By Matt Gade

605 Sports

SIOUX FALLS — A year ago, Bennett County’s Harley Harris had never jumped before. 

It wasn’t until her grandma and Bennett County assistant coach Vera O’Neill told Harris she should be jumping.

O’Neil said Harris just demonstrated the natural skills of a triple jumper. 

“She just stays so low and just kind of rolls into it,” O’Neill said.

“I’m just really happy she told me to do it,” Harris said.

Harris, a freshman, came into the state meet as the top seed in the triple jump with a seed mark of 36-00.75 ahead of Hitchcock-Tulare’s Emma Schneider with a 35-7.5.

Harris struggled a little bit in the prelims, only recording one mark on her second jump with a mark of 35-7.5. 

But on her final jump, Harris unleashed a new personal best, recording a mark of 36-3.25 to beat second place’s Shawnteah La Croix, of Aberdeen Christian, who set a personal best of 35-00.75.

“That’s all I wanted was to at least PR,” Harris said.

Being able to watch her granddaughter win gold and set a new personal best was a little extra special for O’Neill she said.

“Because we as jump coaches sometimes get stacked on top of each other and I get stuck at the high jump, I don’t always make it to the triple jump,” O’Neill said. “So in her first two years, two seasons of doing this to go win the gold is amazing.

“She has so much to look forward to. It’s what she wants to do and willing to do the work.”
Harris was also a part of the Bennett County girls’ 400-meter relay team that set a new meet record in the prelims with a time of 48.20 and finished first in the finals with a time of 49.77.

“It was a perfect weekend to do it,” Harris said of the team’s meet record. “We were all just ready for it.”

Harris was joined by Peyson O’Neill, Macy Claussen and Reagan O’Neill on the 400-meter relay team.

Harris also took fourth in the Class B girls’ 100-meter hurdles with a 15.68.