Trojans Finish Third in NSAA Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships

Dakota State collected 94.5 points to place third in the 2023 NSAA Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championships Sunday. 

Dickinson State won the team title with 296.5 points, while Viterbo was second with 196.25 points. Valley City State placed fourth with 47 points, followed by Iowa Wesleyan fifth with 37 points, Waldorf sixth with 22.75 points, and Bellevue seventh with one point.

The day kicked off with the women’s high jump. Lahna Matucha, who was named to the NSAA’s Champions of Character recipient, finished in a two-way tie for seventh place with Ashley Veronen of Viterbo. They both cleared the height of 4 feet, 10.5 inches.

The first running event of the day was the 5000-meter run, paced by Jada Anderson with an eighth-place finish for the Trojans. She clocked a time of 20 minutes, 50.95 seconds in the race.

The team of Brooke Beaucaire, Madelyn Sylva, Saddie Palmquist, and Lindsey Roth finished third in the 4×800-meter relay. DSU recorded a time of 10 minutes, 44.12 seconds.

Dakota State had three throwers placing in the top eight of the weight throw event, led by Gabriella Peitzmeier. She was third with a 47 feet, 5.75 inches. Bella Maxwell followed up with a fifth place finish with 45 feet, 7.75 inches. Kiana Mounga was seventh after throwing 43 feet, 2.5 inches.

Britni Plucker threw 39 feet, 8 inches to finish 10th in the weight throw for DSU. Alexis Olson was 13th with a toss of 37 feet, 4 inches, followed by Oliviyah Thornton with 36 feet, 4.75 inches.

Fane Sauvakacolo hit a personal record time of 7.96 seconds in the 60-meter dash prelims for the Trojans, recording the fourth fastest time in the prelims. Her time is the fifth fastest time in the DSU women’s indoor track & field record book. 

Raylee Wallis added a personal best time of 8.28 seconds, which was seventh fastest time in the 60-meter dash prelims. Both Sauvakacolo and Wallis advanced to the 60-meter dash finals.

Sauvakacolo earned a fourth-place finish in the 60-meter dash finals in 7.98 seconds.  Wallis was seventh in the race after clocking a time of 8.33 seconds.

Shaylee DeBeer clocked a personal record time of 9.63 seconds (eighth fastest time in the school record book) in the 60-meter hurdles prelims, advancing to the finals after placing seventh. She finished seventh in the finals with a time of 9.73 seconds.

Palmquist led the Trojans with a time of 1 minute, 50.77 seconds for a sixth-place finish in the 600-meter run. 

Roth collected a runner-up honor in the 1-mile run, producing a time of 5 minutes, 36.90 seconds. Sylva followed up with a third place finish with a personal record time of 5:41.97. Beaucaire added a personal best time of 5:59.41 to place seventh. Courtney Meyer was 11th after recording a time of 6:29.38.

Carson Quigley produced a personal best mark of 15 feet, 4.75 inches to finish eighth in the long jump for Dakota State. She was also seventh in the triple jump, leaping 31 feet, 9.5 inches.

Thornton led the Trojans with a 37 feet, 5 inches shot put toss, for a seventh-place finish. Peitzmeier added a ninth-place finish after throwing 36 feet, 7 inches.

Wallis set a personal record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1 minute, .43 seconds to place third for DSU. DeBeer was fourth after registering a time of 1 minute, .80 seconds. Shakiera Gronenthal recorded a time of 1:12.30 to finish 13th.

The next running event was the 800-meter dash, where Roth collected her second runner-up honor in the conference meet. She finished with a time of 2:27.39. Palmquist was ninth after recording a time of 2:39.84, while Meyer was 12th in 2:55.90.

Wallis produced another personal record, hitting a time of 26.94 seconds to finish sixth in the 200-meter dash for the Trojans. Gronenthal added a personal record time of 30.72 seconds in the race.

Sylva recorded a time of 11 minutes, 58.85 seconds to finish 10th in the 3000-meter run for DSU. Anderson followed up with a time of 12:12.19 for a 12th place finish, while Beaucaire recorded a personal best time of 12:23.51 to finish 14th.

The indoor track & field conference meet wrapped up with the 4×400-meter relay. The relay team – consisting of Wallis, DeBeer, Palmquist, and Roth – earned the runner-up honor with a time of 4:17.36. 

Dakota State is scheduled to send Fane Sauvakacolo to the 2023 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships on March 2-4 at SJAC in Brookings. She is scheduled to compete in the 60-meter hurdles and triple jump at the national meet.