VERMILLION, SD (GoYotes.com) – University of South Dakota director of track and field Lucky Huber is pleased to announce the addition of four student-athletes for the 2023 season, including one from Milbank, SD. Bennett Schwenn, Townsend Barton, Annika Gordon, and Lillian McNaughton have all signed on for USD T&F.
An in-state standout from Milbank, Bennett Schwenn is a three-time state champion for Milbank High School. He swept the triple and long jumps at the 2021 South Dakota Class A State Track and Field Championships his junior year, in addition to his triple jump crown as a freshman in 2019. He garnered five state medals heading into his senior season. Schwenn was the 2021 South Dakota Class A Field Event MVP as he led the Bulldogs to a runner-up team finish. He owns personal bests of 46-3 ½ in the triple jump and 22-7 ¾ in the long jump. Schwenn is also a member of the National Honor Society and played both football and basketball for the Bulldogs. An honor roll student in high school, Schwenn plans to major in finance at South Dakota.
A multi-sport athlete at Carterville High School in Illinois, Townsend Barton was a two-time all-state honoree in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles during his junior season. He owns Carterville’s 300 hurdles school record with a time of 38.54. Barton earned All-America status with a third-place finish in the decathlon at the 2021 Junior Olympics. He added a 10th-place finish in the decathlon at the club outdoor national meet this summer. Off the track, he garnered all-River to River Conference honors in football as a junior and is a member of the Lions basketball team. Barton plans to major in health sciences at USD.
Hailing from nearby Yankton, Annika Gordon anchored the Gazelles state championship 4×400-meter relay. She also placed fourth in the open 400 meters and ran on the runner-up 4×800-meter relay at the South Dakota State Track and Field Championships. She owns a personal best of 58.5 seconds for 400 meters. Gordon also garnered all-Eastern South Dakota Conference honors at centerfield for the Gazelles softball team. She led the squad to a third-place finish at the state tournament. A member of the National Honor Society, she plans to major in communication science disorders.
A native of Le Mars, IA, Lillian McNaughton qualified for the Iowa State Track and Field Championships as both a freshman and junior in the long jump, hurdles and relays. Her sophomore season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. McNaughton won the long jump at districts twice, captured the Missouri River Athletic Conference title in the 100 hurdles as a junior and finished runner-up in the MRAC long jump twice. She also ran cross country and played basketball for the Bulldogs. An honor roll student and member of the National Honor Society, McNaughton plans to major in health sciences at South Dakota.
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