BURKE — Since arriving in August, Spaniard Iker Diaz Montilla has adapted to South Dakota’s unpredictable weather, the windswept plains and American cuisine. 

But in track and field, Diaz Montilla and his engaging personality have fit in perfectly with the Burke Cougars. 

“He’s an absolute blessing,” Burke track and field coach Tyler Uecker said. “But he’s also a great student and he’s got a fantastic personality. … If you go to a meet that he’s in, he knows all his competitors. They are always talking. So it’s just a really cool experience for me as a coach to see him interact with other students like he’s been here his whole life.”

Except for Diaz Montilla, a foreign exchange student from Spain, has only been in America since Aug. 15, 2023. That’s when he first stepped foot on American soil and completed a journey thousands of miles from his hometown of Colmenar Viejo, Spain. 

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Diaz Montilla, a Burke High School junior. “I knew that I was going to miss my family. I knew that it was going to be difficult at first. But I was confident in myself and I knew that I could have a good year if I wanted to.”

Burke's Iker Diaz Montilla competes in the high jump on May 10 in Kimball. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Diaz Montilla, 16, has done just that this spring. Currently, Diaz Montilla has the Class B’s best mark in the triple jump (43-10.25) and second best mark in the high jump (6-4). He’s also participated in relays for the Cougars. 

Diaz Montilla’s triple jump mark is the new school record, breaking a 36-year-old record. Diaz Montilla’s high jump is one inch from tying the school record. 

“He has a contagious feeling of wanting to be better in everything that he does,” Burke jumps coach Turner Serr said. “He’s got drills and he’s got routines that he works on and he stays true to them.”

Diaz Montilla’s record marks are not by accident, largely due to his work ethic and drive to be successful, said Uecker. 

“His work ethic is contagious,” Uecker said. “He goes over a lot of drills that I’ve never seen, and some other students have been kind of working with him. I can foresee Iker being a great mentor, a great coach when his eligibility is up. But obviously his talents have tremendously helped this track program.”

Burke's Iker Diaz Montilla competes in the triple jump at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in Sioux Falls. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

In Spain, Diaz Montilla is a budding track and field star. In March 2023, he won a bronze medal in the high jump at the Spanish Indoor Track Championships.

In addition to track and field, Diaz Montilla participated in swimming, soccer and basketball growing up in Spain. But eventually focused on track and field in recent years. 

“As I got better in track and field, I started kind of shining more or being better than everyone,” Diaz Montilla said. “That is when I started specializing in track and field and quit the other sports and that was about two years ago.”

That was until he came to America. At Burke High School, he played football in the fall and basketball in the winter.

While basketball was familiar to him, football was uncharted territory. A 6-foot-2, 160-pounder, Diaz Montilla lined up at tight end and linebacker for the Cougars.

“At first, it was intimidating because it was really aggressive and I didn’t know anything about it,” Diaz Montilla said. “But halfway through the season I was really enjoying it a lot and I had a lot of fun.”

While track and field has been a seamless transition for Diaz Montilla, he’s had to adjust to the cultural and scenic differences in America. 

Diaz Montilla’s hometown of Colmenar Viejo has a population of roughly 55,000 people and is roughly 30 miles away from Madrid, the capital and most populous city in Spain.

Burke, meanwhile, has a population of around 600 people and is located in rural south central South Dakota. 

“I am used to big cities and crowded environments,” Diaz Montilla said. “Here it’s a little different because it's very little towns, but I have learned to enjoy it.”

And he’s experienced the uncertain South Dakota weather during his nine-month stay. 

“It’s the craziest weather I have ever seen,” Diaz Montilla laughed. “One day it’s really sunny. One day it’s snowing and an hour later it is sunny again. It’s really windy, too, but I guess we have to live with it.”

In Spain, Diaz Montilla is accustomed to an array of food choices and “healthy food is something I value a lot.”

In America, he’s been introduced to fast food and while he tries to eat healthy “a good cheeseburger from America is the best thing ever.”

Diaz Montilla’s host family is Bob and Robyn Waterbury, who have regularly housed foreign exchange students in recent years. The Waterburys are also hosting France foreign exchange student Arthur Jaffray this school year. 

“They are the best family ever,” Diaz Montilla said. “I was really lucky to come here with them because they are really supportive. They are funny. They are really honest. You can have any sort of conversation with them.”

Diaz Montilla’s stay in America is drawing to a close. He will leave Burke on May 26, one day after the state track and field meet in Sioux Falls. Before he heads home, Diaz Montilla’s goals are to break the high jump school record and place at state. 

But no matter his track and field accomplishments, Diaz Montilla has won over many friendships in South Dakota and that’s what he’ll take with him back to Spain. 

“Any place that you go and you make friends, what you miss are the friends more than the place actually,” Diaz Montilla said. “So that is what I am going to miss the most.”