Taking stock of Mitchell-area track and field athletes aiming to repeat as state champions

May 21—SIOUX FALLS — An eventful 2024 South Dakota high school track and field culminates this week with three days of championship events at Howard Wood Field.

Last year, the Mitchell area boasted more than a dozen individual title winners, with several looking to re-stake their claims to the throne this weekend.

Here's a look at all the area athletes looking to defend an individual state title from 2023 and where they stand heading into the 2024 state championships.

Looking to reclaim the top spot in Class B girls shot put, the junior heads to Sioux Falls with the No. 9 overall mark across all classes this spring at 39 feet, 11.5 inches, from the Dakota Relays on May 3. That distance is second within Class B to Wessington Springs' Avery Orth, the fourth-place finisher from 2023 who reached 40 feet, 8 inches, on May 10. Bietz's personal best was a mark of 40 feet, 7.5 inches from 2023.

Going for a Class A boys high jump three-peat, the senior carries the No. 1 ranking in the class into the state championships. Boschee is also tied for the top spot in the state overall as one of five jumpers to go over at 6 feet, 7 inches, this season, doing so on May 13. He's one of four Class A jumpers to clear 6-5 or higher in 2024, joined by Lennox's Tate Gerdes, who was the 2023 bronze medalist, in addition to Bennett County's Rush O'Neill and Custer's Carter Tennyson. Boschee has eclipsed 6 feet, 5 inches, or better on five different occasions since April 30, with the three nearest challengers combining for four such clearances all season.

A junior who won the Class B girls discus title last year with a throw of 123 feet, 2 inches, owns the No. 1 mark across all classes this spring at 142 feet, 2 inches, recorded on May 7. Among Class B throwers, Bull's longest throw is 13 feet further than the next closest competitor, Iroquois/Lake Preston's Hadlee Holt, who finished fourth in the event in 2023. The Avon pair of Kaeli Wallinga and Lila Vanderlei are both ranked in the top five within Class B, and Scotland's Trinity Bietz, who was runner-up to Bull last season, is lurking at No. 7.

As a junior last season, Engelland produced one of the most storied performances in state history with a Class A quadruple, sweeping the Class A girls 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters to run her career total to 10 titles. In pursuit of a four-peat in the 400 and 800 meters, Engelland is ranked No. 1 overall in the state in both events. Her season-best mark in the 400 meters is 2.46 seconds faster than second place, and she's nearly 4 seconds faster in the 800 meters. Within Class A, Engelland ranks third at 200 meters and sixth at 100 meters, while Bennett County's Reagan O'Neill is No. 1 at both distances.

Already a three-time defending Class A high jump champion, the sophomore is in pursuit of a four-peat. This spring, Koupal ranks No. 2 across all classes and No. 1 in Class A, having cleared 5 feet, 7 inches at the Dakota Relays on May 3, a height she reached in 2022 but not last year en route to her third title. Three other Class A jumpers have gone over at 5 feet, 5 inches, including Mount Vernon/Plankinton's Makenzie Hetland, the sixth-place finisher in 2023, alongside the Madison pair of Audrey Nelson, who took third in 2023, and Lydia Nelson.

Last season, Laprath put forward one of the surprise efforts of the state track championships, smashing a personal best by more than 11 seconds to win the Class B boys 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes, 35.42 seconds. But the senior isn't sneaking up on anyone this time around with the No. 3 time in the class this spring at 4 minutes, 37.65 seconds. Laprath's time trails another pair of area standouts, Mitchell Christian's Silas Holdeman (4:29.95), the defending Class B cross country champion, and Freeman Academy/Marion's Finley McConniel (4:34.87).

Another senior multi-event defending champion, Massey is the reigning title holder in the Class B girls 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles and triple jump. In the 300 hurdles, her best event, Massey ranks No. 3 overall in South Dakota and No. 1 in Class B with a time of 45.06 seconds, 1.49 seconds faster than second in the class. She's also tops in the class (No. 5 across all classes) in the triple jump at 37 feet, more than 2 feet clear of second place. In the 100 hurdles, Massey is No. 8 in the state but No. 2 in Class B, 0.11 seconds behind Burke's Piper Hanson, the 2023 bronze medalist.

With consecutive top-two finishes, including a state title effort last year, to his credit in the Class B boys high jump, the senior is back for more. This spring, Mitchell is tied atop the all-class leaderboards as one of five athletes to clear 6 feet, 7 inches, which matched a personal best on April 30. In Class B, Mitchell is alone at the top and is one of just three jumpers to clear at least 6 feet, 4 inches, joined by Colman-Egan's Jack Mousel, the runner-up to Mitchell in 2023, and Burke's Iker Diaz Montilla.

A stacked field stands between the junior and another Class A girls 100-meter hurdles title. Rus, who ranks fourth overall in Class A this season with a best time of 15.34 seconds, is joined by Sioux Valley's Adison Renkly, the 2023 runner-up, and fellow finalists in Tri-Valley's Emry Jones, Custer's Jayda Bennett and Elk Point Jefferson's Lauren McDermott in the group chasing a new trio at the top. Dakota Valley's Silja Gunderson, the 2022 champion who was injured in 2023 and did not compete in the hurdling events, owns the No. 1 time in the state at 14.80 seconds, followed by the Bennett County duo of Peyson O'Neill (14.88) and Reagan O'Neill (15.01).

Aiming for a three-peat in the Class B girls long jump, the senior again owns the top ranking in the class. Overall, Sees is No. 10 with a best leap of 17 feet, 5 inches, posted on May 7. There are four Class B jumpers who have eclipsed 17 feet this season, with Sees joined by Aberdeen Christian's Shawnteah La Croix, Wall's Nora Dinger and Centerville's Emma Marshall, who finished as the runner-up to Sees last season.