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The first meets of the outdoor season in South Dakota were held last week and there were a few standout performances that will set the tone for the rest of the spring. Take a look at some of the highlights from the three weekday events.
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100m/200m Dash: Nolan Long, Jr. - Rapid City Stevens
The junior got his season off to a hot start, running an 11.14 in the 100m dash and 22.80 in the 200m dash. Both performances were good enough to win at Mayhem last Thursday and are new early-season SD #1 marks.
The pair of wins were the first of his career and starts his season on a high note, as he will be looking to improve upon his 20th-place finish at the South Dakota State Championships last spring.
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Sprints & Field: Ella Bradeen, Sr. - Rapid City Stevens
Perhaps the most dominant performance of the first week of racing came from the senior from Rapid City Stevens, who scored three victories at Mayhem on Thursday, winning the 100m & 200m dashes, as well as the long jump - an event she also set a personal best in.
Following the strong start to the season, she opens the year with the state's top marks in the three events. At last year's state meet, she finished 2nd in both sprint events and would appear to be on track to be a top contender to win her first state title in 2026.
55m/200 Dash: Kyle Hettich, Sr. - Ipswich
One of the highlights from the Fuller Invite, the final indoor meet of the season, came from the senior from Ipswich, who won the boys 55m dash and 200m dash events. He is coming into the season looking to improve upon his two top 5 performances in the 100m and 200m dash events at the state meet.
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Throws: Karyn Ellerton, Sr. - Custer
The senior from Custer finished 4th in the shot put and discus throw competitions at the South Dakota state meet in 2025 and got her season started strong, capturing a win in the discus and 3rd place finish at the Chadron State HS Invite in Nebraska over the weekend.
She now owns a pair of early-season SD #1 marks in the two events and has set the bar for other throwers across the state to chase.
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Other Standout Performances
Elijah Sturis, Rapid City Stevens - The early-season leader in the triple jump jumped 43-3 at the Mayhem meet last week en route to his first win of the year. The senior finished 10th in the event at state last season and will be looking for even more improvement throughout the spring.
Jack Day, Rapid City Stevens - One of the state's best returning hurdlers was in action at Mayhem on Thursday and set an SD #1 en route to victory. He finished with the 2nd-best time in the event last season and his early-season time of 14.65 would have finished as the 3rd best mark in the state last year.
Claire Ashley, Rapid City Stevens - Wrapping things up for the best performing team of the week was the sophomore in the javelin throw, who won her first event of the year at Mayhem. She finished 3rd at state last season and could be due for a breakout season in her second year.
Sophia Knittel, Ipswich - She picked up a pair of wins at the final indoor meet of the season on Monday, capturing victories in the 200m dash and long jump events.