SIOUX FALLS – Area athletes continued to rack up championships and outstanding performances at day two of the Class B State Track and Field Meet at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls on Friday.

Herreid-Selby Area’s Brenden Begeman won a state title in the shot put. The standout senior won the event with a throw of 51 feet, 9.50 inches, outdueling De Smet’s Damon Wilkinson (51 feet, 4.75 inches).

Begeman admitted that he was a bit apprehensive going into the event.

“I was a little nervous going into it because I hurt my hamstring doing triple jump (Thursday), so I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do the glide, which is my normal form,” Begeman said.

Instead, Begeman was forced to go with a different throwing form.

“I knew I was going to have to do a shuffle, but I had shuffled a 51-foot, 3-inch throw earlier this year,” Begeman said. “But I also wasn’t as injured when I did that, so I was pretty nervous coming out, but still confident.”

Begeman said it was meaningful to cap off his career with a championship.

“It means a lot to me,” Begeman said. “My brother Trevor threw and has the state meet record and so he’s been trying to give me tips, and he helped me get in the weight room and everything. Big shoutout to Trevor.”

Aside from the competition, Begeman was also thankful for the support from the fans and the atmosphere that they bring to the meet.

“It’s incredible. There are so many different fans that came here, not just to support me, but to support everybody,” Begeman said. “I did have a lot of fans that made trips all the way up here, so it was really cool to hear all of them cheering and really gave me an adrenaline boost to throw (today).”

Wolsey-Wessington’s Caleb Richmond continued to take the Warbirds across the finish line in victory. One day after a narrow win in the sprint medley relay, the freshman won an individual event, capturing the 800-meter run with a time of 2:01.88, edging out Northwestern’s Lincoln Woodring (2:02.54).

Richmond knew the race would not come without its challenges.

“I knew I just had to get out hard. I (was) just thinking somebody else is gonna pace me, but that didn’t really happen, so I was just kind of cruising the first lap,” Richmond said. “And then, somebody ended up passing me, so I just said to myself ‘I’m not going to try to let him gap me,’ so then I just started picking it up, and some other dude came flying in, and so, he kind of made me run as fast as I could that last 100.”

Richmond also anchored the Warbirds’ 1,600-meter relay prelim, which finished first in the heat and third overall, qualifying for today’s finals. Richmond was confident in his team’s chances in the 1,600-meter relay final.

“We definitely have a big chance of winning that, too,” Richmond said. “Deubrook’s a really good team, but I think we can definitely get them with maybe the same order, same people.”

Ipswich’s Trevor Heinz posted a runner-up finish in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 11.75 inches, second only to Wall’s Rylan McDonnell (22 feet, 8.25 inches). The junior was pleased with his jump despite his busy weekend.

“I thought I performed well. I’ve got a lot of events this weekend, so I’m just trying to help the team as much as I can and push my abilities,” Heinz said. “I thought I came out swinging and I made Rylan show he’s a good jumper. He came out and showed that.”

Heinz said he uses a different style in the long jump than most of the other jumpers.

“I have a little different technique than a lot of other people,” Heinz said. “I use a hitch-kick technique. Some people hang, but I have a hitch kick that I use.”

Heinz, the younger brother of former Ipswich girls’ standout Macy Heinz, said he tries to carry on the family name, as well as add to the program’s rich history.

“It’s good definitely to try and uphold the legacy in Ipswich and my family name,” Heinz said. “Obviously, my sister’s a very good athlete.”

Heinz said he is thankful for his family’s love and support.

“My parents still love me and my family, whether I’m a good athlete or not, so that helps,” Heinz said. “They’re very supportive of me no matter how I do.”

Northwestern’s Ella Boekelheide finished runner-up in two events. The freshman finished runner-up to Chester Area standout Emery Larson in the 3,200-meter run, as well as the 800-meter run. Boekelheide described her goals going into each event.

“The two-mile, just going out there, really no expectations, just trying to push myself, and same thing with the 800,” Boekelheide said. ” I was just trying to get better than last year. I think that’s a good improvement, just better than last year.”

Boekelheide said that taking a few chances has led to improvement in the 800.

“You have to be able to take risks in the 800, because that’s how you improve. That’s how you win,” Boekelheide said.

Boekelheide pointed out a pair of elements that have been a key to her running.

“A lot of dedication. A lot of self-discipline,” Boekelheide said. “Running is very much self-discipline. You don’t always have someone telling you what to do. You just have to mentally be able to do it yourself.”

Boekelheide was also impressed with the atmosphere of the state meet.

“It’s definitely different than any other meet, and you have to be prepared for that and not let that fake you out,” Boekelheide said.

Britton-Hecla’s Abigail Lee earned a podium finish in the long jump. The freshman placed fifth after finishing with a leap of 16 feet, 1 inch. Lee was surprised at how well she did.

“It went a lot better than expected,” Lee said. “I got a personal best by almost a foot.”

Lee qualified for the top 24 just weeks before the state meet.

“I just had a really good jump,” Lee said. “I wasn’t supposed to be in the top 24 right away, but I did move up to 23rd.”

For Aberdeen Christian, Abe Kretchman and Andrew Brennan both finished off their long jump careers on the podium. In addition to his runner-up finish in the triple jump on Thursday, Kretchman capped off his long jump career with a third-place finish, while Brennan finished in sixth place. Fellow senior Jackson Isakson just missed a podium finish, placing tenth.

Knights coach Sam Bjorkman had mixed emotions on the event.

“Great to see three friends competing together,” Bjorkman said. “I wish Jackson could have placed as well, as he’s jumped right with Andrew throughout the year, but he’s such a great teammate that he didn’t let it show, even though I know he was disappointed.”

Bjorkman is excited to see how his team will compete on the last day of the meet.

“Glad to have two distance girls competing. (It is the) last race for Rachel (Beaner),” Bjorkman said. “And glad to see Shawnteah (La Croix) make the finals in both events (100 and 200).”

For complete results, click on the following link:

https://results.dakotatiming.com/display.html?event_id=1245