Drue AmanSports Editor

Sioux Falls looks more and more like SDSU’s second home.

An announcement was made Jan. 26 that the 2011 Summit League track & field and baseball conference tournaments will be hosted in Sioux Falls after a variety of reasons made Brookings an incompatible choice as hostess.

The conference track meet will take place May 12-14 at the Sanford Health Sports Complex, where the University of Sioux Falls’ football and track teams play their home events.

Sioux Falls Stadium is slated to the host the conference baseball tournament two weeks later on May 26-28. Four teams will compete over three days, with the champion moving on to regionals of the NCAA Tournament.

“To have Sioux Falls as an option is a fantastic opportunity for us,” said SDSU senior associate athletic director Rob Peterson. “The city of Sioux Falls and the Sioux Falls Sports Authority have been very supportive of the basketball tournament the last couple of years and we think we’ll see that same support from the city.”

The decision-making did not come with a narrow list of criteria. For the track championships, adequate availability for hotel rooms was lacking since the Brookings Marathon – a 40-year-old event – is scheduled for the final day of the conference meet and usually includes several hundred competitors. Scheduling the event for that weekend would have possibly created some controversy with the marathon coordinators, according to track coach Rod DeHaven.

SDSU’s next preferred option was Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, but a lack of a proper surface for the javelin event at the track eliminated the facility from contention. USF’s 3-year-old facility had the proper artificial surface and was considered quality enough for a host site, according to Peterson.

While the track & field conference meet location is decided on a rotating basis, the Summit League baseball conference tournament is decided on previous year’s regular season champion. This marks the first baseball conference tournament at home for SDSU, and the first time the event will take place off-campus at Sioux Falls Stadium, home of the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants.

“I hope they do a really good job of promoting and we can have a good turnout,” said SDSU head baseball coach Ritchie Price. “It’s an opportunity for our guys who have been through a lot, it’s kind of the culmination of their careers and we hope fans come out and support.”

Erv Huether Field fell short as a palatable host site due to basic fan amenities like permanent bleachers, a press box, and bathrooms according to Price. He noted that attempts to raise money and completing those renovations are still ongoing. The venue’s playing surface is considered one of the best in the conference, according to Peterson, and had nothing to do with moving the tournament to Sioux Falls.

The completion of the baseball tournament will mark the third SDSU conference event taking place in Sioux Falls in a span of ten weeks, with the men’s and women’s basketball tournament taking place Mar. 5-8.

“We’ve got a good relationship with the Summit League and with South Dakota State University,” said Sioux Falls Sports Authority executive director Mike Sullivan. “We think this goes a long way to improving our relationship and we think these are two great events.”

The completion of the baseball tournament will mark the third SDSU conference event taking place in Sioux Falls in a span of ten weeks, with the men’s and women’s basketball tournament taking place March 5 – 8.