The Wayne State College men's outdoor track and field team was picked eighth out of 11 teams in the 2024 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll announced Thursday afternoon by the league office in Burnsville, Minnesota.  Senior high jumper Dylan Kneifl and sophomore hurdler Keaton Wattier were listed as Wildcats to Watch this season. 
            11-time defending NSIC champion Minnesota State was voted as the team to beat again this year, collecting nine first-place votes and 99 points followed by Augustana in second-place at 88 points and one first-place vote.  Northern State was third with 75 points, just ahead of fourth-place MSU Moorhead at 73 points and the remaining first-place ballot. 
            Minnesota Duluth was fifth at 63 points followed by UMary (58) and Concordia-St. Paul with 50 points.  Wayne State was eighth at 38 points with Sioux Falls (30), Minot State (19) and Southwest Minnesota State (12) closing out the poll.
            Kneifl, a senior jumper from Pilger (Wisner-Pilger HS), is the defending NSIC champion in the high jump and was an NCAA outdoor national qualifier last year in the event finishing in a tie for 11^th at nationals.  Last season he set a new WSC outdoor school record clearing 7' ¼".  During this year's indoor season, Kneifl earned All-NSIC honors taking second in the high jump at 6' 9 ½".
            Wattier, a sophomore hurdler from O'Neill (O'Neil HS), earned All-NSIC honors last season as a freshman in the 110-meter high hurdles placing third in 14.75 seconds.  He is coming off a strong indoor season where he set a new WSC school record in the 60-meter hurdles placing fifth at the NSIC Indoor Championships in 8.08 seconds.
            Wayne State is scheduled to open the 2024 outdoor track and field schedule on Thursday and Friday, March 28 and 29^th hosting the Wildcat Classic at LeRoy Simpson Track in Wayne.