By Ryan Deal 

605 Sports

Kellyn Kortemeyer made the most of her last Howard Wood Dakota Relays appearance. 

The Custer senior set a goal to break the school record in the discus and that’s exactly what she did at Saturday’s 97th annual Dakota Relays. Kortemeyer broke the record and captured the discus title with a toss of 150-feet and 11 inches. 

“It feels really, really good,” Kortemeyer said. “That was my only goal this year was to get our school record and before I broke it, it was 143. So it feels good.” 

She also accomplished the feat in howling wind gusts, but she was prepared to throw against the wind. 

“We had really bad winds a couple weeks ago in Custer,” Kortemeyer said. “So our coach makes us throw in those rough conditions so that we are ready when it comes to competition time.”

Kortemeyer added the windy conditions suited her throwing style.

“But also this is a perfect wind because I am a right-handed thrower,” Kortemeyer said. “So I throw into the wind and it just takes my disc. Sometimes the wind can be good, if it’s the right way.”

Kortemeyer also placed second in Friday’s shot put, finishing with a toss of 45-feet and 1.25 inches in her final Dakota Relays event.

“I have been coming here since eighth-grade,” Kortemeyer said. “So it’s a good wrap up.” 

Kortemeyer will again compete at the facility for the state track and field meet on May 26-28. Last season, Kortemeyer finished second in the shot put and discus at the state track and field meet, placing behind Hamlin’s Gracelyn Leiseth in both events. They’re currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Class A shot put and discus. 

After the state track and field meet, Kortemeyer will shift her attention toward throwing at the University of Nebraska. 

“I visited a lot of schools and they were all very, very good,” Kortemeyer said. “I just felt at home at Nebraska. It felt like I could really thrive there.”