By Anne Homan
With their strong performances at the 2022 State A Meet, the Lennox High School boys team captured fifth place honors as a team. Pictured above (back row): Coach Jared Vlastuin, Austin Strasser, Layne Kuper, Cohen Metcalf, Layton Smith, Coach Dan DeVries, Coach Matt Luze; (front row): Coach Mike Oltmanns, Braeden Wulf, Ethan Larson, Steven Christion, Tarles Antoine, Cloy McVey, Noah Sayler, and Sam Swanson. Photos courtesy of SDPB.org and Andrea Ruud
With several performances that placed athletes on the podium at the 2022 State A Track and Field Meet, the Lennox High School boys team captured fifth place as a team.
Helping them earn that honor was Layton Smith who captured second place at the State Meet in the high jump. Smith, who saved his best jump of the season for the biggest stage, cleared 6’2” to earn second place honors in the event. Jeff Boschee of SCW won the State title in the event with a jump of 6’3”. Lennox’s Cohen Metcalf also competed in the event, clearing 5’10” but was unable to make the podium.
Steven Christion also found himself on the podium for the Orioles, placing in both the 400 meter and 200 meter dash. In the 400 meter dash, Christion clocked a time of 50.99 seconds to take fourth place in the event. Blake Boyster of Custer won the title with a time of 49.44. In the 200 meter dash, Christion crossed the finish line in 23.54 seconds to take seventh place in the event. Boyster won the title with a time of 22.51.
Austin Strasser and Layne Kuper both reached the podium twice as well, finding it in both the 110 meter high hurdles and 300 meter hurdles.
In the 110 meter high hurdles, Kuper captured fourth place with a time of 15.61 seconds. Strasser took eighth, clocking in at 16.04. Aaron Monk of Winner won the State A title with a time of 15.08 in the event.
In the 300 meter hurdles, Strasser took fourth with a time of 41.48 seconds and Kuper finished fifth, clocking in at 41.57 seconds. Josiah Adams of Sioux Falls Christian won the title with a time of 40.06.
Also earning a place on the podium in the individual events was Lennox’s Sam Swanson. Swanson took sixth in the 3200 meter run with a time of 9:58.67 in the event. Sawyer Clarkson from Belle Fourche won the event with a time of 9:24.35.
In relay action, the boys’ 4x800 meter relay team of Noah Sayler, Cloy McVey, Tarles Antoine, and Swanson took sixth place among the State’s best with a time of 8:27.03 in the event. A team from Sioux Falls Christian won the title with a time of 8:11.33.
The boys’ 1600 sprint medley team also earned a medal at State, capturing sixth place with their time of 3:46.08. Team members included Braeden Wulf, Cohen Metcalf, Ethan Larson, and Swanson. Winning the event was a team from Sioux Falls Christian in a time of 3:38.74.
The boys’ 4x100 meter relay team of Larson, Wulf, Metcalf and Christion took seventh place honors at State with a time of 45.04 seconds. The team from Sioux Falls Christian won the event with a time of 43.51.
The LHS girls finished 11th at State. Highlighting their State performances was a State Championship title run by the 1600 Sprint Medley Relay. The relay team Dani Highum, Esther Christion, Alicia Ruud, and Emily Plucker clocked a time of 4:17.88 in the event to not only win the State title but set a new school record in the process.
Other LHS girls medaling at State included the 4x800 meter relay team of E. Plucker, Karlie Bosma, Josephine Plucker, and Ruud. The team crossed the finish line in 9:54.77 to take fifth place honors. Winning the title was a team from Sioux Falls Christian with a time of 9:21.54.
The girls’ 4x400 meter relay team of Bosma, E. Plucker, Highum, and Ruud also took fifth place at State with a time of 4:12.70.
E. Plucker and Ruud also found themselves on the podium in individual events with both placing in the 800 meter run. Plucker placed fifth with a time of 2:20.07 and Ruud earned eighth with a time of 2:23.10. Winning the title was Berkeley Engelland of Mt. Vernon Plankton with a time of 2:12.88 in the event.
The 2022 State A Track and Field Meet was held at Howard Wood In Sioux Falls on May 26, 27, and 28.
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