CASTLEWOOD — Mackenzie Everson’s senior sports season was defined by state tournaments — literally. 

The recent Castlewood High School graduate played in five state tournaments her senior season, including three during the spring season.  

“It just made my senior year super special,” Everson said. “To be able to do it with my teammates and just the memories made at state tournaments are unlike anything else in sports. So to get to do that five times was just something so special and it will be really fun to look back on.”

From Nov. 17 to June 6, Everson participated in state tournaments in volleyball, basketball, track and field, softball and golf. 

In volleyball, the Warriors placed sixth in their first state tournament since 1997, while the girls basketball team earned a fifth-place finish in March. 

Castlewood's Mackenzie Everson (10) attacks the basket against Howard at the Class B girls basketball tournament in Huron. (Matt Gade / For 605 Sports)

The spring season, however, ramped up as she participated in three state tournaments between May 25-June 6. In track and field, she placed sixth in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, while she anchored Castlewood’s fifth-place 800-meter relay team. 

In the softball season, Everson and the Warriors won the Class B state championship. She capped off her senior season with a 30th-place finish at the Class B girls golf tournament. 

“I am just really grateful for the people who made that possible, especially my spring sports coaches,” Everson said. “I give them a lot of credit because I wasn’t able to be at a lot of practices. So I really appreciate them being flexible and understanding.”

Everson also praised her parents — Travis and Sandra Everson — and her teammates for their support during the busy spring season. 

“I am just grateful for the people around me and they were a large part of why that was possible,” Everson said.  

She admits now it was overwhelming at times, especially considering she was preparing to graduate and writing her valedictorian speech. 

“It really just felt like a lot,” Everson said. “But my parents were just really encouraging me to stay with it and they knew I would regret it if I quit something and I knew quitting wasn’t an option. But it just came down to being organized and relying on people to help me and just using my time wisely and working on my sports whenever I had free time.”

Castlewood's Mackenzie Everson, far right, celebrates winning the state softball championship earlier this season. (South Dakota Public Broadcasting)

So what was her most memorable state tournament experience? That answer was easy for Everson, who helped deliver a state championship in the augural softball season for the South Dakota High School Activities Association. 

“It has to be softball because there’s just nothing like winning a state championship,” Everson said. “That was just super fun. That was so special, specifically it was super special to be able to do it with younger girls who I have never gotten to play sports with.”

Everson’s favorite sport is track and field, which is what she’ll compete in next season at the University of Sioux Falls. Everson, who will major in elementary education, said participating in multiple sports helped her development as an athlete.

“Playing three sports at once, it made it harder to specifically train for track,” Everson said. “But I’d say it helped me mentally, too. Golf is such a mental sport and softball learning how to be a team. Basketball and volleyball are such athletic sports that they play off each other so well. They will all help me in my future track career and they all kind of played off of each other throughout my high school career.”

Everson’s close to her high school career began with a rocky start. In May 2022, Castlewood was rocked by an EF2 tornado that traveled along the ground for two miles with 120-mile winds.

In total, around 20 structures in Castlewood were destroyed and another 80 were damaged. The damages included the school and one of its gymnasiums. 

That forced the Castlewood teams to find alternative gym space leading into the season. But the Castlewood Warriors have given their fans plenty to cheer about this sports season. In addition to the softball state championship, the boys basketball team made state for the second straight season. 

“There was another level of community support this year versus other years,” Everson said. “Castlewood has always been a super supportive community. That’s just who Castlewood is. But I think this year this was just a special bond and care the community put forth in supporting our athletic teams and I think that was a reflection of the storm that happened in May.”