On May 25, Burke turned back the clock to 1978.

The Burke High School girls track and field team captured the 2024 Class B state championship, the first title for the program in 46 years. It’s also the first-ever in Class B, with the previous two titles (1976 and ‘78) being in Class A. Using just a four-member squad, Burke shared the 1976 state championship with Flandreau.

This season, Burke earned the program’s third-ever state girls track and field championship, using a similar recipe as the 1978 team. 

Both in 1978 and this season, Burke displayed its depth and star power to claim state championships. 

This season, Burke scored 58 points and finished seven points ahead of second-place Arlington. The Cougars captured first-place finishes in the 800-meter relay, discus (Paige Bull) and high jump (Emily Diekmann). 

Burke senior Piper Hanson was responsible for 32 points, highlighted by the 800-meter relay. Hanson, who ran the anchor leg, out-sprinted Colman-Egan’s Daniela Lee down the home stretch for a photo finish. 

Hanson’s anchor carry finished Burke’s relay in 1:46.52, holding off Lee and Colman-Egan (1:46.70). Hanson also earned second-place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles and ran on the third-place sprint medley relay team. 

In 1978, Burke won five events and was headlined by Julie Tolstedt, a state champion in the mile and a member of three first-place relays. 

At the Class A track and field meet in Spearfish, Tolstedt set a state mile record in 5:07.4. But it was broken later that day by Watertown’s Kay Stormo (5:03.3) at the Class AA meet in Rapid City. 

Tolstedt was named the 1978 South Dakota High School Coaches Association Class A girls track and field outstanding athlete recipient.

The 1978 Burke team, much like the 2024 version, also showed off its depth en route to the state title. Burke scored 43 points, holding off Kimball (36) and Freeman (35) for the state championship.

Tolstedt teamed up with Lori Ulmer, Carol Bailey and Brenda Hayden to win the mile relay (4:03.1), breaking the previous meet record from 1977. Tolstedt, along with Bailey, Ulmer and Hayden, won the sprint medley relay (4:12.6). In the two-mile relay, Sue Smizer, Bailey, Janeen Steffen and Tolstedt won in 9:45.3. 

Ulmer won the 400-meter dash in :58.965, while Smizer placed second in the discus (124-8.5) and Steffen placed third in the mile (5:23.86). 

Burke also won the 1977 Class B cross-country title the previous fall, with Tolstedt and Steffen finishing first and second, respectively.