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Washington's Nyariek Kur named Gatorade South Dakota girls track and field athlete of the year
Sioux Falls Washington's Nyariek Kur, right, clears a hurdle at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in Sioux Falls on May 3.
(Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)
Jun 25, 2024
 

By 605 Sports Staff

Sioux Falls Washington’s Nyariek Kur is the 2023-24 Gatorade South Dakota girls track and field athlete of the year.

Kur is the first Gatorade South Dakota girls track and field player of the year to be chosen from Washington High School. The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Kur as South Dakota’s best high school girls track & field athlete. 


The 5-foot-10 senior hurdler/jumper swept the long jump, the triple jump and the 100-meter hurdles at the Class AA state meet this past season. Kur’s leap of 40 feet, 2.5 inches in the triple represented a personal best in the event. She added a fifth-place finish in the high jump at states with a clearance of 5-2, but her PR of 5-7.25 in May ranked No. 92 nationally among girls prep competitors this spring. Her season-best long jump of 19-10 ranked as the nation’s No. 58 all-conditions distance in 2024. 

Kur has volunteered locally as a peer tutor. She has also donated her time by spending 15 minutes a day during the academic year reading to kids whose literacy is less facile. She has also served as an instructor and mentor at multiple youth volleyball camps. 

Kur has maintained a 3.8 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to compete on scholarship at North Dakota State University in the fall.