FARGO, N.D. — The South Dakota State men's track team competed for the first time in 2015 at the NDSU Invite Saturday afternoon at the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track & Field Facility.
Jeremiah Ary was the lone Jackrabbit to win an event, placing first in the triple jump with a distance of 47-1.75. He also claimed fourth in the long jump with a mark of 22-2.25.
Austin Johnsen took home a second-place finish in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:22.38. With that performance, he shaved .23 of a second off his career-best time and moved up a spot to seventh in school history.
In the weight throw, Cullen Mack and Austin Benson each moved up in South Dakota State's all-time rankings. Mack climbed to third from fifth with a distance of 56-6. Benson cleared 50-0 for the first time in his collegiate career, posting a mark of 53-4.25 to vault to seventh from 10th. Each placed in the top 10 at the NDSU invite, finishing fifth and ninth respectively.
Multiple Jackrabbits claimed second-place finishes: Ayub Kassim (800 meters, 1:57.93), Brendan Sage (mile, 4:19.25), Nathaniel Schaefer (pole vault, 15-1) and Brett Nichols (triple jump, 45-4.25). Sage lost to North Dakota State's Brendan Skime in a photo finish by .01 of a second.
The South Dakota State 'A' 4x400 relay team of Sam Johnson, Johnsen, Adam Halverson and Marc Husman also scored a second-place finish with a time of 3:20.57.
The Jackrabbits return home to Brookings to host the Jim Emmerich/Alumni Invitational Saturday, Jan.24 at 12 p.m.
