By Rich Winter

605 Sports 

All season long Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Griffin Fischer has been the dominant sprinter in Class AA. Several late-season marks suggest Fischer is going to have some company in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. 

Fischer leads a group of 19 athletes that have run under 11 seconds this season with a :10.57. Brandon Valley’s Landon Dulaney ran a :10.64 on May 7 and will likely be Fischer’s top competition in the short sprint. Fischer’s :21.46 in the 200-meter dash at Howard Wood looked invincible until Landen Matkins of Rapid City Stevens ran a :21.36 on May 17.

Fischer will be running the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash and anchoring an elite 400-meter relay. On May 16, the Sioux Falls Lincoln foursome of Javin Augustus, Josh Myers, Mikey Roche and Fischer clocked a :41.51 in the 400-meter relay. That time broke the previous state record of :41.91 set by a Sioux Falls Lincoln squad in 2018. 

Must see athletes and events

• Yankton’s Dylan Payer favored in AA distance events: Entering the state track meet Yankton senior Dylan Payer has Class AA’s top times in the 800-meter run (1:55.49), the 1,600-meter run (4:15.97) and the 3,200 meter run (9:18.48). 

• Brookings favored in the sprint medley relay and 3,200-meter relay: A really solid effort this season from the Brookings distance squads. Entering the state meet the Bobcats have the top time in the 3,200-meter relay (8:08.17) and in the sprint medley relay (3:37.27).

• Class AA long jump is a must-see field event: Sioux Falls O’Gorman senior Henry Theobald (22-10.75) leads a field that includes five athletes that have gone over 22-feet

Brandon Valley girls expected to make very strong showing at state meet

As you look at the top performers in each event for the Class AA the Brandon Valley girls appear ready to challenge for the team title they last shared with Sioux Falls O’Gorman in 2021.

Senior Mia Wentzy is headed to the University of Arizona next fall to compete in triathlon events. The defending Class AA champion in the 800-meter run is entered in the 400-meter dash, 800-meter run and 1,600-meter run and will run on a relay for the Lynx.

Brandon Valley has top-ranked athletes or teams include Kyra Weiss in the 400-meter dash (:57.47), Wentzy in the 800-meter run (2:11.49), Shelby Bergan in the 300-meter hurdles (:45.25), 800-meter relay (1:42.78), 1,600-meter relay (3:57.78), 3,200-meter relay (8:59.50) and sprint medley relay (4:01.38).

The 3,200-meter relay and sprint medley relay are both state records. 

Must see athletes and events: 

• Nyariek Kur, Sioux Falls Washington: Thought of as a long jumper and a triple jumper prior to the season, Kur has expanded her talents into the high jump and 100-meter hurdles. Entering the state meet, Kur has top marks in the triple jump (39-10.75), long jump (19-10), high jump (5-7.25) and 100-meter hurdles (:14.97). Libby Castelli and Peyton VanDeest in the 3,200-meter run. At the Howard Wood Dakota Relays, O’Gorman junior Libby Castelli was busy running the 800-meter special event and did not compete in the 3,200-meter run. At Howard Wood, Spearfish freshman Peyton VanDeest cranked out the fifth fastest time in South Dakota history (10:28.98). Castelli enters the state meet with a season's best time of (10:40.52).

• Girls javelin: The state record has changed hands several times this season as Rapid City Stevens junior Brynn Nelson (138-06) and Sioux Falls Washington’s Isabel Carda (138-3) have dominated the event. Carda pulled off a narrow win at Howard Wood.

• Pierre’s Kali Ringstmeyer: The defending Class AA state champion in the 200-meter dash has the fastest seed time in the 100-meter dash (:12.09) and second fastest time in the 200-meter dash (:25.40).

• Girls 400-meter relay: The east river dominance in this event will be challenged by a Rapid City Stevens squad with the fastest seed time entering the meet (:48.68). Sioux Falls Lincoln (:49.18) and Sioux Falls Roosevelt (:49.58) are expected to be the top challengers.