Titans find success in home meet and Lennox Invite

Tea Area High School’s track and field team had a strong showing at both the Titan Relays on April 11th and the Lennox Invite on April 13th, with multiple athletes earning medals and setting new school records.

At the Titan Relays, the TAHS girls’ team finished in third place and the boys’ team earned fourth place honors.

Ethan McKnelly broke his own school record in the high jump and won the event with a Class A best jump of 6’3”. Kyle Broderson and Brenner Konrad tied for seventh in the event, clearing 5’5”.

Other notable performances from the boys’ team included a second place finish by the 4x200 meter relay team of Blake Thompson, Riley Svanda, McKnelly, and Juv Banza. The team clocked a time of 1:37.14 in the event.

Blake Thompson also had a strong day individually, claiming second in both the 200 meter dash and long jump. In the 200, Thompson clocked a time of 24.15. In the long jump, he jumped a distance of 20’10”. Also competing in the 200 meter dash was Tea Area’s Kayden Williamson who claimed fifth with a time of 25.54.

Thompson earned fourth place in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.15 in the event. Banza took eighth in the event with a time of 11.56.

Peyton Thompson earned sixth place finish in the javelin throw, throwing a distance of 120’11, just one foot shy of his record from last season.

Holden Jelen earned fifth place in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:10.92 in the event. In the 300 meter hurdles, Tea Area’s Matthew Rogers earned a sixth place finish with a time of 47.03. Rogers placed seventh in the 110 meter hurdles, clocking a time of 17.77.

The boys’ 4x400 meter relay team of Chaser Debar, Cason Kelling, Zac Webb, and Rogers took fifth in the event with a time of 3:57.71.

On the girls’ side, Sydney Stahlecker dominated the sprints, finishing second in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes. In the 100, Stahlecker clocked a 12.78 to earn runner-up honors. Mya Neuhardt finished fourth in the event for Tea Area (12.96). In the 200, Stahlecker took second with a time of 27.55. Neuhardt was right behind with a third place finish, clocking a 27.98. Payton Cuppy claimed sixth with a time of 28.86. In the 400, Stahlecker claimed second with a time of 1:01.21. Tea Area’s Haidyn West claimed fourth in the event with a time of 1:03.83.

Grace Bialas earned runner-up honors for the Titans girls in the 800 meter run, clocking a time of 2:36.44.

The 4x400 meter relay team of West, Jaycie Babb, Bialas, and Shaeley Geelan claimed runner-up honors with their time of 4:25.44.

The 4x100 meter relay team of Neuhardt, Kendra Nielsen, Cuppy, and Samantha Van Tol took third place with a time of 52.97. The 4x200 meter relay team, consisting of the same athletes, claimed third as well with a time of 1:52.04.

In field events, Lydia Decker captured sixth place with a throw of 92’4”. In the high jump, Natalie Gass and Reese Hammerquist both finished fourth, clearing 4’11”. Kara Knutson took sixth place in the pole vault, clearing 8’3”.

At the Lennox Invite, the Titans had another stronger showing, earning six first place medals.

B. Thompson won the long jump, jumping a distance of 21’4”. He was also a member of the boys’ 4x100 team that captured first place as well with a time of 45.85. Thompson’s team members included Riley Svanda, Ethan Vis, and Banza. Thompson claimed runner-up honors in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.58. Banza took third in the event (11.66). Thompson earned third place honors in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.95. Vis finished fifth (24.35) in the event.

West also claimed the first place title for the Titan girls in the 400 meter dash, clocking a time of 1:02.15.

Geelan also competed taking fourth (1:06.5). Neuhardt won the 200 meter dash with a time of 27.6. Van Tol also competed taking sixth (28.5) and Cuppy placing seventh (28.65).

Neuhardt, Van Tol, and Cuppy along with Stahlecker, were members of the winning 4x100 meter relay team who clocked a time of 52.60.

The girls’ 4x400 relay team of West, Babb, Brooklyn Reiners, and Stahlecker also captured first place honors with a time of 4:12.24, the second-fastest time in school history.

Other strong performances for the Titan girls were the 4x200 meter relay team of Neuhardt, Nelson, Cuppy and Van Tol who took second in the event with a time of 1:52.91.

Bialas captured runner-up honors in the 1600 meter run, clocking a time of 5:48.06. Babb earned runner-up honors in the 800 meter with a time of 2:31.16.

Stella Peterson finished third in the 100 meter hurdles (18.41). Reiners claimed fourth in the event (18.60). Peterson took sixth in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 58.82. Peterson also placed in the shot put, taking sixth with a throw of 31’11.5”.

Neuhardt claimed third in the 100 meter dash with a time of 13.08, Stahlecker captured fourth (13.10). Van Tol finished seventh with a time of 13.61.

The girls’ 1600 sprint medley relay team of Zoe Kreidler, Sage Hoffman, Heidi Hofer, and Aubrey Kenyon took third with their time of 4:59.25.

Emily Froendt finished third in the javelin throw with a throw of 92’7”. In the girls’ high jump, Reese Hammerquist took third, clearing 4’8”. Hammerquist took fifth in the triple jump, jumping 31’.

Other notable performances from the boys’ team included a second place finish by the 4x800 meter relay team. Jelen, Alex Kayser, Peyton Sieber, and Cole Northrup finished in a time of 9:10.20 to take second. The 4x200 meter relay team of Ethan Vis, Banza, Williamson and Svanda took second as well with a time of 1:36.06.

The 4x400 meter relay team of Babb, McKnelly, Deboer, and Jelen took third with a time of 3:43.10.

McKnelly captured second in the high jump, clearing 5’10”.

In the 400 meter dash, Babb took fifth place with a time of 55.67. Cason Kelling took eighth (57.05).

Rogers finished fifth in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 48.80.

Reid Hammerquist took seventh in the 3200 meter run with a time of 11:32.64.

In the triple jump, Williamson took sixth with a jump of 36’11.5”. Broderson took eighth with a jump of 36’4”.

In the shot put, Connor McKinney took fourth with a throw of 41’7.5”. P. Thompson took sixth with a throw 41’1.5”. Thompson placed eighth in the javelin, with a throw of 116’1”.

The team will look to continue their success as they head into the rest of the season. The Titans were scheduled to host the Titan Invite on Thursday, Apr. 20. The Titans will be at Dakota Valley on Tuesday, Apr. 25 and Yankton, Apr. 27.