Stahlecker, Martens claim Conference titles

The Tea Area High School track and field team turned in an impressive performance at the Eastern South Dakota Conference Track and Field Meet on Saturday, May 16, highlighted by two individual conference champions and one winning relay team.

Leading the way for the Titans was junior Sydney Stahlecker, who captured the girls 200-meter dash conference title in a personal-best time of 24.44 seconds. Her mark ranks No. 1 in both South Dakota and Class AA this season. Stahlecker also earned runner-up honors in the girls 400-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 56.34 seconds.

Sophomore Beckett Martens claimed the boys 100-meter dash championship in a personal-best 10.59 seconds, a time that ranks third overall in South Dakota and second in Class AA in 2026. Martens added a second-place finish in the boys 200-meter dash with another personal-best performance of 22.11 seconds.

The Titans’ girls 4x400-meter relay team of Jaycie Babb, Brooklyn Reiners, Grace Bialas and Stahlecker raced to a conference championship title in 3:56.85. The time currently ranks second in both South Dakota and Class AA.

Several other Tea Area athletes earned top-eight finishes and all-conference honors.

Junior Dawood Toto placed second in the boys 300-meter hurdles with a personal-best 40.18 and finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.82.

Babb took fourth in the girls 800-meter run with a time of 2:22.23.

Senior Jack Campbell earned fifth in the boys 800 meters, setting a personal best with a time of 2:01.13.

Junior Noah Korver finished sixth in the boys 400-meter dash in 53.97.

Reiners added another scoring performance by placing seventh in the girls 300-meter hurdles with a time of 49.02.

Sophomore Nola Terveen placed eighth in the girls 100-meter dash with a personal-best 12.98.

In the field events, sophomore Daphne Decker earned eighth in the girls javelin with a throw of 103 feet, 8 inches.

Junior Tyson DeYoung finished sixth in the boys shot put with a toss of 47-9.

Tea Area also scored with several relay teams. The boys 4x100-meter relay of Carter Christensen, Juv Banza, Lincoln Dykstra and Martens placed third with a time of 43.43. The girls 4x800-meter relay of Abby Hilleson, Grace Bialas, Taylor Boehnke and Babb finished fifth with a time of 9:55.91, while the boys 4x800-meter relay of Tate VanLaecken, Reid Hammerquist, Korver and Campbell took sixth with a time of 8:25.92. The boys’ 1600 meter Sprint Medley relay team of Banza, Chase DeBoer, Eliseo DeVerney, and Hammerquist took sixth with a time of 3:57.13 and the boys’ 4x200 meter relay of DeBoer, Hayden Bialas, Toto, and Kade Korleski took eighth (1:34.04). 

The 2026 State AA Track and Field Meet will be held at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, May 28-30. Action begins May 28 at 10:30 a.m.