Seth Ahalt | Discus 13th, 125-10 (Incoming best: 24th, 127-11)   Ashton Massey | 100 hurdles prelim

The homestretch of the 1600-meter run at Howard Wood Field Saturday afternoon featured Jada Koerner at her best — strong, determined and, in the end, successful. Competing at the 2023 State Track & Field Championships in Sioux Falls, the Freeman Academy graduate turned on the burners to pick up several places in the final lap of the race and come away with a 5th-place finish in the mile. Her clocking of 5:24.25 was well in front of her incoming best of 5:38.04, which had her 11th in the field, and was a PR to send her off into the high school prep sports sunset.

It was well known that the Menno High School boys had their eyes fixated on bringing home a team plaque from this week's State Track & Field Championships in Sioux Falls, and that they did. So did the girls. In what may be the strongest overall finish for the track and field program in Menno school history, the boys ended up sixth while the girls finished fifth in the team standings — both finding a coveted place when the team awards were announced following the three-day competition Saturday afternoon. CLASS B BOYS

Ashton Massey did it. Three hours after winning the 100 hurdles and just over an hour after winning the triple jump, the Menno junior emerged as a triple gold medalist by claiming her third individual title at the 2023 SDHSAA State Track & Field Championships — the 300 hurdles. Massey finished 47.19. She was third in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles as a sophomore last year.

The Freeman High School girls had the lead as Zenovia Butler took the baton for the anchor carry in the 4x100, leaving only the fastest runner in the entire women's field — Colman-Egan senior Daniela Lee — to catch her. Which she did. But the Flyers' exhilarating runner-up finish reflects the surge the FHS girls have seen toward the end of the season, as the relay team of Butler, Makenzie Scharberg, Rylee Peters and Kate Miller set five consecutive PRs going into Saturday's final. They went into the state meet third in the Class B field.

In a race that was toe-to-toe the entire way, Menno junior Ashton Massey clipped Freeman eighth grader Rylee Peters to claim the gold medal in the 100 hurdles at the 2023 State Track & Field Championships Saturday morning. Massey edged Peters 15.38 to 15.47 and took advantage of a stumble at the end for Peters, who appeared to have the edge after clearing the final hurdle and finished second. "It was so close the whole way; I definitely thought she was going to get me after the last hurdle," said Massey, who was fourth in the event at state as a sophomore last year.

The Menno boys remain atop the leaderboard in the men’s team standings at the SDHSAA State Track & Field Championships after the second day of competition, but with that total, coupled with what they have left, be enough to get them a team plaque.

Like they did Thursday in the 100 hurdles, Menno junior Ashton Massey and Freeman Public eighth grader Rylee Peters both qualified for Saturday's final in the 300 hurdles with strong runs in the preliminary race Friday afternoon. Massey clocked the top time in the field at 46.8 while Peters was second at 47.58. Massey also takes the best clocking into the 100 hurdles final while Peters goes in third in the field.

Hayden McNinch, a senior from Menno, picked up another point for the Wolves by finishing eighth in the shot put early Friday afternoon, giving the MHS boys 32 points midway through the state meet. McNinch bettered his incoming best by almost 2 feet and recorded a heave of 45-8 1/2. His incoming best was 43-11 1/2.

The final region championship belongs to the Menno High School boys.