Let the final countdown begin.

As track and field athletes take sight on next week’s state meet in Sioux Falls, the final entrants will be determined during the next 48 hours.

Those with the top 24 times and distances in 20 events will advance to the state meet and there are numerous athletes and squads that are currently on the bubble. Teams from across the state will be in action today and tomorrow in an attempt to secure those coveted positions.

Coaches have been hard at work trying to find the best solutions for their athletes.

“It’s definitely been a different strategy from a coach’s side of it,” said Great Plains Lutheran coach Derrick Ovall. “It’s been a lot of fun to kind of sit back with the other coaches and try to decide what makes the most sense for each athlete.”

In the past, there has been a variety of methods to determine the state tourney field, from top qualifiers at region meets to automatic in-season qualifiers. Those have been replaced by the current “24” system.

Which leads us to a frantic final weekend as those in the top two dozen try to stay there, while those just on the outside try to get into the state meet.

Some teams, like GPL, have multiple events which could go either way. The Panthers will head to Flandreau for their final meet today.

“We’ve been very fortunate that most of the teams from our region are going to be there,” Ovall said. “Just looking at the numbers and stats from that group of schools, I like to think that our old region has a lot of very good track teams right now.”

He is hoping that the solid competition will help spur his athletes on to produce season-best times.

“One of the good examples for (Thursday) is going to be our boys 4X4 is currently tied for 23rd,” Ovall said. “We’re either the fourth or the fifth seed in (Thursday’s) track meet … so we’ve got a lot of good teams that will push us in that event (Thursday).”

Often times there are multiple variables involved in determining who competes in what.

For instance, GPL senior Halle Bauer is currently ranked number 25 in the 400-meter dash. Known more for her distance running, Bauer will try to get into the state meet in the shorter race.

“I’m actually going to run her in the 400 (Thursday). That was one of the things we talked about early in the season,” Ovall said. “She would really like to run some more of the mid-distance races this year and being a senior, we want to make sure she gets to state, but we also want to make sure she’s enjoying her last year of running, too.”

Not only that, but Bauer is very close to setting a school record in that race.

“She’s really focused on that 400 (Thursday),” Ovall said. “There will be some competition in that, too.”

Ovall believes that there will be some movement in the next two days among the top 24 entrants. Official entries will be released on Saturday.

“If you’ve got an athlete say 25 through 30, I think there’s going to be a big push to try to get them in,” Ovall said. “That’s where with the situation we’re in right now having a lot of athletes in that 20-24 range, it makes us know that we have to work a little harder in that too, just to improve our times.”

Ovall said that while he enjoyed the days of qualifying through regions or in-season qualifying, he thinks the current system helps to ensure a better state meet.

“I think you’re getting a more elite track meet when we go to state this way,” Ovall said. “You’re getting the top teams, the top individual athletes and it makes it for a more competitive state track meet.”

That said, it does make for a little more last-minute drama and suspense as coaches try to figure out the best paths to the state meet.

“I lose a little sleep, but I’m very fortunate, a lot of the athletes that we have out for track – I would say 95 percent of them – want to be out for track,” Ovall said.

That helps to ensure that wherever the GPL coaching staff places the athletes, they can expect maximum effort.

“I believe I get 100 percent out of these kids at every track meet,” Ovall said. “They give us their all every time they’re on the track.”

LEADING THE WAY: There was some movement among the top athletes this past week and there are fewer members who lead more than two open events.

Nyariek Kur of Sioux Falls Washington continues to the top the Class AA girls in the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump and triple jump, while Ashtyn Massey of Menno leads Class B girls in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, 400-meter dash and triple jump.

There are currently seven other athletes who lead two open events.

BY THE NUMBERS: A few teams have broken from the pack among the team leaders. Brandon Valley now tops seven events in Class AA girls, while Sioux Falls Christian sets the pace in the Class A girls with six events.

Other team leaders include Brookings, Rapid City Stevens, and Sioux Falls Lincoln in Class AA boys (three events each), Hot Springs in Class A boys (five events), Ipswich in Class B boys (four events), and Menno and Burke in Class B girls (three events each).