By Rich Winter

605 Sports

When the Ipswich boys hit the track Friday at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays, a track loving community will stand at attention awaiting any video or results from the meet. They love their track and field in Ipswich and they tend to get their kids started early.

Long-time coach Todd Thorson is the physical education teacher at Ipswich and he starts talking track the moment kids set foot in the school. 

“He starts recruiting them from the time they are in kindergarten,” Ipswich Athletic Director Dan Knust said. “He’s always seeing who the fastest one’s are or who can jump the farthest and he’s always recruiting.”

The Tigers have 81 athletes, grades sixth-through-12th out for track and field this spring. Knust says Ipswich has 185 total athletes grades sixth-through-12th out for track and field. 

“Usually we have four total coaches this year we have five,” Thorson said. “The four assistants do an outstanding job and we set it up so the whole team works together.” 

So, as the 2022 Howard Wood Dakota relays begin Friday many of those Ipswich athletes have been working towards this moment for more than 12 years. 

A bit of a slow start this season for Ipswich as the month of April was not kind to the Tigers. Most of their meets were canceled or held in poor weather conditions. 

“There have been so many days where we’ve had 30-40 mph winds with temperatures right at freezing,” Todd Thorson said. “It has been a struggle to figure out how to train. Every time I put a workout together we have to change it because the weather just won’t cooperate.” 

Within the last 10 days the Tigers have enjoyed better weather. In their two most recent meets the Tigers ran only their 400-meter relay strong, choosing instead to focus on run-offs during individual competitions that will set the lineups for this weekend’s relays. 

That 400-meter relay team of Ty Kadlec, Carson Gohl, Trevor Heinz and Colby Sylte flexed their muscles enough to power to a school record (:44.54) last week. 

That relay quartet epitomizes what Ipswich track is all about. 

“Carson Grohl is a guy that doesn’t have a lot of pure sprinting telent (going to DWU to play football) but has the work ethic that brings other guys along,” Knust said. “Trevor Heniz is the younger brother of Macy Heinz (multi-time state champion) and he’s been hurt and no one knows what he can do.” 

The other gentlemen on that relay, Ty Kadlec and Colby Sylte are Class B burners. 

Ipswich Class B relay rankings heading into the Howard Wood Dakota Relays

 400-meter relay: No. 2, :44.54

800-meter relay: No. 2, 1:34.30

1,600 meter relay: No. 6, 3:42.30

3,200 meter relay: No. 5, 8:56.70

Sprint medley relay: No. 6, 3:55.80

While the Howard Wood Dakota Relays are a stepping stone the Tigers are aiming to peak for the Class B state meet in late May. 

Per South Dakota's state track meet qualifying process, athletes must be ranked in the top-24 of each specific event to qualify for the state track meet. 

“We now have all nineteen events (boys) with at least one person in the top-24,” Thorson said. “That’s one of our goals every year and in some events we have two or more athletes in qualifying positions.”  

Ipswich boys currently ranked in the top-ten of Class B for individual events. 

Discus: Zach Geditz, Ipswich, 151-6.5, (No. 3)

High jump: Tyler Hettich, Ipswich, 5-11, (No. 6)

Long jump: Trevor Heinz, Ipswich, 20-04.5, (No. 6)

100-meter dash: Ty Kadlec, Ipswich, :11.24, (No. 6)

200-meter dash: Ty Kadlec, Ipswich, :22.74 (No. 2)

  Carson Gohl, Ipswich, :23.24 (No. 7)

  Colby Sylte, Ipswich, :23..44 (No. 9)

800-meter run: Maxwell Kulesa, Ipswich, 2:08.84 (No. 5)

110 meter hurdles: Carter Geditz, Ipswich, :16.04, (N. 3)

300 meter hurdles: Carter Geditz, Ipswich, :43.54, (No. 7)

One of the things that makes this Ipswich boys team interesting as the Calendar turns to May is the depth of the team. 

“I have a lot of guys in the mix for the short relays,” Thorson said. “I have five guys that are competing for spots on the 3,200 meter relay.”

A couple of depth guys, Trevor Byers and Turner Thorson ran the 400-meter dash in (:54.83) and (:54.84) at Tuesday’s Eureka Lions Invitational. Other depth guys include freshman Maxwell Kulesa (4:57, 1,600 meter run) and Ian Beyer (2:13.18, 800-meter run).