BROOKINGS – Aberdeen Central picked up three event victories and a pair of top four finishes in team points at the Eastern South Dakota Conference track and field meet Saturday.

“The kids really performed and the coaches had them ready to go,” said Central girls’ coach Jim Appl, “and that’s the fun part.”

The Golden Eagles finished third in the girls’ team points, and fourth in the boys. Both had conference champions as well.

Central won the 400-meter relay with a team comprised of Keyana Stillman, Lucy Fritz, Kamdyn Borge and Grace Rife.

“The one that I think caught everyone by surprise today without a doubt was definitely the 4X1,” Appl said.

Fritz and Borge are eighth-graders. The foursome clocked a time of 50.26 seconds.

“For those guys to be champs, it was nice to get a team up there,” Appl said. “I was very pleased with that.”

Rife also finished second in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 200-meter dash.

Appl noted that it was the running events that helped to carry the load this season, unlike last year.

“This was a complete opposite for us this year,” Appl said. “Last year the field events absolutely carried us. … This year our track events just picked them up. It was absolutely fabulous.”

Mya Arampatzis got the Eagles going on the track with a second place finish in the 100-meter hurdles.

“She kind of got us started in the hurdles there,” Appl said.

Teammates Ciara Frank and Madison Hochstetter finished fourth and fifth in that event, despite barely having any warmup time after competing in the high jump.

Frank won the high jump with Hochstetter second after both cleared 5 foot, 3 inches.

Taryn Hermansen was her usual steady self, finishing third in the shot put.

“She’s always in the top three,” Appl said. “You know at the end of day she’s going to be there.”

Appl also pointed out the efforts of Lauren Joosten and Angelina Lopez in the relays.

On the boys’ side, Central won an ESD championship in the high jump where Tyler Bain cleared 6 feet, 3 inches.

“High jump, obviously having a conference champion in Tyler Bain is a pretty good thing,” said Central boys’ coach Greg Murley. “I’m pretty excited for him. … He almost had 6-4 cleared. He’s getting better and better all the time.”

Jett Carlson finished runner-up in the javelin.

“Jett Carlson getting second is huge,” Murley said. “He was only a couple of feet from winning the dang thing.”

Throwers Jack Bertsch and Joran Foss both earned places in the discus, and the Eagles grabbed three places in the shot put, all underclassmen.

On the track, senior David Van Veen had a big day, finishing second in the 1,600, placing in the 3,200, and running a strong leg on a relay team.

“David had just gotten better and better. He’s moved up to second in the state,” Murley said of his time in the 1,600.

Eighth-grader Tate DeVries got fifth place in the 3,200, and Central also grabbed three places in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles led by Colby Dauwen in fourth. Dauwen also ran a strong anchor led on the 1,600-meter relay squad that just missed taking first place.

“That team is getting better and better every week,” Murley said.

All in all, it was a good day for Central athletes.

“The ESD has a big tradition,” Murley said, “and we were right in there fighting with the big boys and that’s always fun.”

Central will host its Field Event Meet on Tuesday at Brownell Activities Complex, before wrapping up the regular season with a meet at Huron on Thursday.

Appl said the Eagles were able to take advantage of the weather conditions during the ESD meet.

“When you go to a track meet and you’re not talking about the wind, that’s a great thing,” Appl said.

To see complete meet results, click on the following link:

https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/539223/results/all