MVP's Berkeley Engelland four-peats at 400 and 800 meters to cap decorated career
May 25—SIOUX FALLS — One of South Dakota's all-time best high school runners went out on top at the 2024 South Dakota state track and field championships.
Winning Class A girls titles in both the 400 and 800 meters for the fourth consecutive year, Mount Vernon/Plankinton's Berkeley Engelland climbed to the top of the podium for the 11th and 12th times in her accolade-filled career.
"It's pretty special, and I wouldn't be here without my family, friends, coaches and everyone who surrounds me, so I have them to thank," Engelland said. "It feels amazing, but it's pretty bittersweet."
In Friday's 800-meter finals, Engelland ran from the front wire-to-wire, battling a strong wind of more than 20 miles per hour with gusts nearing 40 miles per hour at Howard Wood Field.
A trio of runners from Sioux Falls Christian drew close enough to Engelland that she could see one out of the corner of her eye with approximately 250 meters to go. But over the final stretch, Engelland steadily widened the gap winning in 2 minutes, 14.84 seconds, ahead of SFC's Corinne Braun (2:16.18), Anna Vyn (2:18.29) and Ellie Maddox (2:19.18).
"I tried to kick it up a little (once she caught a glimpse of Braun)," Engelland said. "The wind was tough, and I was fighting it the whole way. I had to pace myself a little more than usual, but everyone was dealing with the same wind."
Facing more adverse weather in Saturday's 400-meter finals — this time in the form of a spitting rain — Engelland left little doubt, again running from the front en route to an all-class gold medal-winning time of 56.10 seconds. Vyn (57.12) was the lone competitor within 4 seconds of Engelland, as the pair went 1-2 in the event for the third-straight year.
"The weather wasn't great — not horrible, but not great — so I wasn't worried about times," Engelland said. "I was just focused on doing whatever I could to come in first and leave it all on the track."
Engelland, who notched a sprinting and mid-distance quadruple by winning the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters at the 2023 state championships, also earned the opportunity to defend her titles in the shorter sprints. Engelland finished as the 200-meter runner-up (25.79) and took fourth at 100 meters (12.44). Her efforts earned 33 total points for the MVP girls team, which finished in fifth place overall in Class A with 52.5 points.
Though the fierce competitor in Engelland would have liked to win all four of her races once again, she arrived at Howard Wood Field on Saturday determined to enjoy the final fleeting moments of her prep career in South Dakota.
"I was pretty stressed out (on Friday)," Engelland said, "but today I came to the track and decided this is my last one for high school, I'm going to soak in every moment."
According to the University of South Dakota-bound track star, her lasting memories of the state championships will be the people — from her fellow athletes to the thousands of fans who have cheered on her numerous title pursuits.
"It's bittersweet, it really is," Engelland said. "Knowing I have a college future ahead of me is something I look forward to, but to leave this place, it's sad. It's treated me pretty well, but I guess it's time."
