Brandon Priebe Honored Again

 Here is what the Summit League had to say about Brandon:

Brandon Priebe, Track & FieldEligibility Year/Hometown: Sr./Chamberlain S.D.
Major: Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy
GPA: 3.46

Brandon Priebe has battled back from injuries to become one of the top hurdlers in The Summit League. At the 2011 Summit League Outdoor Championships, Priebe placed third in the 400-meter hurdles (54.45) and also qualified for the finals in the 110-meter hurdles. Last month at the 2012 Summit League Indoor Championships, Priebe finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles (8.38) and ran the second leg for the Jackrabbits' runner-up 4x400-meter relay team. Priebe has been honored on The Summit League All-Academic Team and the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence and has taken on a leadership position in South Dakota State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Here is what I have to say:

To say that Brandon Priebe battled back from injuries is an understatement.   It took him a full year, first of rest and recovery and then of a gradual building of his atrophied leg then re-learning how to run and finally hurdling.  Doctors were uncertain whether he would be able to run again and told him that he would not be able to hurdle again.  Exactly one year after his injury, Priebe was back on the track.  He ran the 400 meters.  For the average bystander, it was insignificant, even slow but for his teammates and friends it was as good a school record.  Shortly after returning to running, Brandon returned to hurdling with the 400 meter hurdles.  Again, it wasn't a spectacular time but the fact that he had defied the odds in such short time was a miracle.  Many would have given up the sport but Brandon stuck with it and it paid off.

Off the track, Brandon is very active in SAAC events and is probably the best leader on the SDSU track team.  He will be missed next season. 

Summit League Scholar Article

Jacks Gain Momentum Towards Conference

The Jacks competed well at the Nebraska Tune-Up and USD's John Dalton Invitational.  Here are some highlights:

1. Gina Fritz runs her first open 400 in 58.12.  Teammate, Jessica McDonald was right behind in her second best time of 58.22.  The Jacks look to have a strong 4x4 for the Summit Leagues.  Fritz also came back strong in the 200m with a time of 25.66, her 2nd best of the season.

2. Krista Creager ran an all-time PR in the 800 with a 2:16.06 clocking.  She moves into 12th in the Summit League.

3. Tera Potts broke 5 minutes for the first time and did it in style with a 4:56!  Volunteer assistant coach and SDSU alum, Dani Burke, ran a PR of 4:54.  Also in the Mile was Brooke Peterson, she ran a PR and came back strong to place 3rd in the 1000m.

4. The Women's 3k saw 3 for 3 on PRs as Danielle McCann, Leah Bolon and Alex Suhr all ran well.

5. Katie Boote and Josie Oakland both ran under the 19 minute barrier for the first time with big PRs.

6. Jared Foote nearly broke the school record in the 600m run with a clocking of 1:21.10. Everett Gebhart holds the record at 1:21.07.

7. Dom Thielen continues to improve his 800m time.  After running 1:52.30 last weekend he runs 1:52.23 this weekend.  Along with Jake Schneller, who took the weekend off, the Jacks should score big points in the 800m at Summit League.

8. The Men's 3k saw Greg Beesley win his heat with a strong finish.  Andrew Thies also ran well with a 9:05 clocking.  Andrew also PR'd in the Mile earlier in the day.  He shows promise for the next couple years.

9. Jared Vlastuin won the High Jump at USD.  He looks to be the biggest point scorer for the Jacks.

10. Calvin Cammack sets a season best and indoor PR in the Pole Vault with a vault of 15'11".  Calvin ranks 6th in the conference.  Freshman Cody Fossum keeps improving in the vault as well with a 13'11" vault.

11. The throwers are ready for conference!  After a big opener at Mankato in December the throwers had cooled off but coach Tyg Long has them ready when it counts.  Brooke Garner looks to bring home a few titles and don't forget about Jake Brinkmann who has a Weight Throw title under his belt from two years ago.

2012 Nebraska Tune-Up

The Jackrabbit Track teams will compete at the Nebraska Tune-Up and the USD John Dalton Invitational this Friday, February 16th.  This will be the final push heading into the Summit League Conference meet held next weekend in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, hosted by IPFW.  This meet is crucial as a momentum and confidence booster as well as a chance to finalize conference rosters and obtain faster marks for the conference meet.

Jackrabbits to compete at Nebraska:
5000- Katie Boote, Josie Oakland, Laura Bauer
Mile- Brooke Peterson, Molly Kopfmann, Laura Lawton, Tera Potts, Andrew Thies, Drew Kraft, Lars Mattison, Greg Vollmer
400- Gina Fritz, Jessica McDonald
600- Jared Foote
800- Bobbie McLaury, Molly Kopfmann, Erica Meyer, Krista Creager, Lars Mattison, Dom Thielen
1000- Brooke Peterson, Laura Lawton, Drew Kraft
200- Jessica McDonald, Gina Fritz, Jared Foote
3000- Danielle McCann, Alex Suhr, Leah Bolon, Greg Beesley, Andrew Thies, Kyle Schmidt, Brian Brochman
4x4- Women's Team

Nebraska Schedule

Heat Sheets

USD Schedule