Ryan Bozer:
Hey, thanks for joining us on SDPB. I'm Ryan Bozer. With me is our resident sports and recreation reporter, Nate Wek. We're here to bring your morning in play. Nate, welcome back from an event-filled weekend of track and field. How was it?
Nate Wek:
It was good, Ryan. It was a lot of fun. Every year, you go into it thinking that there's probably going to be a few wow moments, and this year didn't disappoint. There was some wow moments, as I like to say, memories were made, but it was so much more than that. It was a lot of fun. There was a lot of state meet records broken, a couple all-time South Dakota records broken, so a little bit of everything.
Ryan Bozer:
Sweet. So I was keeping track of the results, as you guys were having them come in, and it looks like, again, there were some pretty massive feats accomplished. So where do you want to start with all of it? It's track and field. There's a lot of events to keep track of, a lot of different scoring results. Where do you want to start?
Nate Wek:
Well, we could just start first, I think, maybe with just saying, as far as the teams go, who's bringing home the state championship hardware as far as the teams go? So for girls, we had Burke in Class B, Sioux Falls Christian in A, Brandon Valley in AA, winning team state girls titles. On the boys side, we had Gregory, Sioux Falls Christian, and Sioux Falls Lincoln, winning state championships. And then, they also do a combined team championship as well. Deubrook Area won the combined B title. Sioux Falls Christian won an A, and Rapid City Stevens won the combined AA. So a lot of state championship hardware to go around, obviously. Not one of those five-minute award ceremonies, I'll tell you that. But there's a lot of kids that are involved in track, so there's a lot of awards that do have to be given out throughout. So as far as the teams go, that's kind of where we're at.
And then, there's quite a few individual things that we can talk about too. Ashlyn Koupal of Wagner won her fourth straight state championship in the high jump, which that's absolutely incredible. And by the way, she's a sophomore. So if she continues to have success the next two years, she potentially could be a six-time state high jump champion, when everything is said and done. So that was really cool. Two all-time state records got broken this year at the state track meet. So we talked about it a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if you remember the name, but Beau Karst. I don't remember if you remember that, Ryan. You and I talked about him a couple of weeks ago.
Ryan Bozer:
That was the pole vaulter, yeah?
Nate Wek:
Yep, yep, that was the pole vault kid. So he had broken it about 10 days before the state track meet, he had broken the state all-time pole vault record with a height of 16'3".
Ryan Bozer:
Okay.
Nate Wek:
So Thursday night, Class AA pole vault is going, and here comes Beau Karst. And he decided just up it a little bit, and he hit 16'4". So he actually broke his all-time state record again at Howard Wood Field for the state meet, which I thought was really cool. So we had that one. And then, the other all-time state record that we had was in the 110 meter hurdles, Aidan Hedderman out of Sturgis. Yeah. So he ended up having a sub-fourteen second time in the 110 meter hurdles, which is the best all-time that we've ever seen for boys' 110 meter hurdles. So two all-time state records broken at the state meet. Storybook ending for both of them, as they're both seniors. And then, there's another one too, this is a little bit more of a career achievement, but Berkley Engelland out of Mount Vernon/Plankinton, just take a guess how many state titles she won throughout her high school career.
Ryan Bozer:
Let's see. You do a couple of events each year. You're doing it for four years. I don't know, I could see a high number being five, six maybe.
Nate Wek:
Yeah, so try 12.
Ryan Bozer:
Okay. I was just a little off. Yeah, a small amount.
Nate Wek:
She ended up winning two events this year, but she won four last year as a junior. She won six from her freshman and sophomore year. So that gets her career state championships for state track at 12. So a tremendous career too for Berkley Engelland out of Mount Vernon/Plankinton. And she's also going to USD, so Berkley Engelland, Aidan Hedderman, and then, also, Beau Karst, all three of them going to USD. Just didn't try to pick it that way, Ryan, with you here today, but it just so happens that the three people that really jumped off the headlines to me are all choosing USD for their collegiate journey to begin. So well done to all of them, and it'll be fun to be able to watch them at the collegiate level with one of our local Division One programs.
Ryan Bozer:
Yeah, absolutely. Well, and USD's got three pretty well received South Dakota athletes coming in for their track and field program too, so that'll be a lot of fun for them.
Nate Wek:
Absolutely.
Ryan Bozer:
What else stood out to you for this weekend? Or maybe my question here is, for these athletes and stuff, especially since it's their last meet during their high school career and stuff, a couple of them are saying personal records, saying state records, saying all time records, how does that play into the events itself?
Nate Wek:
Well, they do a really good job with Howard Wood, and I know that you look at all of the people that are there for all three days, it has truly become a spectacle event, where the fans are packed in there for three days. And it's pretty clear from an early stage that yeah, they're there cheering for their school and the kids from their school, but everybody's there to be a part of history, be a part of these monumental achievements that are being done. So yes, people are cheering for their own schools, but they are supporting everybody. And I think that also is a really big part of what South Dakota is at that high school level. Yeah, again, everybody's cheering for their own, but they want everybody else to do well as well. So there's always round of applause when there's kids that do something great from everybody in the stands. And I think that makes it all that much more special to not just the athletes but to everybody.
Ryan Bozer:
Yeah, that's a really nice thing. Again, it's that community feel, everybody's there supporting you, even if they don't know you.
Nate Wek:
Absolutely.
Ryan Bozer:
That's super. So what else, sports-wise, is coming up for you?
Nate Wek:
The state softball championships will be taking place in Aberdeen starting today, and those will go here through Saturday. Class AA will be at Koehler Hall of Fame Field at Northern State. And then, the players complex in Aberdeen here will be playing host to the Class A and Class B tournaments. So all three classes, 24 teams, are up here right now in Aberdeen, as we kick off the state softball championships, the second annual, because last year was the first. So this will be the second year of the state softball championships. Last year was an absolute blast, Ryan, and this year is shaping up to also be just as fun. So all of the games for the state softball championships are going to be streamed on live through GameChanger. You can find that link on our website SDPB.org/softball. And then, we'll also be on Saturday here televising the Class AA Championship and third-place game on SDPB2-TV. So we'll have full coverage throughout all of the tournaments. As long as the weather holds, I think everybody's going to be in for a really fun few days.
Ryan Bozer:
Well, I'll cross my fingers for you, that you guys get to have some nice weather, don't have too many storm delays, right?
Nate Wek:
Right. It's South Dakota, you never know.
Ryan Bozer:
Yeah, I was going to say, we're early June at that point by the end of those events. You never know when a storm might just appear. Well, Nate, we'll catch up again next week. I'll let you get to the diamond.
Nate Wek:
All right, appreciate it, Ryan.
