State Track Meet Results: Relay Team Breaks MHS Record Set in 1980

The Milbank track and field teams competed at the 2023 SDHSAA State Track and Field Championships at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls from May 25-27. Highlights included breaking the MHS 3200-meter relay record set 43 years ago,10 top-10 finishes, and many top-25 finishes.

The 2023 team of James Batchelor, Bryan Meyer, Garrett Mertens, and Payton Brown broke the MHS 3200-meter relay record with their time of 8:04.75. They eclipsed the previous record of 8:07.80 set by Thorson, Jacobs, Aesoph, and Raabe in 1980. The 2023 foursome placed second at the meet and also finished under the Class A state meet record. 

Eric Townsend, head coach for both Milbank teams, related other high points of the weekend. “The girls 400-meter relay team of Laney Forrette, Gemma Street, Jacy Dexter, and Siera Wenzl earned the No. 8 spot on the Milbank High School Varsity Honor Roll. The girls 800-meter relay team of Forrette, Maurina Street, Isabella Anderson, and  Wenzl moved up to No. 7 on the varsity honor roll.”

Townsend said, “The boys 1600-meter medley team of Jayden Johnson, Max Lightfield, Mertens, and Brown placed seventh with a time of 3:41.68. It also put them at No. 9 on the MHS Varsity Honor Roll.

Jacy Dexter was the highest individual place winner for the Bulldogs with her third-place finish in the pole vault at 10′ 0″.”  

Also, in the pole vault competition, Maggie Kruger earned a seventh-place medal with her vault of  9′ 0″.  Jayden Johnson placed seventh with his vault of 13′ 0″. Sam Rick broke his own eighth-grade school record with a 12′ 0″ vault which landed him at No. 8 on the varsity honor roll.  

Wenzl placed seventh in the girls 400-meter dash with her time of 1:02.93.

The boys 1600-meter relay team of J. Batchelor, Mertens, Grant Van Peursem, and Meyer placed seventh. They ran it in 3:34.77.  

According to Townsend, the girls had three relays that just missed earning a top-eight medal by a combined less than 0.5 seconds. Overall, Milbank athletes accrued 17 season-bests at the state meet. 

Max Lightfield took 12th in the boys 300-meter hurdles and 13th in the 110-meter hurdles. Emmett Hanson took 16th in the 110-meter hurdles, and Sammy Femling took 23rd.

Bianca Berry came in at 21st place in the girls 3200-meter run. Katie Kruger was 12th in the pole vault competition. Brown finished at 11th and J. Batchelor at 18th in the boys 3200-meter run.

The girls 1600- meter relay team made up of M. Street, Anderson, Ellie Neugebauer, and Wenzl took 16th place. Averie Engebretson finished at 15th place in the girls shot put competition.

J. Batchelor also took 21st place in the boys 1600-meter run. In the girls medley relay, Forrette, M. Street, Anderson and Berry collected 23rd place. M. Street, Berry, Neugebauer, and Ashlynn Batchelor claimed ninth place in the girls 3200-meter relay.

Nearly 50 schools from across South Dakota  competed in Class A. The Milbank girls took 17th place as a team. The Milbank boys took 23rd place as a team.

Sioux Falls Christian won both the boys and the girls Class A titles and took the combined title. The top girls teams were (1) Sioux Falls Christian (2) Mount Vernon-Plankinton (3) Custer (4) Sioux Valley and (5) West Central. The top boys teams were (1) Sioux Falls Christian (2) Custer (3) West Central (4) Lennox  and (5) Platte-Geddes.

Colman-Eagle won the girls Class B girls championship. Gregory took home the boys Class B title. Sioux Falls Lincoln won the Class AA championship for the girls. O’Gorman took home the title for the boys.