Titans claim multiple titles at SF Metro Quad; perform strong at Corn Palace Relays

The Tea Area track and field teams turned in a strong showing at the SF Metro Quad held Tuesday, April 14, highlighted by multiple first- and second-place finishes and a long list of top-eight performances.

Leading the way for the Titans were several event champions. Sophomore Jayna VanLaecken captured the girls 300-meter hurdles title in 48.08, while Logan Castle soared to a first-place finish in the girls high jump, clearing 4-10. Kelsey Kramer  took seventh for the Titans in the event, clearing 4-2. 

In the sprints, junior Sydney Stahlecker delivered one of the top performances of the meet, winning the girls 100 meter dash in 12.31. The time ranks among the best in South Dakota. 

Tea Area also found success in the field events, where junior Sam Bullis earned a first-place finish in the boys pole vault with a clearance of 13-6, a mark that ranks among the top in Class AA this year. Cael Hermanson and Joshua Bracha placed eighth in the event, clearing 7-6. 

For the girls’ pole vault, Daphine Decker cleared 9-6 to take second in the event. Ada Klemisch took seventh. Decker also placed in the javelin, taking fourth with a throw of 100. Kiley Pendergast took seventh in the event. 

The Titans’ relay teams continued their strong tradition, as the girls 4x800-meter relay team of Abby Hilleson, Grace Bialas, Jayna VanLaecken, and Josie Babb raced to a first-place finish in 9:50.52, currently the top time in the state. The girls 1600-meter sprint medley relay team also turned heads, finishing second with one of the fastest times in South Dakota this season. Members of that relay included Nola Terveen, Stahlecker, Brooklyn Reiners, and Babb.

Second-place finishes came from several individuals and relay teams. Freshman Reece Christian placed second in the boys 1600-meter run with a time of 5:05.52, while Kage Olson added a runner-up finish in the boys discus with a throw of 120-4. 

The boys 1600-meter sprint medley relay team of Easton Baumann, Logan Turgeon, Cael Hermanson, and Rylan Clark also secured a second-place finish. The boys 4x200 meter relay team of Juv Banza, D. Toto, Chase DeBoer, and Beckett Martens captured second place with their time of 1:33.24. The boys 4x400 meter relay team of Eliam Bullis, Baumann, Jack Munson, and Santiago Revolorio took third with a time of 3:56.22. 

Other strong performances on the day included, Grace Bialas who placed third in the girls 400 meter dash (1:02.22), followed by Evie DeGeest in sixth. In the boys 400, Noah Korver led the way with a fourth-place finish in a time of 54.59, while Cooper Thompson added a seventh-place effort (55.14).

Distance events saw Tate VanLaecken take fifth in the boys 800 with a time of 2:06.38, with Taylor Boehnke matching that placement in the girls race, clocking a 2:36.18. Pendergast was close behind in sixth (2:39.98). In the girls 1600, Lola Underberg took 4th (6:07.57) and Gretchen Curtis 5th (6:07.95) while Reid Hammerquist placed fourth in the boys 3200 with a time of 10:33.69. .

In the hurdles, Brooklyn Reiners secured a fifth-place finish in the girls 100-meter hurdles with at time of 16.49. 

Field events added more depth for the Titans. In the boys discus, Gage Little (4th) and Ben Will (6th) joined Olson in the top eight. Jack Munson and Eliseo DeVerney each cleared 5-8 to tie for sixth in the boys high jump. In the girls long jump, DeGeest finished sixth, while Kelsey Kramer took seventh in the high jump. Joshua Bracha took sixth in the boys’ javelin. 

The Titans competed in the Corn Palace Relays on April 16, and enjoyed several first and second-place finishes.

Leading the way on the girls side, Stahlecker captured the 200 meter dash title with a winning time of 25.19 seconds, a performance that ranks No. 1 in South Dakota Class AA this season. Stahlecker also played a key role in the Titans’ first-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay, teaming with VanLaecken, Reiners and Grace Bialas to post a time of 4:03.83.

VanLaecken added another championship performance of her own, winning the 300-meter hurdles in 47.44 seconds, one of the top times in the state this year.

In distance events, senior Babb claimed gold in the  girls’ 800 meters, crossing the finish line in 2:19.05. Bialas secured a second-place finish in the same race with a time of 2:26.11.

On the boys side, Martens sprinted to a runner-up finish in the 100 meter dash, clocking 10.80 seconds—one of the fastest times in the state this season.

In the field events, junior Bullis cleared 13 feet, 6 inches to win the pole vault, marking one of the top vaults in Class AA this year.

The Titans are scheduled to host another meet this Thursday, April 23. Action is set to begin at 3 p.m.