605 Sport Staff

EUGENE, Ore. — Custer pole vaulter Ciana Stiefel, the 2023 Class A state champion in the pole vault, has already made a name for herself in South Dakota.

The junior-to-be at Custer made a splash on the big stage over the weekend finishing fourth in the pole vault (10-11.75), in the 15-16 age category at the USATF Junior Olympic Championships.

The winner of the girls pole vault, Addison Kleinke captured the pole vault title with a leap of 12-11.5. South Dakota track fans will remember that Steifel captured the Class A state title in May with a vault of 12-8. 

The other national qualifiers came from a relay squad composed of athletes from the eastern part of South Dakota. Those four athletes, Lucas Flemmer (Dell Rapids St. Mary), Carter Dingman (Aberdeen Central), Keontay Rawls (Sioux Falls Roosevelt) and Joseph DeWitt (Brandon Valley). 

That relay tandem competed in the 400-meter relay and 1,600-meter relay at the national event. 

The 400-meter relay team ran (;43.74) and did not qualify for the finals. 

The 1,600-meter relay team ran (3:27.01) finishing in fourth place.

The relay squad was coached by Lynne Dingman, Northern State track coach.

The South Dakota athletes qualified for the championships by advancing from  a regional qualifier that was held in Wisconsin in July.