The South Dakota State women's cross country team was tabbed as runners-up in the Summit League preseason polls on Aug. 20. This is the second-consecutive year the team has been runner-up favorites and the third time overall since 2012. They received 41 votes along with one first-place vote behind South Dakota who received 48 votes and 6 first-place votes. The Jackrabbits return everyone who competed in the NCAA Midwest Regional except Halie Mechels, who graduated. Junior Emily Donnay returns this year after being redshirted last season. For the full season preview click here.
2018's First Meet - Bison Open (Aug. 31) - Full Recap The team placed third (60 points), behind the strong effort of freshman Ellie Friesen. The Crestwood, Iowa native, finished runner-up (14:20.8) at her first meet in yellow and blue. Sophomore Anna Donnay returned to Rose Creek Golf Course and beat her 2017 mark by 7.4 seconds, placing eighth overall (14:34.8). Donnay also finished in the top 10 of the event for second consecutive season in Fargo. Junior Emma Nelson was the third Jackrabbit to cross the finish line, notching a PR in the event. She finished 17th overall (15:24.0) and trimmed her 2016 PR by 23.3 seconds. Along with Friesen, four other freshmen debuted in their SDSU gear. Tori Glazier finished 26th (15:53.0), Elise Emmick placed 29th (16:31.9), Jessica Christoffer posted 31st (16:38.9) and Bailey Dergan notched 32nd (16:41.0). Women Notables:
The female Jacks finished 2017 with three All-Summit League performers, tying with NDSU for the second-most honors. The Jacks have now claimed two straight Summit League individual titles and championship MVP's (Emily Donnay in 2016, Rachel King in 2017).Â
Sr. Rachel King returns to defend her 2017 athlete of the year title.Â
The women's team finished in the top three of The Summit League Championships yet again in 2017 with six top 25 runners. The team now tallies six years in a row where they have finished in the top three.Â
The Jacks have freshman Ellie Friesen joining the team. She was the Des Moines Register's All-Iowa Girls' Athlete of the Year her senior year.Â
Nine Jackrabbit Freshmen Cross Country Women Here are the nine freshmen newcomers on the cross country team this season. Each of them filled out a few interesting facts about themselves to share. Click on each Jackrabbits name in the bulleted list below to see what they had to say. If you want to know more athletic information about each student-athlete, you can click on their name above their fun facts and it will go to their athletic bio.
Test Your Freshmen Knowledge
Remember, once you have read through their interesting facts, you can click here to take a quiz and test your knowledge on the Jackrabbit newcomers.
The men's cross country freshmen fun facts can be found here.
Up Next
The cross country teams will return to action on Sept. 15 at the Woody Greeno Invitational in Lincoln, Neb, hosted by Nebraska. The meet is expected to start at 10 a.m. at the 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championship site, the Mahoney Golf Course.
Social Media
For more information on the South Dakota State cross country teams, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksTFXC) and Instagram (@GoJacksTFXC), and like us on Facebook (/GoJacksTFXC).
Freshmen Quick Facts
Where is She From? Christoffer is from Round Lake, Minn. and went to Jackson County Central High School.
A Few Fun Facts About Christoffer
She was her high school's runner of the year for cross country three years (2014-16).
Her friend and her friend's father kept telling her about cross country and how Christoffer would have fun doing it. Also, her middle school gym teacher was telling her to try out for it. So after "arm twisting" from those people she joined in the eighth grade.
She loves Chick-Fil-A, mainly for the lemonade where you can buy by the gallon.
If she didn't have to sleep, she would still like to get a good nap in because, "who doesn't love napping!"
Where Have You Heard of Her Before? She ran for Jackson County Central Huskies and placed sixth in the Paul Metcalf Invitational, running a personal-best mark of 20:03.6. During the track season, she was all-state during her junior season, placing eighth in the 800m. She was two-time all-conference (2014, 2017) and an honorable mention all-conference (2016) runner throughout her career. She was also named academic all-state in cross country twice (2016-17).
Who's Been the Most Inspirational Person So Far in Your Running Career?
"The most inspirational person in my running career is more like a group of people," Christoffer said. "I always looked up to the girls I ran against who were faster than me, especially as an eighth grader and freshman. I wanted to be like them and they inspired me to work harder to try and be like them. This, in turn, has also helped inspire myself - as I work to get better like my inspirations, I also want to set an example and inspire those younger than me."
Where is She From? Dergan is from Omaha, Neb. and went to Millard West High School.
A Few Fun Facts About Dergan
She is a state champion in both soccer and cross country.
She got into cross country during her sophomore year of high school because her mom had a passion for running. Dergan had an opportunity to join the cross country team after ending her high school softball career the year before.
Her dad played college baseball at Kansas while her brother played baseball for Nebraska-Omaha.
She always ties her right shoe before he left one before every race.
She saved a life this past summer as a lifeguard.
If she didn't have to sleep she would train to become an American Ninja Warrior because she thinks it would be cool to do.
Where Have You Heard of Her Before? She ran for Millard West High School and was a part of state championship team for cross country during her senior season (2017). She finished second (20:58.51) at the Class of the Metro Meet and placed top-20 in all but three meets throughout the 2017 season. In the Nebraska Class A state cross country meet, she ran finished 79th (22:25.1). In November 2017, she competed in the NXR Heartland Regional Championships where she ran a personal-best mark of 19:50.8 and placed 172nd overall.
Most Inspirational Person in Her Running Career?
"My middle school athletic director and math teacher inspired me. He motivates me because he always loves running," Dergan said. "Even on his worst days, he always has a 'get-up-and-go' attitude and I think that is the best kind of mindset to have. He's friends with my high school cross country coach and my mom - so he stayed in-touch and kept tabs on me throughout my high school career, always trying to help me."
Where is She From? Emmick is from Carlisle, Iowa and went to Southeast Warren High School.
A Few Fun Facts About Emmick
Three-time state qualifier in cross country (2015-17) and track and field (2016-18).
She earned all-state in cross country twice (2016, 2017) and named cross country all-conference twice (2014, 2015). On the track, named all-conference four seasons in a row (2015-18).
She eats pancakes before each meet and she must run in the same pair of socks at each meet, but don't worry she washes them every time.
She really "LOVES" cats. She said if she were the last human on earth she would, "build a cat army to give her something to do."
Where Have You Heard of Her Before? She was the first junior-high girl to run cross country when she went out for it in the seventh grade. She also played basketball and a member of a bowling team during her senior year. She holds the school record in the 5k (19:16).
Who's Been the Most Inspirational Person in Her Running Career?
"A lot of people have been inspirational or supportive in my running career," Emmick said. "My parents would help me find opportunities to better my running and could offer the right piece of wisdom at the perfect time. My high school coach was good at helping me set and achieve goals throughout the season. My friends/teammates were always really supportive, so it made it fun to work to be the best I could be."
Where is She From? Friesen is from Cresco, Iowa and she went to Crestwood High School.
A Few Fun Facts About Friesen
She has a twin sister that plays basketball at Upper Iowa, a Division II school in Fayette, Iowa.
Her father played football and ran track at SDSU while her mother played volleyball at SDSU. Her older sister played basketball and ran track at Bethel University, a Division III school in St. Paul, Minn., from 2012-16.
First high school girl to win 20 medals at the Iowa State Cross Country and Track and Field Championships.
Her mom gets her new socks every year to wear for races on meet days - so she can never forget those. She also always writes "God's Got Me" and "1 Corinthians 9:24" on her hand before each race to remind her to keep running.
If she was the only person on the earth she would go crazy because she loves to talk to people.
Where Have You Heard of Her Before? The Des Moines Register named Friesen All-Iowa Girls' Athlete of the Year last season (2017-18). She placed third in the Iowa Class 2A state cross country championships twice (2014, 2017). Friesen placed in the top-10 at the state cross country meet all four year of her high school and had a personal-best mark in the 5k of 18:05.80. During the 2018 track season, she was the track and field state champion in four events (800m, 1,500m, 3,000m, DMR) and had two wins at the Drake Relays (1,500m, 3,000m). In 2017 (junior season), she was runner-up in the state track and field championships in the same four events.
Friesen played basketball all four years of high school and made it to the state tournament in three of them. During her senior year, she won the Iowa Class 3A state championship with an unbeaten record and dished out 18 assists in the championship game, a state record for a championship game. She also had the state record for most assists in a season (246) and most assists in a state tournament (37).
Who Has Been the Most Inspirational Person in Her Running Career?
"I would say that my twin sister, Emily, has been my biggest inspiration so far," Friesen said. "Because she has always supported my running career and believed in me even when I struggled to. She also ran cross country and track with me in high school and even though it wasn't her favorite thing, she still came to practice every day and that always amazed me."
Where Is She From? Tori Glazier is from Custer, South Dakota and went to Custer High School.
A Few Fun Facts About Glazier:
A part of the 2015 South Dakota cross country state team champions in 2015, finishing third in the race individually. The team was runners-up in 2017.
Her brother, Chase Glazier, competed on the track team for SDSU from 2016-2018.
Her father ran on the South Dakota State track and field team from 1984-88 while her mother ran cross country and track for the Jackrabbits from 1985-89. Two of her uncles and her grandfather also competed on the track as Jacks.
Joined the 1,000-point club during her junior season in high school and ended as the all-time leading scorer in Custer High School basketball.
Before a race she has to do a specific routine she must follow: wearing her lucky socks, having a specific hair style, doing certain pre-meet stretches, and having bathroom breaks at certain times. Â
Where Have You Heard of Her Before? She placed top-15 in the three years she competed at the state cross country meet. During the track seasons, Glazier was a five-time state champion in the 800m (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) and two-time state champion in the mile (2013, 2015) - finishing runner-up in the mile another three times (2016, 2017, 2018), the South Dakota Class A MVP in 2015, and holds five school records in the 800m, 1,600m, 4x400m, 4x800m, and the medley relay (holds the Class A state record in the 4x800m relay as the anchor).
During the basketball seasons, she was Custer's all-time leading scorer in basketball - joining the 1,000-point club in 2017 as a junior, was third-team all-state in 2018 and earned all-conference three years in a row (2016, 2017, 2018). Her mother is the cross-country coach at Custer ever since she was born.
Who Has Been the Most Inspirational Person in Her Running Career?
Her past teammates and mom because they encouraged her to push through hard workouts and always keep a positive attitude. "I wouldn't be where I am today without them," Glazier explained.
Where is She From?
Sample is from Marshall, Minn. which is about an hour east of Brookings, S.D. and is home to Southwest Minnesota State. She went to Marshall High School.Â
A Few Fun Facts about Sample
Six-time varsity letterwinner in both cross country and track and field
The cross country team was runner-up in the Minnesota Class AA State Championships in 2015 - the highest team place-finish in school history (Sample - 121st, 20:17.0), while the track and field team won the their 2AA section in 2018 - the first time in school history.
Holds the 4k school record (14:54) and was a five-time state cross country participant. The team was a four-time Minnesota 2AA section champion. Sample was a five-time state track and field participant, and a part of the 4x800m relay team that was a three-time state medalist.
She eats chicken alfredo the night before every race and drinks a cup-and-a-half of coffee the morning of the meet. Before the race, she ties her spikes in the same exact way every time.
She was a part of the high school robotics team for two years.
Where Have You Heard of Her Before? Sample been running ever since she can remember. She grew up going all over the country watching her family compete in various marathons. Both her father and mother competed at Dakota State University with her mother, Marie Parker Sample, being a six-time all-American as a Trojan, an elite marathon runner, and a 2008 Olympic Trials marathon competitor. She ran a personal-best 5k her sophomore year (19:15.1). She ran all six years - from seventh grade to senior year.
Who Has Been the Most Inspirational Person in Her Running Career?
"The most inspirational person in my running career so far has been Jackie Turner, a high school teammate of mine," Sample said. "Despite all of the setbacks and problems that she had to deal with, she still stays strong in her faith and keeps her hope up that she will be able to run without pain in the future. She is the strongest person that I know."
Where is She From? Scheer is from South Haven, Minn. and went to Annandale High School.
A Few Fun Facts About Scheer
Scheer and the cross country team earned a top-three finish every year from 2013-2017, winning the Minnesota State Championship in 2013, finishing runner-up in 2014 and 2015, and placing third in 2016 and 2017.
All her friends went out for cross country in seventh grade and she wanted to show them that she is faster than them so she went out for cross country.
She was a member of the Alpine Ski Team for four years.
She has to have her laces tied a certain way before each race and, unlike most girls, she doesn't like to run with her hair in a braid.
She has an obsession with cheese-it's.
Where Have You Heard of Her Before? In high school, she was awarded all-state nominations in cross country twice (2014, 2015) - being named team MVP, and honored as all-conference from 2013-17. In track, Scheer was a state participant and named all-conference in 2016. She earned academic all-state in both cross country and track and field for four year (2015-18). She ran a personal-best 19:39.2 during her sophomore year of cross country (2015) in the 5k. During her senior season (2017) she competed in the Minnesota Section 5A cross country championships, finishing 11th (20:14.9). In her last meet of high school, she finished 65th (20:18.3) at the Minnesota Class A state cross country championships.
Who Has Been the Most Inspirational Person in Her Running Career?
Scheer said that her high school coach, Scott Massmann, was someone that has inspired her, and helped with her running career so far.
Where is She From? Stadler is from Columbus, Wis. and went to Columbus High School, which is about seven hours away from Brookings, S.D. - the farthest from home among all freshman women cross country student-athletes.
A Few Fun Facts About Emmick
She was a team captain in cross country (2017), wrestling (2016-17, 2017-18) and track and field (2018).
Her dad introduced her to running when she was young (around the age of seven). They would go to the high school track with eight popsicle sticks. Every time they completed a lap her dad would drop a popsicle stick and they would finish all eight laps (two miles).
On her 13th birthday she ran a half marathon (13.1 miles).
She wrestled in high school and received the school's most improved wrestler during her sophomore season (2016-17).
On race day, she likes to dress nice (look good, feel good, run well) before the meets and have the same ponytail for each meet. She also likes to have two Dove dark chocolates and the same breakfast before each competition.
She is a certified scuba diver, obsessed with the color yellow, and loves Chinese food.
Where Have You Heard of Her Before? The track and field team was named Wisconsin's WIAA regional track and field champions in 2014. Stadler and the 4x400m relay team was a second-team all-conference team in 2017 while she was a four-time sectional qualifier from 2014-18. She placed 24th (22:58.7) at the Dodge County Meet. In her last meet of her senior season (2017) at Columbus High School, she placed 59th with a personal-best mark (22:33.1) at the Wisconsin D2 Sectional in Deerfield, Wis.
Who Has Been the Most Inspirational Person in Her Running Career?
"The most inspirational person in my running career is definitely my dad," Stadler said. "He's given me an immense amount of support, which I could never thank him enough for. If it was a famous person, hands down it would be former UW-Madison runner, Suzy Favor Hamilton. I met her at my first 5k, and she signed my running bib. Ever since then, I have always looked up to her."
Where is She From? Van Dyke is from Lawton, Iowa and went to Sioux City East High School.
A Few Fun Facts About Van Dyke
Started running in seventh grade.
Played basketball and ran track all four years while playing softball for three years.
Competed in two events at the Iowa State track and field championships in 2017 and 2018 - placed fourth in the 4x800m relay and third in the 800m during the 2017 season, finished third in the 400m and fifth in the 800m in the 2018 state championships.
Would like to think she would do something cool if she didn't have to sleep, but would probably just watch Netflix.
Where Have You Heard of Her Before?
She placed 13th (21:43.8) at the Sioux City Bishop-Heelan Invite. She finished 14th with a personal-best mark (20:11.6) at the Iowa Class 4A cross country district championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa - qualifying for state competition. At the Iowa Class 4A state cross country championships, she finished 121st (21:55.7).
Who Has Been the Most Inspirational Person in Her Running Career? She's had a lot of great support over the years but says that her high school track coach has been the most inspirational for her thus far.