By Rich Winter

605 Sports

On April 8 at the Queen City Classic track meet the Spearfish boys threw down the gauntlet in the 1,600-meter medley relay. 

The tandem of Jaden Guthmiller, Zaden Brost, William Williams and Keenan Urdiales crossed the finish line with a time of 3:36.81.

“To run really fast in this event you have to have two sprinters, a long sprinter and the key is to have a great 800 meter guy,” Spearfish coach Aaron Nida said. 

In this early part of the track season the Spearfish boys appear to have everything they need for a superb medley team. 

Junior Jaden Guthmiller has run :10.91 for 100 meters and :22.58 for 200 meters. 

“Jaden struggled in his first meets but his times are now ahead of where he was last year,” Nida said. “He’s pretty intense, he hates getting beat and he’s always working hard and trying to get better.” 

In their April 8 run Zaden Brost ran the other 200-meter  leg while senior William Williams ran the 400-meter leg. 

“William has been a steady part of our relay teams for the past few years but kinda in the background,” he said. “He’s become a student of the sport this year and I think he’s got an opportunity to drop down some more.” 

On April 8 Spearfish distance runner Keenan Urdiales got the baton just in front of Belle Fourche junior Sawyer Clarkson for his 800 meter carry. With a career best of 1:57, Urdiales split 1:55.

“I was a little surprised with that and I didn’t know he had the foot speed to run that fast,” he said. “He already holds the school record in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter events and I imagine at some point this year we’ll go for the 800 meter record which is 1:54.08.”

Spearfish senior Keenan Urdiales ran a 1:55, 800 meter split on Spearfish's Medley Relay team - Photo courtesy of South Dakota Public Broadcasting

Urdiales has run 4:19.2 in the 1,600 meters and 9:31 in the 3,200 meters. In the fall Urdiales finished second in the Class AA state cross country meet. 

“He’s definitely put in a lot of time and miles in,” he said. “He’s running really well right now and he’s pretty focused.” 

Here is where things get interesting. 

Nida thinks the medley team can run faster, way faster. 

Sophomore Brayden Delahoyde leads all AA high jumpers with a leap of 6-foot-7. At the Queen City Classic he also ran a 51.23 time in the 400 meters. 

“He’s just a really good natural athlete and with some technical improvements he can go higher in the high jump,” he said. “I think he can be a sub 50 guy by the end of the year.” 

The Spearfish school record in the medley relay is 3:33.99. 

“We could probably change a few things and I think we have a chance to run in the 3:30 territory by the end of the season,” he said. 

That would be rare air indeed. 

The fastest medley team in South Dakota history was the 1973 team from Sioux Falls Lincoln that ran 3:27.24. The second fastest time in South Dakota history was a 3:30.38 from a Sioux Falls Washington team in 2011. 

If the Spartans are able to run under 3:32.4 they would crack the top-10 for all time performances in the medley relay. 

Nida has been pleased with the overall development of his track team. 

“We’ve got some older guys that we’ve dropped into some relay spots and some freshmen that are fighting for those spots,” he said. “I’ve been happy with our practices as kids aren’t trying to get out of stuff and they are working hard.” 

Seventh grader Peyton VanDeest is one to watch

One of the nice surprises for the Spearfish girls has been the emergence of seventh grader Peyton VanDeest. The youngster has clocked 5:16 for the 1,600 and 11:31 for 3,200 meters. 

If the name VanDeest sounds familiar, Peyton’s father Andy is the distance coach for Spearfish. Andy and spouse Jamie (Hahn) VanDeest both ran collegiately at Black Hills State University. 

Jamie (Hahn) VanDeest is the school record holder at Spearfish for the 1,600 (5:14.89) and 3,200 (11:22.89).