Jackrabbit cross country teams picked first, second in preseason poll

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SIOUX FALLS – The Summit League released its cross country preseason polls on Monday afternoon as South Dakota State’s men were tabbed as the favorite and the women were picked to finish second.

The men tallied 36 points with six of the seven first-place votes, while the women totaled 41 points – seven behind the favorite, South Dakota – and notched one of the eight first-place votes.

For the ninth time since 2010 – every year except 2016 – the men’s team was chosen as the favorite in the Summit League. In the past eight years, the Jackrabbits have won five championships finished runner-up twice (2014, 2015) and took the bronze once (2011).

Junior Chase Cayo and senior Kyle Burdick are on the league’s athletes to watch list. 

 Chase Cayo, Jr., St. Michael, Minn.

PR: 6K: 19:29.6 (2016). 4-Mile: 20:13.0 (2017). 8K: 24:13.6 (2017). 10k: 30:06.2 (2017).

Cayo took home his first career Summit League Championship win while earning the Championship MVP and first-team All-Summit accolades. He beat his 2016 league championship time by 1:04.8, which placed him ninth on the league’s all-time fastest championship winning time list. The 2017 Summit League Athlete of the Year was a two-time Athlete of the Week and qualified for the NCAA Midwest Regional, finishing 45th overall (30:06.2). It was his personal-best time in a 10K and was fourth-fastest among Jackrabbits in regional competition. During the outdoor track and field season, Cayo was able to trim his 10,000-meter time to 29:38.99, which is fourth all-time at SDSU. 

 Kyle Burdick, Sr., Rapid City

PR: 6K: 19:41.5 (2015). 4-Mile: 19:55.7 (2017). 8K: 24:20.8 (2017). 10K: 29:35.7 (2017).

Burdick finished the year at the NCAA Midwest Regional, where he placed 16th in 29:35.7 to earn NCAA All-Region accolades. The mark ranks as the fastest all-time at the Midwest Regionals for SDSU and fastest in the league on the season. At the league championships, he placed second behind Cayo  with a 24:47.2 clocking, beating his 2016 time by 54 seconds – recording fourth on the all-time fastest league performances for SDSU. The senior was a two-time league Athlete of the Week and added his second first-team all-league honor.

On the women’s side, the Jackrabbits were picked second for the second consecutive year.

SDSU has finished in the top-three at the league championships every year since 2012, including runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2015. The Jackrabbits won the league title in 2008.

Senior Rachel King was nominated as SDSU’s athlete to watch in the league.

 Rachel King, Sr. St. Michael, Minn. 

PR: 4k: 14:19.4 (2015). 5K: 17:50.6 (2016). 6K: 20:28.2 (2017).

King competed in seven events during her junior year of cross country. She earned NCAA All-Region honors for her 10th place finish (20:28.2) at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Her performance was a PR and ranks as the fastest 6K at the regionals among all Jackrabbits all-time. The 2017 Summit League Athlete of the Year was an Athlete of the Week in October and earned Championship MVP for her first-place finish (20:53.54) at the Summit League Championships. King also earned first-team All-League and was third all-time on the Summit League’s fastest winning championship time list. She had the fastest 6K mark (20:28.2) and the sixth-fastest 5K mark (17:51.56) on the league’s 2017 performance list.

On the track, King has posted five individual school-record marks – Indoor: Mile, 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters. Outdoor: 3,000-meter steeplechase, 5,000 meters. She moved to second all-time in the 1,500, and was a part of the distance medley relay that set the school record (11:23.20) at the Drake Relays by 14.8 seconds.

King was the first female Jackrabbit to compete on the track at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honorable mention recognition in the steeplechase with the NCAA’s 14th-best mark.

Up Next

South Dakota State opens the 2018 season at the Bison Open on Friday, Aug. 31, at 5 p.m. in Fargo, N.D.

Register photo: Jackrabbit senior Rachel King, shown here during the SDSU Classic on Sept. 29, 2017, is on the 2018 Summit League cross country athletes to watch list. She is the reigning conference champion.