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Submitted by Coach Matt Slaba

Wagner took seven athletes to compete in the South Dakota State Track and Field Championships May 29-31 in Sioux Falls.

Ashlyn Koupal was competing in the high jump and was vying for her 5th consecutive state title. While she was sitting with the top jump going in, it’s certainly not a given that things will end up that way in the end as there are competitive kids looking to claim that spot for themselves.

The opening height was set at 4’ 11”. All but six of the 25 competitors made it above that mark. 5’ 1” was the height that proved insurmountable to most as only six competitors were left after attempting it.

Ashlyn cleared five heights in a row without a miss. After clearing 5’5” only her and Claire Munch of Dakota Valley were left. The bar was then raised to 5’ 6”. Both of these athletes were unable to make it over despite some very near misses. This meant that Ashlyn was once again the champion of the Class A high jump as she had zero misses at 5’ 5” while Munch cleared on her final attempt.

Winning an event at the state meet is obviously quite the accomplishment. Winning it five times in a row is extraordinary. It has been even more impressive the last few years as she has become one of the premier athletes in the state. Therefore, her competitors appear extra motivated to try and take her down. But she always seems to step up and shine brightest when the stage is the biggest and this year was no different. Congratulations, Ashlyn!

Ashlyn also was a participant in the shot put. She was in the number nine spot coming in. She would finish with the 13th best throw in class A as she tossed it 34’ 1 ½”.

Javian Pesicka entered the long jump tied for the 23rd best jump in the state at 20’ 4”. He would best that mark with his third and final jump of the preliminaries as he leapt 20’ 4 ¾”. Fortunately for Javian, the rest of the field were not topping their season bests, and his mark was good enough to put him in the finals. He was unable to better that distance, but it was good enough to earn him a 6th place medal.

Javian also had high hopes to place in the javelin. He was sitting at #2 in the field and in the last meet had thrown over 160 feet twice. It wasn’t to be on this day, though, as his best attempt landed at 148’ 4”, which was the 11th best throw in class A.

Brayden Kreber also competed in the long jump. Unfortunately, Brayden has been struggling with a hamstring injury for the last few weeks. While he gave it his all, he wasn’t able to make the finals. He finished with the 21st best jump at 18’ 5 ½”.

Shea Kjeldgaard competed in the high jump. Things were looking good for Shea early in the season as he tied the school record of 6’ 4”. Try as he may, though, he was unable to better that mark this season. The opening height for boys was 6’0”. Shea wasn’t able to clear that height although his last attempt was extremely close.

Jesse Zephier came into the state meet with the 10th best triple jump in class A and a season’s best jump of 41’ 3”. On this day he would jump out to 39’ 7 ¾”. This was the 19th best jump in the field. Jesse has put the time in with his mom (also his coach) in the pits, so it was nice to see him make the state meet. I know he will be striving to make the medal stand in his next two years.

Addi Cuka was our only girl to participate in a running event at the state meet. She competed in the 200 dash and ran a time of 27.59, which was the 17th best, exactly what she was seeded coming in. Addi had a nice season for us. She has been a great example to our younger runners as she has worked hard in the weight room and on the track throughout the year and that paid off.

Jackson Rolston was our only boy to compete on the track as he also ran the 200-meter dash. Jackson has been the consummate teammate and competitor throughout his high school career. He is always someone coaches can count on to do his absolute best. It was nice to see his hard work rewarded with a trip to the state meet. Jackson ran a time of 24.08 to place 24th. As always, he gave it his all.

Making the state track meet is certainly a great accomplishment. These kids all earned their places there with the work they put in throughout the year. Thank you all for your efforts. It would be nice to see more high school athletes try their hand at track and field. There are many events to choose from. Come on out!

Ashlyn Koupal received 1st place in High Jump with a jump of 5'6'.