Lennox track and field rewrites record books in historic season

It has already been a record-breaking spring for the Lennox High School track and field program—and if recent performances are any indication, the Orioles are just getting started.

“We have actually had numerous school records set so far this year,” said head coach Jared Vlastuin. “It has been a really good year thus far.”

From relay dominance to individual breakthroughs, Lennox athletes are not only rewriting the school record book but consistently placing among the top competitors at meets across the region.

Leading the charge is a dynamic girls sprint relay group that continues to elevate expectations. The 4x200-meter relay team of Tori Gerdes, Jayla DeCou, Holly Gillick and Bergan Musser broke a school record last week—one that had just been set in 2024 by a nearly identical lineup. Even more impressive, that previous mark had stood untouched since 1999.

According to Vlastuin, the group shaved nearly three seconds off the record despite less-than-perfect handoffs.

“The cool part about what they did… was that they broke it by close to three seconds with three pretty poor handoffs,” he said. “This group is only about a second off the all-time South Dakota Top 10, so that’s a very realistic goal.”

The group captured first place at the USD Battle of the Border with the record setting time of 1:43.60. 

Individually, Bergan Musser continues to make history. The standout freshman broke her own school record in the long jump and now sits ninth all-time in South Dakota with a leap of 19 feet, 1.5 inches last week. She also set a new school record in the 200-meter dash (24.73) and currently ranks No. 1 in the state in the event.

In the field events, senior Addison Martz etched her name into Lennox history by breaking a shot put record that had stood since 2000, set by Amber Smit. Martz has been dominant this season, consistently finishing at or near the top in both shot put and discus.

On the boys side, the 4x100-meter relay team of Charley Bittner, Jaxson Bittner, Tate Gerdes and Teegan Musser set a new school record, showcasing the program’s depth and speed. The group recently earned a first-place finish (44.34) at the Tea Area Invite.

Elijah Johnson also added his name to the record book, setting a new school mark in the pole vault with a clearance of 10 feet, 6 inches.

Despite battling strong winds at the Tea Area Invite on April 23, Lennox athletes turned in a number of top-eight performances across both the boys and girls divisions.

On the track, Bergan Musser claimed first place in the 100 meters (12.05), while Tori Gerdes swept the hurdles, winning both the 100-meter hurdles (15.75) and 300-meter hurdles (49.48). On the boys side, Jaxson Bittner placed second in both the 100 (11.02) and 200 (22.80).

In distance events, Cloy McVey led the way with a first-place finish in the 800 meters (2:04.66), followed closely by teammate Drake Mikkelsen in second (2:05.47). McVey’s performance ranks among the top in Class A this season. Isaak Booker won the 400 meter dash with a time of 54.42 in the event. Aiden Hanssen took fifth (58.29). 

The Orioles also dominated in the relays. The girls 4x100 (Gerdes, Musser, Gillick, DeCou) took first and currently sits No. 1 in Class A, while the girls 4x400 (DeCou, Musser, Gillick, and Karlie Bosma) and boys 4x100 (Charley Bittner, J. Bittner, Tate Gerdes, and Teegan Musser) relay teams also captured gold with times of 4:18.98 and 44.34 respectively. 

Both the boys and girls 4x800 relay teams added runner-up finishes. Girls team members included Bosma, Kamille Schmidt, Sophia Johnson, and Adie McVey. They clocked a time of 10:10.78. The boys’ team of Cloy McVey, Isaak Booker, Aiden Hanssen, and Landon Strasser, clocked a time of 8:46.14. 

Field events proved equally successful. Addison Martz won the shot put with a throw of 37’6” and placed second in the javelin with a throw of 101’3”, while Marren Juffer captured first in the discus with a throw that ranks among the top in the state (121’10”). On the boys side, Tate Gerdes and Teegan Musser shared first place in the high jump, each clearing 6 feet, 2 inches.

Additional top-eight finishers included Wyatt Bult in both hurdle events. Bult took fourth in the 110 (16.46) and third 300 (48.0). Adie McVey took third in the 1600 meters (6:01.48); Kamille Schmidt second in the 3200 (13:03.48); Holly Gillick who took fourth in the high jump (4’10”); Mia Hanisch fifth in the javelin (92’8”); Brennen Juffer third in the javelin (145’4”); Elijah Johnson second in the pole vault (10’6”),  Mia Hanisch third (33’1.5”) and Sydney Johnson fourth (32’10”) in the shot put; Noah Sitter placed sixth in the triple jump (36’10.5”); Teegan Musser took fifth in the 100 (11.19): DeCou fourth in the 100 (12.48); Briana Slack sixth in the 100 meter hurdles (18.02); Cayden Huls eight in the 110 meter hurdles (18.24) and fifth in the 300 meeter hurdles (50.84); Karlie Bosma took seven in the 400 (1:06.35); Lucy Carlson seven in the 800 (2:48.30); Strasser fourth in the 1600 (4:59.84); Leo Aesop fourth in the 3200 (11:20.79); and Adelynn Timmermans eighth in the triple jump (29’3.5”). 

Earlier in the week at the USD Battle of the Border, Lennox athletes continued to stack top finishes and state-ranked performances. Bergan Musser and Jayla DeCou went one-two in the 200 meters, while Cloy McVey placed third in the 1600 with one of the top times in the state this season. Addison Martz won the discus with a throw of 126’3”. Teegan Musser took second in the high jump, clearing 6’5” and Tate Gerdes claimed second in the triple jump, jumping 44’.75” to place second overall in Class A this year. 

The boys 4x800 relay captured first place with a season-best performance and time of 8:43.59. 

With multiple school records already broken and several athletes climbing the state rankings, Vlastuin believes even bigger performances are on the horizon.

“Weather permitting, I have a lot of relays aligned at Howard Wood that could really do some special things this weekend,” he said.

The 101st Annual Howard Wood Dakota Relays are set to begin on Friday, May 1 and continue into Saturday, May 2.