Jackrabbits inch closer to head coach’s school records
BROOKINGS – In the spring of 1986 and 1987, then South Dakota State University Track and Field student-athlete Rod DeHaven set school records in the 800 and 1500. Those marks - 1:48.67 for the 800 and 3:40.15 - have yet to be topped by any other student-athlete in the long history of SDSU Track and Field.
DeHaven is now the director of track and field for SDSU and his school records from the late ‘80s still stand today. Over this past weekend, he had two student-athletes inch ever closer to breaking the longstanding records.
In the 800 meters, sophomore Riley Bauer, from Bancroft, Iowa, ran 1:49.02 to finish 10th overall in his event at the Mt. SAC Relays. His time puts him second in school history and less than a half second off DeHaven’s record.
“Riley had two great days of racing,” DeHaven said. “He beat some big time athletes in an environment that is very similar to the regional meet.”
Bauer ran 1:50.18 in the 800 on Thursday before coming back to run a full second faster Friday evening. Bauer’s 1:49 800 came in the 4th heat at Mt. SAC, where he finished second and beat student-athletes from Arkansas, Iowa, and Iowa St.
“Riley’s shown incredible focus in the second semester of school and is starting to realize the talent that he has,” DeHaven added.
Interestingly enough, DeHaven’s and Bauer’s 800s happened at tracks only 20 miles apart in the Los Angeles area. DeHaven’s 1986 800 came at Cal State Los Angeles’ Jesse Owens track while Bauer’s 800 came at the newly renovated Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the campus of Mt. San Antonio College.
In the 1500 meters, sophomore Daniel Burkhalter from Prairie City, South Dakota ran 3:42.44 to finish third in the 10th heat of the invitational section at the Bryan Clay Invite. Burkhalter’s time puts him in a tie for the second fastest time in school history (Brad Lowery ran 3:42.44 in 2004). He is now less than three seconds away from DeHaven’s 1500 meter record.
To put Burkhalter’s 1500 time in perspective, if converted to a full mile, Burkhalter would have run 4:00.24, ever so close to the elusive “sub four minute mile.”
“Big stuff for Daniel,” DeHaven said. “You know, a young man who struggled a lot his first two years at the university in terms of injuries but has really been able to turn it on here in the last year in particular.”
The top 48 times in each region (East and West) qualify for the regional meet. Bauer’s time currently has him sitting at 28th place in the West region while Burkhalter’s time has him at 38th in the region. Bauer’s and Burkhalter’s marks also both top the Summit League performance lists so far this outdoor season.
“It’s hopefully a direct reflection of the level of our program right now to have student-athletes competing at such a high level,” DeHaven said. “It helps a lot having that regional meet to shoot for, it gives guys (and girls) times that they can chase.”
Both Bauer and Burkhalter will each have a few more chances to the break DeHaven’s records this outdoor season. Their best opportunity will hopefully come at the NCAA West Regional, hosted by the University of Arkansas May 25-28. If qualified, they will have a chance to advance to the NCAA Track and Field Championships with a Top 12 finish.