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Carson Urlacher, Jr. - Aberdeen Central
He ran the 5th fastest time in the 3,200m this winter, running a 9:47 en route to winning a 2nd place finish at the SDSU First Chance meet in February. That gives the junior an excellent launching pad for the upcoming track season, as he ran a 9:34 last spring after running a 10:04 the prior indoor season.
Urlacher finished 7th in the 3,200m at last year's state meet and will be looking to ascend a couple of spots to the podium later this year.
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David McKinley, Sr. - Philip
The senior finished 7th in the 400m dash at last year's state meet and looks like he is capable of even better in his final season.
David McKinley set a personal best of 51.67 in the event last spring after running a 53.40 in the winter. This indoor season, he went 51.90, a SD #4, and nearly broke his time on a trickier oval. It would seem as if he is peaking at the perfect time and could be one of several North Dakota sprinters to run a sub-50-second lap in 2026.
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Reagan Ostransky, Jr. - Sioux Falls Lincoln
The junior has yet to qualify for the outdoor state championship meet in her first two seasons, but 2026 could be the year that changes.
Ostransky ran a 12:09 in the 3,200m this winter, which was 21 seconds faster than her time in the event last spring. This fall, she brought her 5K time all the way down to 20:13, nearly a minute faster than the year before. It's safe to say she is trending in the right direction and could be one of the state's breakout distance runners this year.
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Jalyssa Hutson, Jr. - Ipswich
She picked up a win this indoor season in the pole vault at the Fuller Invitational, clearing 10-6 en route to the 6th-best mark in South Dakota this winter, and could be staring down a breakout spring season.
While a lot of talent at the top of the state returns in the event, it is evident that Hutson is capable of keeping stride with the leaders. She jumped 11-0 at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays last year, but did not compete at the state meet despite logging the 10th-best vault of the season. It would not be surprising to see Huston emerge as a viable contender to earn a podium position in the event later this spring.
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Other Individuals to Watch
Iris Birnbaum, Rapid City Stevens - The freshman beat some of the state's best middle-distance runners from last season at her outdoor season opener last week, running a 2:22 in the 800m, cutting her personal best by over 22 seconds from last season, and is now an established threat to the girls 800m division.
Hayes Bortnem, Brandon Valley - He improved by nearly a whole second in the 60m hurdles two weeks ago, dropping his time from 9.94 to 9.07, which could translate to an even bigger improvement during the outdoor season.
Andrew Budig, Yankton - He finished as the 58th best thrower in the shot put last spring, but set a personal best of 48-6.5 this winter and is currently ranked 6th in the state. The junior might be looking at qualifying for his first state meet this year.