Twenty-six high school event records set in the two-day meet at Howard Wood Field

A record-setting 98th Howard Wood Dakota Relays came to a close Saturday with more than 30 new meet records, 26 of them in high school events.

It was the most records ever set in one Howard Wood Dakota Relays, which was first held in 1923.

"Twenty-some records! At some point aren't records unbreakable?" asked Watertown head coach Chad Rohde. "Track and field in this Midwest region is unbelievable."

Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens, Gracelyn Leiseth of Hamlin, Kelsie Belquist of New Rockford-Sheyenne (N.D.) each set meet records for the second-straight day on Saturday, as did relay teams from Sioux Falls Christian, Colman-Egan and Bismarck (N.D.) Legacy.

Birnbaum won the boys' 1,600-meter run in a new meet record time of 4:04.05, Leiseth broke the meet record in winning the girls' discus (171-3) and Belquist broke meet records in both the girls' 100 (14.26) and 300 (42.87) hurdles on Saturday. She set the 100 hurdles record in Friday's prelims at 14.4.

"The weather certainly had the kids hungry for success," said Rohde. "We haven't seen weather like this all year. The meet following a rolling schedule on Saturday because a potential storm was apparently brewing. That storm was called track and field."

Complete results of the meet can be found at www.dakotatiming.com.

Saturday's Other Record Setters

Other individual records were set by Custer's Ciara Stiefel (girls' pole vault, 12-7); and Hayden Bills of Rosemount, Minn. (boys' discus, 198-11).

Colman-Egan's girls sent the Class B sprint medley record in 4:10.01 with runners Daniele Lee, Lanie and Josie Mousel and Reese Luze. Sioux Falls Christian's girls set the Class A 400 relay record in 49.66. Runners included Brenna Beyke, Emma Buys, Ashlee VanDriesen and Mya VanDonge. Colman-Egan and Christian's girls each set three meet records in relays over the two days.

Mount Vernon-Plankinton established a new meet record in the Class A medley relay with Madalynn Lorang, Jaylin Johnson, Reagan Rus and Berkeley Engelland running 4:10.97.

Bismarck Legacy's boys also set three meet records in relays, with two of those coming on Saturday. Talen McFarland, Dylan McGlothlin, Reece Snow and Nathan Mathern won the Class AA boys' 400 in 41.5 seconds and Snow, McFarland, Cayden Kraft and McGlothlin ran 3:18.95 in the Class AA boys' 1,600.

Jahaeim Reuer, Johnny Skyberg, Noah Schroder and Isaac Davelaar of Sioux Falls Christian set a record in the Class A boys' medley (3:30.4). Christian's boys also set two other meet records in relays on Friday.

The other new high school meet record came in the boys' unified 400 relay. Hamlin's Tate McGaw, Kaden St.Pierre, Freddy Vizcaya and Isaac Sheehan won in 1:05.67.

Saturday's Other Event Winners

Other girls event winners on Saturday included Engelland (400 dash), Nyariek Kur of Sioux Falls Washington (triple jump), Elise Wisnewski of Central Cass (100 dash), Brionna Holso of Rapid City Stevens (1,600 run).

Brandon Valley's girls won the Class AA medley and 1,600 relays. Colman-Egan the Class B 400, Fargo Davies the Class AA 400, Deubrook Area the Class B 1,600 and Providence Academy (Minn.) the Class A 1,600.

Other boys event winners were Abagotte Opiew of Worthington, Minn. (triple jump), Josaiah Adams of Sioux Falls Christian (300 hurdles), Blake Boyster of Custer (400 dash), Owen Spartz of Watertown (pole vault), Aidan Hedderman of Sturgis (110 hurdles) and Jeran McNichols of Bismarck (100 dash).

Sioux Falls Christian won the Class A 400 and 1,600 relays. Gregory won the Class B 400. Wolsey-Wessington (Class B) and Yankton (Class AA) won sprint medley relays and Deubrook Area the Class B 1,600.

Friday

Birnbaum, Leiseth and North Dakotan Bariborve "Cece" Deebom of Fargo Davies have already garnered national attention and took center stage in the meet on Friday.

Birnbaum, a University of Oregon recruit, won the boys' special 800-meter run in a meet record time. Leiseth, a University of Florida recruit, set a new meet record in winning the girls' shot put; and Deebom, a University of Nebraska recruit, won the girls' special 200-meter dash.

The stars come out on opening day

Birnbaum is one of the most talented distance runners in the country and also in South Dakota history, holding state record in the boys' 800, 1,600 and 3,200 runs.

He topped a talented field to win the 800 special, leading from start to finish and crossing the finish line in a meet-record time of 1:50.37. Gabe Nash of Sioux City North, another Nebraska recruit, was second in 1:52.51 and Isaac Davelaar of Sioux Falls Christian third in 1:53.96.

Deebom holds North Dakota state records in the 100 dash and 100 hurdles won the girls' special 200 in a time of 24.39 seconds. She was followed across the line by Class B North Dakota standouts Wisnewski (24.62) and Belquist (24.83). Belquist opened the day by setting a new meet record (14.4) in the 100-meter hurdles.

Leiseth opened her day by the winning the girls' discus in the Sioux Falls O'Gorman Invite and concluded it with a meet-record toss of 52-0.5 to win the girls' shot put Friday evening at Howard Wood. She is South Dakota's all-time leader in the girls' shot put and discus.

A good day for relay runners

The remaining 10 meet records that were set on Friday came from relay teams, including four from Sioux Falls Christian (two boys, two girls) and two from Colman-Egan's girls. Two of Sioux Falls Christian's records came in a new event, the distance medley relay.

Christian's boys set new records in the Class A 800 (1:28.1) and 3,200 (7:56.9). Reuer, Schroder, Carter VanDonge and Adams ran in the 800 and Alex Oberloh, Connor Pruis, Davis Buck and Davelaar in the 3,200.

Christian's girls set new marks in the Class A 3,200 in 9:20.53 (Corinne Braun, Natalie Smith, Ellie Maddox and Anna Vyn) and the DMR in 12:28.44 (Maddox, Halle Baun, Vyn and C. Braun).

Colman-Egan set Class B records in the 3,200 (9:49.42) and 800 (1:47.32) relays. Brynlee Landis joined Presley, Finley and Reese Luze on the 3,200. R. Luze also ran the 800 along with Lanie and Josie Mousel and Elaina Rohde).

West Central's girls won the Class A 800 relay in a meet-record time of 1:43.86 with runners Emma and Rayna Goehring, Sadie Berg and Molli Thornton. Sioux Falls Lincoln's boys won the DMR in 11:04.83 with runners Sam Ericsson, Isaac Jarovski, Colin Peck and Chase Henderson.

Farland, McGlothlin, Snow and Mathern of Bismarck Legacy broke the meet record in the Class AA boys' 800 relay (1:26.05). Sioux Falls Jefferson's Taryn Hyronimus, Chloe Hansen, Griffin Wilde and Jensen Hyronimus teamed to win the coed 1,600 relay in a meet record time of 3:39.27.

Friday's other event winners

Open field events winners in the girls division also included Audrey Nelson of Madison (high jump), Ella Weippert of Red River High School in Grand Forks (javelin) and Kur (long jump). Ali Bainbridge of Sioux Falls Lincoln took the 3,200 run. Brandon Valley won the Class AA 3,200 relay and Rapid City Stevens the Class AA 800 relay.

Bills (shot put), Anthony Brown of Minot (long jump), Jace Mousel of Colman-Egan (high jump), Carson Barnett of Harrisburg (javelin) and Sawyer Clarkson of Belle Fourche (3,200 run) also won individual boys events. Barnett established a new state record with a toss of 183-6.

Deubrook Area (Class B) and Bismarck (Class AA) won 3,200 relays and Gregory the Class B 800.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Weekend highlights from 98th Howard Wood Dakota Relays track meet