SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Sanborn Central/Woonsocket senior Liz Boschee delivered one of the most memorable performances of the South Dakota State Track and Field Championships on Friday, breaking the all-time state high school javelin record at Howard Wood Field.
Boschee captured the Class B girls javelin championship with a throw of 147 feet, 7 inches, surpassing the previous South Dakota record of 141-9 set just eight days earlier by Harrisburg’s Autumn Bryant. Boschee’s mark also shattered the Class B state meet record and left her nearly 18 feet ahead of the runner-up.
Earlier in the day, Boschee placed second in the Class B girls high jump by clearing 5 feet, 5 inches. She also advanced to Saturday’s finals in the 300-meter hurdles.
Mitchell Christian produced a pair of state champions in distance events. Junior Luke Mentele won the Class B boys 800-meter run in 1 minute, 56.38 seconds, while teammate Silas Holdeman claimed his third consecutive Class B boys 3,200-meter title in 9:36.32, winning by nearly 12 seconds.
In Class AA competition, Mitchell’s Bryer Stach earned a fourth-place finish in the boys discus with a throw of 154-4. Teammate Logan Bessler placed 13th at 142-9. Brandon Valley’s Jackson Witte won the event at 163-3.
Several other area athletes reached the podium Friday.
Ethan/Parkston’s Sean Deckert finished second in the Class A boys triple jump with a leap of 43-5 1/2, while Scotland/Menno’s Micah Goehring placed sixth.
One day after becoming the first South Dakota athlete to win six consecutive individual state championships, Wagner’s Ashlyn Koupal added a third-place finish in the Class A girls shot put with a throw of 36-4 3/4.
Corsica-Stickney’s Braylee Bordewyk finished runner-up in the Class B girls 800-meter run in 2:17.73, while Wessington Springs’ Kenzie Kolousek placed fifth.
Freeman’s Alaric Knittel took second in the Class B boys discus with a throw of 159-7. Wessington Springs’ Carson Finn tied for fifth in the Class B boys high jump after clearing 6-0.
The Kimball/White Lake pair of Autumn Baker and Ali McCord placed seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Class B girls 3,200-meter run. Avon’s Al Gunter added an eighth-place finish in the Class B boys shot put.
Friday’s meet featured a remarkable 13 state meet records across Classes AA, A and B.
Among the record-breakers were Spearfish’s Peyton VanDeest in the Class AA girls 800 and 3,200-meter runs, Brandon Valley’s Mikah Peters in the Class AA boys 3,200 meters, Sioux Falls Christian’s Ellie Maddox in the Class A girls 800 and 3,200 meters, and De Smet’s Hazel Luethmers in the Class B girls high jump.
Team races also remained competitive entering Saturday’s final day.
Brandon Valley leads the Class AA boys standings with 94 points, ahead of Sioux Falls Lincoln’s 58. Harrisburg sits atop the Class AA girls standings with 62 points, followed by Spearfish with 53.5.
In Class A, Sioux Falls Christian leads both team races. The Chargers hold a commanding advantage in the boys standings with 63 points and lead the girls competition with 81 points. Ethan/Parkston is tied for seventh in the boys standings with 16 points, while Wagner sits eighth in the girls race with 18.
Deubrook Area leads the Class B girls standings with 35 points, followed by Northwestern with 30. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket is eighth with 18 points, and Corsica-Stickney is 10th with 13. On the boys side, Philip leads with 42 points, while Mitchell Christian sits third with 26 points and Freeman is sixth with 19.
The 2026 South Dakota State Track and Field Championships conclude Saturday at Howard Wood Field, with team titles and numerous individual championships still to be decided.