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Apr. 21—Outdoor track and field season is just taking off across South Dakota, but already several athletes have started to separate themselves by establishing times and marks that won't be easy to beat.
Here are four of the top performances so far this spring from across South Dakota:
A two-time South Dakota Gatorade cross country athlete of the year, Castelli's distance-running prowess also translates to the track. At the Arcadia Invitational in California on April 12, Castelli posted a 1,600-meter time of 4 minutes, 40.39 seconds, which ranks No. 3 nationally per the athletic.net database as of April 15. She is the lone South Dakota girl under 5 minutes in the 1,600 meters, with her time of 4 minutes, 40.39 seconds, which is 18 seconds faster than the closest competitor in the state. On the statewide leaderboard, she also ranks second at 800 meters.
Soaring to new heights early as a sophomore, O'Neill has set a high bar to chase despite the season just getting underway. At the Queen City Classic in Spearfish on April 11, O'Neill cleared 6 feet, 10 inches, which is the highest of any South Dakota jumper during the high school season since at least 2012, according to the athletic.net database. It also put him in the all-time top-10 in South Dakota boys history, becoming only the fourth South Dakota male to clear 6-10 or better since 2000. O'Neill's previous outdoor best was 6-5 during the 2024 season, and the best by any South Dakotan last year was 6-7. O'Neill's leap is currently three inches higher than the closest competitor.
There's a clear trend atop the state's girls pole vault leaderboard. Three athletes have cleared 12 feet so far this season, and they all share the same last name and school. Ciana Stiefel, a senior, is the two-time defending Class A state champion in the event and cleared the state's best mark to date on April 8, as did Kelsey Stiefel, a sophomore. Tenlee Stiefel, an eighth-grader, followed suit on April 11. Last season, only three total girls in the state eclipsed 12 feet for the whole season, a trio that included Ciana's state-best mark of 12 feet, 9 inches.
Early indications are that the title of South Dakota's fastest athlete is going to come down to Thiesse and 2024 Class AA boys 100-meter state champion Griffin Fischer, of Sioux Falls Lincoln, this spring. So far, Thiesse, who previously competed at O'Gorman, tops the 100-meter leaderboards with a time of 10.66 seconds and is also fifth at 200 meters. Thiesse and Fischer anchor their respective 4x100-meter relay squads, which both rank top-two in South Dakota so far this spring.
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Here are four of the top performances so far this spring from across South Dakota:
A two-time South Dakota Gatorade cross country athlete of the year, Castelli's distance-running prowess also translates to the track. At the Arcadia Invitational in California on April 12, Castelli posted a 1,600-meter time of 4 minutes, 40.39 seconds, which ranks No. 3 nationally per the athletic.net database as of April 15. She is the lone South Dakota girl under 5 minutes in the 1,600 meters, with her time of 4 minutes, 40.39 seconds, which is 18 seconds faster than the closest competitor in the state. On the statewide leaderboard, she also ranks second at 800 meters.
Soaring to new heights early as a sophomore, O'Neill has set a high bar to chase despite the season just getting underway. At the Queen City Classic in Spearfish on April 11, O'Neill cleared 6 feet, 10 inches, which is the highest of any South Dakota jumper during the high school season since at least 2012, according to the athletic.net database. It also put him in the all-time top-10 in South Dakota boys history, becoming only the fourth South Dakota male to clear 6-10 or better since 2000. O'Neill's previous outdoor best was 6-5 during the 2024 season, and the best by any South Dakotan last year was 6-7. O'Neill's leap is currently three inches higher than the closest competitor.
There's a clear trend atop the state's girls pole vault leaderboard. Three athletes have cleared 12 feet so far this season, and they all share the same last name and school. Ciana Stiefel, a senior, is the two-time defending Class A state champion in the event and cleared the state's best mark to date on April 8, as did Kelsey Stiefel, a sophomore. Tenlee Stiefel, an eighth-grader, followed suit on April 11. Last season, only three total girls in the state eclipsed 12 feet for the whole season, a trio that included Ciana's state-best mark of 12 feet, 9 inches.
Early indications are that the title of South Dakota's fastest athlete is going to come down to Thiesse and 2024 Class AA boys 100-meter state champion Griffin Fischer, of Sioux Falls Lincoln, this spring. So far, Thiesse, who previously competed at O'Gorman, tops the 100-meter leaderboards with a time of 10.66 seconds and is also fifth at 200 meters. Thiesse and Fischer anchor their respective 4x100-meter relay squads, which both rank top-two in South Dakota so far this spring.
Continue reading...
