.64. Claire Beckman took 24th with a time of 22:42.55. Emma Gonzalez and Nicole Swanson rounded out the top 30 runners in 29th and 30th, respectively. Gonzalez clocked a time of 23:02.37 while Swanson finished at 23:02.87.

Also running for the Jackrabbits were Kadense Dooley (23:19.72), Lindsey Rotz (23:57.85), Nina Dawson (23:59.95), Hannah Spoden (25:00.27), and Hannah Neusch (25:09.30).

Freshman Braelyn Merritt also ran in the SDSU Classic as an unattached athlete. Merritt finished 59th with a time of 24:41.13.

UP NEXT

The team splits in two as the Jacks attend the Wisconsin Pre Nationals, hosted by the University of Wisconsin, and the Jim Drews Invitational, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Oct. 19.