SIOUX FALLS – Success can be measured in many different ways and area athletes proved that by turning in memorable performances during the first round of the State Track and Field Meet Thursday at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.

While state championships were hard to come by, school records and personal records were not as Class B teams and individuals took advantage of solid weather conditions and fierce competition.

The Potter County girls’ 3,200-meter relay team finished third in that event, but still managed to break the school record during the race.

“We came in ranked third and we PR’d our time by four more seconds and then we also broke our school record,” said relay member Kirstie Lake. “It was pretty cool.”

Lake ran the third leg on that relay, and then turned around and filled in as anchor leg in the sprint medley relay. That team finished second in its heat.

“This one we were a little worried about coming in,” Lake said after the medley. “I usually run the 400 in this one. I usually don’t anchor this one. Our 800 runner is running the open 8 (Friday). I’m usually used to running only one 800 per meet.”

Lake is a senior while the rest of her teammates are eighth-graders. She said she enjoys running with the younger girls.

“It makes me feel good that I can run with them,” Lake said. “They push me to be better than I was when I was their age, so I like that a lot.”

Aberdeen Christian’s Abe Kretchman recorded a personal best mark on the way to finishing fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 41-feet 6 1/4-inches.

“I just felt good about it,” said Kretchman who broke his PR by a foot. “I built up more speed and I made sure I was using good form.”

Kretchman also ran on the Knights 400-meter relay team that qualified for the finals. The team recorded a season-best time, despite having a rough handoff.

“I thought we all did really good,” Kretchman said. “Our handoff here on third to fourth could have been a little better, but we clean that up on Saturday, we’ll be good.”

Kretchman, who earned his first career place at state, said competing at the meet which features thousands of spectators and athletes, is a memorable experience.

“It just feels a lot better to be competing here,” Kretchman said. “It’s just a great atmosphere, all the people cheering. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Aberdeen Roncalli’s Mason Carrels found himself in the middle of the action, competing in the pole vault. The staged vault area is in the middle of the infield surrounded by the running track.

The senior closed his season with a flurry, vaulting a personal best in the region a week ago and then taking fifth in the event at state.

“I started committing to going upside down more,” Carrels said, “and that helped with my height.”

Unlike most of the other vaulters, Carrels used a shorter approach to his vaults.

“Being in tennis, with less practice I don’t get enough time to put that work in and get all the way back there,” Carrels said, “so I just stay where I’m comfortable and it worked out for me.”

Last week Carrels competed in the state tennis tournament in Rapid City. He said there is a big difference between state track and state tennis.

“It’s definitely a lot more exciting,” Carrels said of state track. “It’s a lot more competitive for me than tennis, but tennis was a great time. I love the sport. I did it for two years and I’m happy to go out this way with track.”

It’s been a memorable year for Carrels, who finished runner-up at the Class A state golf tournament last fall, and also helped lead the Aberdeen Cougars to the state hockey tournament this past winter.

“It’s been a pretty fun senior year,” Carrels said.

With seven events going on at the same time, athletes can get a bit stretched.

Miller’s Ally Mullaney was busy running back and forth between two events at the same time.

Moments after helping her team win a heat in the 400-meter relay, Mullaney was involved in a tight battle in the high jump.

“It’s pretty hard, but I’ve been working the whole season, so I’m in pretty good shape,” Mullaney said, “and I’ve been doing this all year going back and forth, so I’m kind of used to it by now.”

Mullaney, who finished third in the high jump, said she just tries to block out all the distractions and focus on one event at a time.

“It’s a little hard,” Mullaney said, “but I just have to keep focusing on what I’m doing right now and worry about the rest later when I get there.”

Roncalli’s Jayden Munroe finished fourth in the triple jump, while Morgan Fiedler qualified for the 100-meter finals.

The Cavaliers did not qualify for the finals in the boys or girls 3,200-meter relays, but both ran their best times of the season, according to Roncalli coach Mark Stone.

“Our girls’ 4X100 ran their best time of the season, but didn’t quite make the finals and placed ninth overall,” Stone said.

The Cavaliers will be competing in a variey of events when action resumes this morning.

“We are proud of our athletes,” Stone said, “and look forward to competing in about 10 different events (today).”

The Aberdeen Christian girls also had a solid day.

Shawnteah La Croix qualified for the finals in the 100-meter dash, the girls’ 400-meter relay dropped a second off their best time and qualified for the finals, and the Knights 3,200-meter relay squad also ran a season-best time.

“Such a great day for them,” said Christian coach Sam Bjorkman of all of his athletes, pointing out the aforementioned boys’ accomplishments as well. “They’ve been super focused and did the little things right. It’s what you dream would happen at state as a competitor: PRs to advance/place.”

To see complete opening day results, click on the following link:

https://results.dakotatiming.com/display.html?event_id=1003