When it comes to track and field, success is often measured in times and distances.  However, there is one element that often plays a key role in helping athletes reach their full potential: quality competition.

Whether driven by teammates or opponents, competition often brings out the best in athletes and that is certainly on display with some Northwestern runners.

Seniors Lincoln Woodring and Nathan Melius can both be found among the top Class B runners in both the 800-meter run and the 1,600-meter run this spring.

“There’s four or five of them kind of in a group and they definitely push each other,” said Northwestern boys’ coach Wade Rozell. “They’re good friends and it definitely helps.”

Rozell said the runners are self-motivated and willing to work hard to improve.

“They’re good leaders for our young kids, too,” Rozell said. “You don’t have to get after them to work hard. They just go out and do it. They love to run.”

The Wildcat runners have also benefitted from competing against stellar competition this season. For instance, Woodring recorded one of his best times in a race at Britton that was won by Tri-State standout Kaleb Foltz.

“At this time of the year you just want to have good competition,” Rozell said. “And Lincoln is one of those kids, that he wasn’t even disappointed that he lost that race. His time was good. He likes to have good competition.”

He said Melius is the same way.

The duo has recorded impressive times for this stage of the season.

“I don’t know if it’s fairly early in the season, but we’re not too far into it and these kids are running amazing,” Rozell said. “Lincoln is running a two-minute half, and Nathan is running a 2:06.”

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have former Northwestern and South Dakota State standout Derek Boekelheide in the fold as an assistant coach.

“Kids talk to Derek. They’re good friends with Derek,” Rozell said. “He gives them a little advice here and there, too. He’s very knowledgeable about that stuff, so it helps having someone like him around.”

Boekelheide told Rozell that Woodring’s time is better than what he ran in high school at this stage of the season.

All of that with normal South Dakota spring conditions that feature non-stop wind as well as cool conditions on most days.

“We’ve dealt with all kinds of weather that’s for sure,” Rozell said. “Everybody deals with it. We all have to fight the wind together.”

The Northwestern runners are about to get a serious dose of competition as they head down to the annual Howard Wood Dakota Relays in Sioux Falls next weekend. That event features the top competition from across the multi-state region.

“We’ll get what we want down there that’s for sure. There’s no doubt about that,” Rozell said. “Those kids, they kind relish that, too. They look forward to it.”

Rozell said the athletes on the team all get along and work to make each other better.

“We’ve got a really good bunch of kids this year” he said. “We do every year, but they’re pretty close, they help each other out. They root for each other, so that’s kind of a huge thing for us.”

And this year, the delegation happens to be led by some motivated seniors in the 800 and 1,600.

“We’ve got some middle-distance kids that get after it and work hard,” Rozell said.

LEADING THE WAY: There are now four athletes who top three open events.

Yankton’s Dylan Payer leads the Class AA boys in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Nyariek Kur of Sioux Falls Washington leads the Class AA girls in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. Chester’s Jovi Wolf leads the Class B boys in the 200, long jump and triple jump. Menno’s Ashton Massey is the Class B girls leader in the 100 and 300 hurdles, and the triple jump.

There are 14 other athletes who lead a pair of individual events, including Kaleb Foltz of Tri-State in the Class A boys 400 and 800, and Northwestern’s Ella Boekelheide in the Class B girls 400 and 800.

BY THE NUMBERS: Some schools are starting to separate themselves in the team leaders this week.

Sioux Falls Christian continues to set the pace in the Class A girls with seven events. Rapid City Stevens now leads the Class AA boys in six events, and Hot Springs tops the Class A boys in five events.

Other team leaders include Spearfish in Class AA girls (four events), Ipswich in Class B boys (four events), and Menno, Chester Area, and Centerville in Class B girls (three events each).