Record breaking performances at Howard Wood
- Tea Weekly Staff
- May 8
- 3 min read
On Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 several Tea Area High School athletes competed in the 100th edition of the Howard Wood Dakota Relays. The Titan athletes turned in strong performances, earning several top-10 finishes and recording multiple personal bests.
Matthew Rogers stood out in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing 10th in prelims with a time of 15.16 seconds, which qualified him for the semifinals. He clocked a personal record (PR) of 15.32 seconds in the semifinal round, maintaining his 10th-place ranking overall and securing the #3 spot in South Dakota Class AA rankings.
On the girls’ side, Jayna VanLaecken impressed in the 300-meter hurdles, placing 7th overall with a personal-best time of 45.81 seconds, which now ranks her #3 in the state’s Class AA. Sydney Stahlecker also earned a 7th-place finish in the 400 meters, posting a PR of 58.15 seconds and ranking her #4 in SD AA.
In the girls’ relay events, Tea Area turned in particularly strong showings. The 4x800m relay team of Grace Bialas, Abby Hilleson, Jayna VanLaecken, and Jaycie Babb placed 4th overall with a time of 9:32.29, a season best. This time sets a new school record at Tea Area High School in the event.
Another top finish came in the 4x400m relay, where the team of J. VanLaecken, Brooklyn Reiners, Mya Neuhardt, and Stahlecker finished 2nd with a time of 3:59.44, the #3 fastest time in SD AA this season.
The girls’ sprint medley relay team—M. Neuhardt, S. Stahlecker, J. VanLaecken, and J. Babb—also brought home a strong 2nd-place finish with a time of 4:09.56.
In the mixed 4x400m relay, the team of Chase Deboer, G. Bialas, Jacob Mueller, and Logan Castle finished 10th, running a solid time of 3:54.68.
Full results from the Howard Relays are as follows:
Boys 100m (Prelims): 49. Tyler Rhead – 11.50
Girls 100m Hurdles (Prelims): 46. Brooklyn Reiners – 16.54
Boys 110m Hurdles: 10. Matthew Rogers – 15.16q (Prelims, PR, SD AA #3); 10 Matthew Rogers – 15.32 (Semis, PR)
Girls 300m Hurdles: 7. Jayna VanLaecken – 45.81 (PR, SD AA #3); 51 Brooklyn Reiners – 49.83
Boys 400m: 34. Jacob Mueller – 51.93 (PR, SD AA #20)
Girls 400m: 7. Sydney Stahlecker – 58.15 (PR, SD AA #4)
Girls 1600m: 13. Jaycie Babb – 5:11.36 (PR, SD AA #10)
Girls Discus Throw: 25. Sienna Brech – 105-05 (32.13m)
Girls Javelin Throw: 37. Daphne Decker – 95-01 (28.98m)
Boys Pole Vault: 25. Carson Hall – 11-09.00 (3.58m); 26. Cameron Wiens – 11-09.00 (3.58m)
Relay Results:
Girls 1600m Sprint Medley (HS - AA): 2. Tea Area – 4:09.56
(M. Neuhardt, S. Stahlecker, J. VanLaecken, J. Babb)
Boys 4x100m Relay (HS - AA): 16. Tea Area – 44.23
(C. Christensen, K. Williamson, J. Banza, T. Rhead)
Girls 4x400m Relay (HS - AA): 2. Tea Area – 3:59.44 (SB, SD AA #3)
(J. VanLaecken, B. Reiners, M. Neuhardt, S. Stahlecker)
Mixed 4x400m Relay (Coed): 10. Tea Area – 3:54.68
(C. Deboer, G. Bialas, J. Mueller, L. Castle)
Boys 4x800m Relay (HS - AA): 17. Tea Area – 8:50.67
(J. Mueller, J. Klemisch, T. VanLaecken, J. Campbell)
Girls 4x800m Relay (HS - AA): 4. Tea Area – 9:32.29 (SB)
(G. Bialas, A. Hilleson, J. VanLaecken, J. Babb)
Boys Distance Medley (HS - All): 16. Tea Area – 11:34.59
(J. Campbell, J. Mueller, T. VanLaecken, R. Hammerquist)