State Champions Smith, Musser & boys’ 4x200 take titles at State

LHS boys earn State A runner-up; girls claim third

The Lennox High School track and field teams capped off a sensational spring season with an incredible showing at the 2025 SDHSAA State Track and Field Meet, held May 29–31 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.

The Oriole boys soared to a runner-up finish in Class A, scoring 86 points behind team champion Sioux Falls Christian. The Lennox girls had an outstanding weekend as well, claiming third place with 85 points—behind Sioux Falls Christian and Custer. The meet was packed with school records, personal bests, and state titles for the Orioles. 

Leading the charge for the Lennox girls was Bergan Musser, who had a banner weekend. Musser won the Class A girls long jump with a huge personal best and school record leap of 18’10.25”. She also earned runner-up honors in the 100m (12.15), 200m (24.92, school record), and 400m (57.83)—scoring an astounding 34 points individually.

On the boys’ side, Layton Smith brought home the State title as the Class A high jump champion, clearing a personal best height of 6’6” and earning a share of the All-Class gold medal. Teammates Tate Gerdes and Teegan Musser tied for sixth in high jump. Gerdes also claimed third in the triple jump with a new personal best 42’3.75”. T. Musser placed fourth in the long jump with a jump of 20’7.5”,

The boys 4x200m relay team of T. Musser, Jaxson Bittner, Boston Katzer, and Drake Mikkelsen delivered a show-stopping performance to claim the state title in the event, clocking 1:29.47 — a season’s best. Mikkelsen also raced to third in the 400 meter dash with a time of 50.68 seconds and anchored the third-place 4x400m relay (3:26.86, season’s best) with teammates Isaak Booker, Noah Sayler, and Cade Sherard. Mikkelsen also was a member of the boys’ medley relay team along with Bittner, Katzer, and Sherard who captured fifth at State with their time of 3:38.73. 

The 4x100m relay team of Ben Dejong, Bittner, Katzer, and T. Musser also placed sixth at State with a season’s best time of 43.93 seconds, beating their school record. 

Freshman Jayla DeCou added valuable points for the girls, placing fourth in the 200m (25.59 PR), sixth in the 100m (12.64), and sixth in the 400m (1:00.34). 

In hurdles, Tori Gerdes placed fifth in both the 100m hurdles (15.44 PR) and 300m hurdles (46.33), lowering her own school record in the 300m hurdles. 

Also for the LHS girls, Adie McVey was seventh in the 1600m with a personal record of 5:12.49 and she helped the girls 4x800m relay finish as state runners-up with a season’s best time of 9:37.59. Teammates included Karlie Bosma, Sophia Johnson, and Kelsey Schmidt. 

Schmidt also earned fifth in the 3200m with a personal best time of 11:23.75. 

The girls medley relay team of Ryan Hanssen, Tori Gerdes, Bosma, and A. McVey placed third at State and broke the school record with a time of 4:13.46. The 4x400m relay team of Josephine Plucker, Tori Gerdes, Bosma, and DeCou finished third with a time of 4:03.79. 

In the throws, Addison Martz placed third in the discus (124’06”) and ninth in both the shot put (24’10.5”) and javelin, where she threw a personal record of 107’3”. Jevyn Lefers contributed to the boys’ total with a sixth place finish in the shot put (48’10.75”) and a seventh place finish in the discus (138’03”).

Distance runner Cloy McVey had success across three events, placing second in the 1600m with a personal best 4:24.88, third in the 800m with another personal best of 1:58.04, and sixth in the 3200m with another personal record of 9:53.00. Noah Sayler finished sixth in the 800m with a personal record of 1:59.56, and joined McVey, Sherard, and Chett Jibben to finish third in the 4x800m relay in a season’s best time 8:10.22. 

With state titles, runner-up finishes, and a host of school records shattered, the 2025 State Meet was a successful one for the Orioles. 

Lennox State meet full results are as follows: 

Girls Track & Field

100m Dash

2. Bergan Musser – 12.15

6. Jayla DeCou – 12.64

200m Dash

2. Bergan Musser – 24.92 -SR

4. Jayla DeCou – 25.59 -PR

400m Dash

2. Bergan Musser – 57.83

6. Jayla DeCou – 1:00.34

100m Hurdles

5. Tori Gerdes – 15.44 -PR

300m Hurdles

5. Tori Gerdes – 46.33 -SR

800m Run

11. Adie McVey - 2:19.37 -PR

13. Karlie Bosma - 2:20.14 -PR

1600m Run

7. Adie McVey – 5:12.49 -PR

12. Kelsey Schmidt - 5:24.17

3200m Run

5. Kelsey Schmidt – 11:23.75

Long Jump

1. Bergan Musser – 18-10.25  -SR

12. Holly Gillick - 15-5.00

Discus

3. Addison Martz – 124-06

Javelin Throw

9. Addison Martz - 107-03 -PR

13. Lilly Meyer - 100-07 -SB

Shot Put

9. Addison Martz - 34-10.5

11. Mia Hanisch - 34-3.00

High Jump

Ryan Hanssen - NH

Holly Gillick - NH

4x400m Relay

3. Plucker, Gerdes, Bosma, DeCou – 4:03.79

4x800m Relay

2. McVey, Bosma, Johnson, Schmidt – 9:37.59 -SB

Sprint Medley Relay

3. Hanssen, Gerdes, Bosma, McVey – 4:13.46 - SR

4x200m Relay

18. (Prelims) Hanssen, Gillick, Plucker, Adalynn Timmermans

Boys Track & Field

400m Dash

3. Drake Mikkelsen – 50.68

800m Run

3. Cloy McVey – 1:58.04 -PR

6. Noah Sayler – 1:59.56 -PR

14. Cade Sherard - 2:01.62

1600m Run

2. Cloy McVey – 4:24.88 -PR

12. Noah Sayler - 4:36.11 -PR

21. Chett Jibben - 4:46.60

3200m Run

6. Cloy McVey – 9:53.00 -PR

16. Landon Strasser - 10:18.73 -PR

High Jump

1. Layton Smith – 6-06.00 -PR

T6. Teegan Musser – 6-02.00

T6. Tate Gerdes – 6-02.00

Triple Jump

3. Tate Gerdes – 42-03.75 - PR

Long Jump

4. Teegan Musser – 20-07.50

15. Jaxson Bittner - 19-05.75

Discus

7. Jevyn Lefers – 138-03

Nate Haar - ND

Shot Put

6. Jevyn Lefers – 48-10.75

11. Nate Haar - 45-9.25

19. Emory Lefers - 42-8.75

Javelin Throw

12. Brennen Juffer - 148-00

4x100m Relay

6. Dejong, Bittner, Katzer, Musser – 43.93 -SR

4x200m Relay

Musser, Bittner, Katzer, Mikkelsen – 1:29.47 -SB

4x400m Relay

3. Booker, Sayler, Sherard, Mikkelsen – 3:26.86 -SB

4x800m Relay

3. Sayler, Sherard, Jibben, McVey – 8:10.22 -SB

Sprint Medley Relay

5. Bittner, Katzer, Mikkelsen, Sherard – 3:38.73