STATE TRACK: LOCAL ATHLETES LOOK TO FINISH STRONG
Top athletes from Freeman Academy/Marion, Freeman Public and Menno will take center stage when the SDHSAA State Track and Field Championships conclude on Saturday.
Local athletes will be competing in two field events when action begins at 9:30 a.m. (more on that later), but the real drama will take place on the track itself starting at 10 a.m.
Here’s what to watch for.
FAM boys
As expected, the FA/Marion boys are in the hunt for a strong team finish and stand a chance at the Class B championship thanks to a good first two days.
The Bearcats were tied with Gregory for second in the Class B standings with 28 points following the action on Friday — and not far behind leader Philip, which had 31.5 points, but has limited opportunities to add on to that on Saturday.
Keep in mind that much of the scoring at a state track meet happens on the last day — because all events are final — but the good news for FAM is that the boys are in a strong position to add to their total.
The Bearcats will have five chances to score additional points, and based on incoming times, they might come in larger chunks. (Points are distributed like this: 10 for 1st, 8 for 2nd, 6 for 3rd, 5 for 4th, 4 for 5th, 3 for 6th, 2 for 7th and 1 for 8th.)
Keaton Preheim will run the 100 and 200 and goes in the finals tied for second and fourth, respectively. The 100 is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. and the 200 is set for 2:05 p.m.
Finley McConniel and Tavin Schroeder will run the 1600 and go in second and eighth, respectively. That race is scheduled for 11:45 a.m.
And the 4×200 relay team of Dominic Sperling, Liam Ortman, Karter Weber and Preheim goes into the final fifth in the field. That race is set for 11:10 a.m.
The biggest threat to the Bearcats’ shot at the team title is Ipswich, which was sitting tied for seventh in the team standings after the second day with 20 points. The Tigers will be represented on Saturday in the 100, 200, 400 (twice), 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400, and bring a top clocking into both the 4×100 and the 400.
FHS relays
Freeman High School will hear its name called numerous times on the track on Saturday as the Flyer boys and girls each qualified the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relays for the finals — and based on incoming times, should do very well. Here’s a closer look, in order of when they run.
Girls 4×200: The team of Zenovia Butler, Peyton McCune, Vaida Ammann and Makenzie Scharberg goes into the race third in the field with a 1:49.47; Burke and Colman-Egan have top times of 1:46.48 and 1:48.51. Race time is 10:55 a.m.
Boys 4×200: The team of Luke Peters, Tate Sorensen, Chris Aasen and Rocky Amman goes into the race with a clocking of 1:32.43 — the best in the field. Race time is 11:10 a.m.
Girls 4×100: The school record-holding team of Butler, Peters, Ammann and Scharberg goes into the race fourth with a time of 51.75. Herreid/Selby Area has the top time at 51.09, Colman-Egan is second at 51.33 and Arlington is third at 51.52. Race time is 12:10 p.m.
Boys 4×100: The team of Peters, Sorensen, Aasen, Ammann goes into the race second with a time of 44.66. Only Ipswich is better with a 44.10. Race time: 12:30 p.m.
Girls 4×400: The team of Cadence Hofer, Peters, Ammann and Butler goes into the race fourth in the field with a 4:15.59. Potter County is first (4:13.99), Centerville is second (4:14.43) and Colman-Egan is third (4:15.10). Race time is 2:25 p.m.
Boys 4×400: Finally, the team of Ammann, Peters, Aasen and Sorensen goes into the race fifth in the field with a 3:37.64 clocking. Gregory is first (3:34.09), Wall is second (3:36.67), Timber Lake is third (3:36.89) and Deubrook Area is fourth (3:34.47). Race time is 2:40 p.m. — the last event of the day.
The hurdles
The final races of this year’s state meet include two that have been circled in red since the end of the 2023 season — the girls 100- and 300-meter hurdles in which Menno’s Ashton Massey and Freeman Public’s Rylee Peters went 1-2 in both.
The graduate and sophomore-to-be will be on the track again on Saturday adding more hardware to their collection.
Massey takes top times into the finals, although the 100 hurdles are crowded.
Massey posted a 15.17 in Thursday’s prelim, which is better than Burke senior Piper Hanson’s 15.61, but Hanson had the best time going into the state meet. Peters, meanwhile, is sitting third at 15.72. Race time: 10 a.m.
The 300 hurdles are a little more cut and dried.
Massey, who won the all-class race at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays earlier this year, is the favorite to win. Her time of 46.27 posted in the prelim on Thursday is well in front of Sully Buttes’ Olivia Olson’s 46.50 and Hanson’s 46.62 — the only three to break 47.0. Peters, meanwhile — the new Freeman Public record-holder in the 300 hurdles — goes into the race sixth with a time of 48.59.
Race time: 1:05 p.m.
Other events on Saturday
Local athletes will also compete in other events as this year’s state track meet comes to a close.
Menno junior Ellyana Ulmer will compete in the 1600 and goes into the race sixth in the field. Race time is 11:25 a.m.;
Menno sophomore Izayah Ulmer and Freeman Public eighth grader Lane McCune will run in the 1600; Ulmer goes in 13th and McCune is 18th. Race time is 11:45 a.m.;
Menno junior Bryce Sattler will compete in the 400; he goes in fifth in the field with a 53.01. Race time is 12:50 p.m.;
Hofer and Scharberg will both represent Freeman Public in the long jump, with Hofer going in 23rd and Scharberg going in 12th. Event time is 9:30 a.m.;
And Hunter Yosten, a sophomore from Menno, will take part in the javelin, entering the Class B field 15th. Event time is 9:30 a.m.
