Many of the best northeastern South Dakota Class A and B girls track and field athletes since 1985
Editor's Note: Sports writer Roger Merriam is compiling a "20 Favorites" series highlighting some of his favorite athletes in a variety of high school sports since he started working at the Watertown Public Opinion in December of 1984. The series is about northeastern South Dakota athletes, but some played at colleges all over the state and others have moved to other areas.
After a temporary delay, the "20 Favorites" series is back with a number of entries scheduled to be released this summer with the final stories coming later this fall.
Today, we start a series of four track and field articles by looking at some of the best area Class A and B girls' athletes essentially since the spring of 1985.
Up next will be area Class A and B boys' track and field athletes.
Let's get going, but again, the order doesn't really matter until the final couple of positions.
20. Others
Just based on sheer numbers, it seems likely there have been more track and field athletes (boys and girls combined) than any other sport. So that probably means, there's a good chance we've missed more track athletes who deserve mention.
Some of those we considered heavily for spots included sprinters MaKenzie Hageman of Waverly-South Shore, Mackenzie Everson of Castlewood, Chloe Raw of Arlington and Tasha Heesch of Tri-State, who were all placed multiple years in state Class B sprints. Hageman, who is deaf, later competed at Dakota Wesleyan and Northern State and has represented the United States multiple times in the DeafOlympics. Raw won the Class B girls' 100 and 200-meter dashes in last month's state track meet.
A few others include Mackenzie Huber of Clark-Willow Lake (thrower), Gabby Renelt of Wilmot (high jumper), Faith Leiseth of Hamlin (thrower and older sister of Gracelyn Leiseth, see below), Kami Wadsworth of Hamlin (thrower), Corrie and Stacie Vedvei of Lake Preston (state B discus champions), Halle Bauer of Great Plains Lutheran (distance runner) and Sadie Johnson of Estelline-Hendricks (multi-event competitor). Believe me, there's tons more.
19. Kelsey Barrett, Britton-Hecla
Barrett not only won four state Class A championships in cross country but also shine in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs in state track meets.
She won the 3,200 three times (2008-2010) and also won the 1,600 in 2010 after finishing third in 2008 and second in 2009.
18. Ashley Vandermeer, Shaylee DeBeer and Josie and Ellie Olsen, Deubrook Area
Deubrook Area won three-straight state Class B girls division championships from 2017-19 with Vandermeer (long and triple jumps), DeBoer (sprints, jumps and relays) and Josie Olsen (distance and relays) playing big roles.
Ellie Olsen, a 2023 graduate, showed her skills in a number of running events. The Olsen sisters are the daughters of Pam (Drietz) Olson, an eighth-time NCAA Division II All-American in track and cross country at North Dakota State University.
Vandermeer competed at Dordt (Iowa) University, DeBeer at Dakota State and Josie Olsen at South Dakota Stae.
17. Audra Henderson, New Effington and Michele Lick, Rosholt
I put these two standout sprinters together because they often competed against each other as northeastern South Dakota neighbors in the late 1980s. They both placed in Class B sprints at the state meet and Henderson anchored New Effington's winning 400-meter relay in 1988. I'm not entirely sure of the school district breakdown, but it's possible if they were competing now that they'd be Tri-State teammates.
Lick went on to star in women's basketball at Northern State University.
16. Kelsey Kaufmann and Jenn Tuttle, Arlington
Yes, Arlington has produced a lot of really good athletes these past 40 years and here are two volleyball stars who also excelled in track and field.
After the girls' pole vault was added as an event in the 1990s, Tuttle won it the first three years in Class B (1997-99). Kaufmann won two Class B high jump titles and also placed in the pole vault and long jump in Class B from 2010-12.
Tuttle played volleyball at South Dakota State. Kaufmann played volleyball and also excelled in the high jump at Augustana.
20 Favorites: Links to the stories highlighting the best northeastern South Dakota athletes since 1984
15. Trish Lundin, Sioux Valley
I've mentioned many times during the "20 Favorites" research process that I've learned as much or more than the readers have. The more I learned about Lundin helped her make this list.
As a freshman in 1992, she won the Class A 400-meter dash and then anchored the winning 1,600 relay team that clinched the state team title for Sioux Valley (the only state girls' track title in school history). She won the 400 dash each of the next three years and also placed in the 200 dash, 800 run and various relays.
She later ran at the University of South Dakota and was a member of the 1998 Coyote team that swept the North Central Conference indoor and outdoor titles, placed second in the nation indoors and fifth outdoors in NCAA Division II and was inducted in USD's Hall of Champions in 2019.
14. Jill Sutton, De Smet
The South Dakota High School Activities Association Yearbook is available online (from the 2004-05 school year to present) and recaps state competitions in all sports. I also have access to printed versions from 1992-93 through 2003-04, so my research through the Public Opinion archives for state track highlights was basically from 1985 through 1992, but I still messed up writing down all of Sutton's accomplishments.
She did anchor the winning Class A medley relay in 1988 for De Smet and finished second (1990) and first (1991) in the state B 800-meter runs. There was other success in the relays. She later ran track and even lettered a year in basketball at South Dakota State.
As one SDSU Jackrabbit said on an online forum post, Sutton was the highlight of every high school track meet that person saw.
13. Kristin Peterson, Arlington
Like Barrett, Peterson was a four-time state cross country champion (Class B, 1995-98) who also enjoyed plenty of track and field success in distance races. She was a three-time state champ in the Class B 3,200-meter run and also won the 1,600 once, placing nine times overall in the two races along some relay races.
She later ran cross country and track at Northern State University before being inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.
12. Allison Peters, Britton-Hecla
Peters was a standout hurdler and long and triple jumper for the Braves in the early 1990s, who later continued her career in college at South Dakota State University.
She capped her high school career by winning the Class A 100-meter hurdles and the long and triple jumps at the 1994 state meet. As a junior, she won the 100 hurdles and took second in both jumps.
11. Ashley Gruenwald and Tess Johnson, Clark-Willow Lake
These two are listed together because they were key cogs in leading Clark-Willow Lake to the state Class A girls championship in 2010 and a runner-up finish in 2011.
In 2010, Gruenwald won the 400-meter dash and took second in the 800 and Johnson added a runner-up finish in the triple jump and the 1,600 run. I believe they also could have been factors on the Cyclones' third-place medley and 1,600 relays.
In 2011, Johnson won the long and triple jumps and Gruenwald won the 400 and took second in the 800, They also ran on the winning medley relay.
Gruenwald later ran at South Dakota State. Johnson competed in the pentathalon at the University of Mary in Bismarck (N.D.) and later at the University of South Dakota.
Gracelyn Leiseth: University of Florida freshman Gracelyn Leiseth takes 15th in women's shot put at nationals
10. Isabelle Bloker, Sioux Valley
Bloker could likely be higher on this list because she just completed her junior season in late May by repeating as the state Class A champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs. She established new state Class A meet records in both races.
She also placed third in the 3,200 and iffth in the 1,600 as a freshman in 2022 and has another year to add the totals.
9. Leanne Bohls, Arlington
Arlington captured state Class B girls titles in 1986 and 1987 with Bohls leading the way.
She was named the outstanding Class B girls athlete in the 1986 meet after taking third in the 200-meter dash and running on the winning 800 relay and two other runner-up relays. The Cardinals repeated the next year Bohls running on the winning 800 and medley relays and fifth-place 1,600 relay.
8. Sara Deckert, Doland-Conde
Deckert was only a freshman in 1993 when she won the Class B 400-meter dash and added second-place finishes in both the 100 and 200 to lead Doland-Conde to the state team championship.
She won the 200 and placed second in the 100 and fourth in the 400 in 1994 and then swept the 100 and 200 dashes in both 1995 and 1996.
Deckert later ran at the University of South Dakota and was a member of the 1998 Coyote team that swept the North Central Conference indoor and outdoor titles, placed second in the nation indoors and fifth outdoors in NCAA Division II and was inducted in USD's Hall of Champions in 2019.
7. Tracy Randall & Tara-Elisa Cyre, Hamlin
Randall and the Cyre sisters were a trio of lightning fast sprinters for the Chargers (get the pun?) from the late 1980s through the late 1990s. They were all fast.
Randall came first and capped her notable career in the 1991 state meet by finishing third in both the Class A 100 and 200 and running on the winning 1,600 relay, the first state girls' relay championship quartet in school history.
Tara Cyre was only an eighth-grader in 1991, but later took over the throne by winning Class A 100 and 200 at the 1992 state meet. She also won the 200 and took third in the 100 in 1993, placed third in the 100 again in 1994 and then won the 100 and took fifth in the 200, while also running on the winning 400 relay, as a senior in 1995.
Elisa Cyre was only an eighth-grader in 1995, but later took over the throne by winning the Class A 100, taking second in the 200 and running on the winning 400 relay in 1996. She must have been injured in 1997, but did return in 1998 and 1998 to place high in both the 100 and 200 at state and run on another state champion 400 relay in 1999.
I'm not sure if Tracy or Tara ran in college, but Elisa did at Augustana and ran on a couple of relay teams that still hold school records. Tracy Randall married Travis Ronke of Watertown and their daughter Tegan won a state Class B pole vault title for Waverly-South Shore in 2017.
6. Melinda Zirbel, Summit and Jeni Ching, Estelline
This list is loaded and you can see that as we get closer to the top. Melinda Zirbel is one of eight daughters of Ferd and Susan Zirbel who have competed in cross country and track for Summit, Waubay-Summit and Dakota Hills since the early 2000s. Ching won a state cross country title in 2000 and Melinda Zirbel in 2001 before they become cross country and track teammates at North Dakota State University.
Ching was a two-time state Class B champion in the 800-meter run.
Zirbel won the state Class B 1,600 and 3,200 runs three times each. She still hold state Class B meet records in both races prior to the 2024 state meet n late May.
5. Tracy and Stacy Stewart, Lake Preston
What's better than having a fast girls' sprinter? How about twins who are both fast girls' sprinters. That's what Lake Preston had in the late 80s and early 90s and the Stewarts helped lead to the Divers to back-to-back State B titles in 1990 and 1991.
The twins combined to win the State B 100-meter dash five years in a row (three by Stacy and two by Tracy). They had numerous other high finishes at state and also anchored winning relays. They both later ran at South Dakota State University.
4. Carrie Tollefson, Lac qui Parle Valley
I can hear it now, but let me explain. Yes, Tollefson is currently the only area athlete (Dawson, Minn. should count as area) in this timeframe who has competed in the Olympics. She did that in 2004.
In high school, she won five Minnesota state high school cross country titles in a row and won the Class A 1,600 and 3,200 runs eight times in state meets before heading to Villanova and later the Olympics (1,500-meter run).
I may have lowered her ranking because I had limited chances to see her compete. She did run in Watertown's Watoma Relays track and field meet in 1994 and 1995. She still holds the meet record in the Class AA girls' 1,600.
3. Conner Anderson, Rosholt-Fairmount
Her name may not be at the tip of your tongue, but as long as we're talking high school track and field standouts in the area these past 40 years it needs to be. Anderson was a key reason why Rosholt-Fairmount's girls recorded four-straight State B runner-up finishes from 2008-2011.
She placed nine times in Class B in the 100 and 300 hurdles, sweeping the events her final three years of high school (2009-11). She added first-place finishes in the 800 and 1,600 relays in 2009, giving her four firsts in one state meet.
Anderson, who also placed in other relays at state, later competed at the University of Sioux Falls.
2. Jaime Pauli, Milbank
Certainly, one of the greatest moments I've ever witnessed in South Dakota high school track came in 1995 Region 1A meet at Milbank in which Pauli and Aberdeen Roncalli's Meg Larson became the first two girls in state history to break the 5-minute barrier. Two, in the same race.
Pauli didn't stop there. She won 19 events in state track meets in a stellar career from the early-to-mid 1990s, winning the Class A 1,600-meter run at least four years in a row and adding other titles in the 800 run and multiple relays. She was named to outstanding Cass A girls athlete in the state meet four times.
She also won state high school cross country titles before continuing her running career at the University of Nebrska. Pauli also played basketball and volleyball in high school.
1. Gracelyn Leiseth, Hamlin
It's more than recent bias or any other favoritism that Leiseth is on top of this list.
The main reason is simple. She is the only athlete on this list who holds two all-time state track and field records, regardless of class. Leiseth has the top girls' shot put toss (52 feet, 6.75 inches) and discus throw (175-3) in state history.
Leiseth, who recently completed her freshman year at the University of Florida by placing 15th in the women's shot put at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, won the Class A discus her final three years of high school and the discus twice (2021 and 2023) to go along with a runner-up finish in 2022.
She was named the Class A field events MVP and the South Dakota Gatorade Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year three times each.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: "20 Favorites" series continues with a look at area high school girls track
