As the indoor track and field season wraps up, the Summit League announced its preseason outdoor track and field coaches poll.
South Dakota’s men and women were picked to finish second in both polls behind indoor champions North Dakota State.
The Bison received 49 points with seven first-place votes on the women’s side and 25 points with five first-place votes on the men’s side. South Dakota garnered the remaining first-place vote for both men and women. The Coyote women tallied 43 points and the men received 19.
South Dakota returns the 2015 Men’s Track Championship MVP in Mach Dojiok. Dojiok won the 800 meters and finished runner-up to teammate Taylor Chapman in the 1,500 meters at last year’s championships.
Also returning for the Coyote men are three individuals who redshirted the 2015 outdoor season. 2014 Field Championship MVP senior Kyle McKelvey won the shot put and discus at the league championships two years ago. Senior Jeff O’Connell won the long jump in 2014 and was named the 2014 Indoor Field Championship MVP. All-American hurdler Teivaskie Lewin also returns for his final outdoor season.
The Coyote women are led by two returning NCAA Championship qualifiers and Summit League Champions. Senior Amber Eichkorn won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the league meet and advanced to the NCAA West Preliminaries in both events. She qualified from the preliminaries to the NCAA Championships in the 10,000 meters where she went on to earn honorable mention All-America honors. Junior Hunter Wilkes also earned honorable mention All-America honors in the pole vault with an outdoor career-best 13-11 at the preliminaries. Wilkes was also a Summit League pole vault champion.
Sophomore Shanice Cannigan was the Newcomer of the Championship last year after a pair of runner-up finishes in the hurdle events. Cannigan improved from Newcomer to Track Championship MVP indoors with two Summit League crowns.
Other returning Summit League champions include Analisa Huschle in the long jump and 200 meters, Gawain Williams in the 100 meters, Tyler Frank in the high jump and Mubarik Musa in the 5,000 meters.
The Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships are to be hosted by South Dakota in Vermillion on May 12-14.
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD POLL
| Rank | School (1st) | Points | 2015 Finish |
| 1. | North Dakota State (5) | 25 | 1st |
| 2. | South Dakota (1) | 19 | 2nd |
| 3. | South Dakota State | 17 | 3rd |
| 4. | Oral Roberts | 14 | 5th |
| 5. | IUPUI | 9 | 6th |
| 6. | Western Illinois | 6 | 4th |
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD POLL
| Rank | School (1st) | Points | 2015 Finish |
| 1. | North Dakota State (7) | 49 | 1st |
| 2. | South Dakota (1) | 43 | 2nd |
| 3. | South Dakota State | 36 | 3rd |
| 4. | Oral Roberts | 31 | 4th |
| 5. | Omaha | 26 | 5th |
| 6. | Western Illinois | 14 | 6th |
| 7. | IUPUI | 12 | 8th |
| 7. | IPFW | 12 | 7th |
