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Keep an eye on South Dakota high school track and field this year. There are some outstanding performers. Yesterday (Friday 4/18/08), at Watertown's Watoma Relays, 14 meet records were broken including two venerable records from 1971.
Watertown's Aaron Jung threw the shot 65 feet, three inches, to eclipse the meet record of 60' 3" set in 1971 by Aberdeen's Al Kirschman. Jung is closing in on the state record. His toss on Friday, up to this weekend, appears to be the best high school shot put in the USA this year. (Hey, 76Rabbit, if you're reading this...Jung's an old fashioned slider, not a spinner. He's experimented with the spin but isn't consistent with it so he continues to slide in meets. If he gets the spin down, there's no telling how far he'll throw the shot because he's so strong.)
SF Roosevelt's Bill Kogel ran 4:18 for 1600 meters, topping the 1971 record of 4:21 by Jeff Schemmel of Madison (one of SD's two sub-4 milers). Kogel's time is impressive because it's early in the season and he ran basically by himself...the rest of the field was several seconds behind him. Kogel, Pierre's Travis Fitzke and a runner from RC Stevens could run some amazing 1600's by the end of the season when they compete against one another.
Brookings's Evan Bunkers, with a :50.5 to his credit this year, set records at the Watomas in the 200 and 400. His 200 was :22.7. The kid's a horse and will be running at least low 49s in the 400 by the end of the season, perhaps better.
Watertown's Leslie Brost set a new state record in the pole vault at 13' 3". She broke her own record of 13' 0". It's believed that vault is third best in the USA.
I'm sure with the nice weather, high school track performances all across the state were pretty impressive this weekend.
Jung has signed for football and track at Augie.* Kogel is going to Oklahoma. Brost is going to NDSU and not sure where Bunkers is going.
If you get a chance to watch these athletes and several others in SD track and field, take it.
*tempted to get on my soapbox about the apparent discouragement of athletes to do both football and track and field at some schools. Jung is a real speciman, 250 lbs, great powerlifter.
Watertown's Aaron Jung threw the shot 65 feet, three inches, to eclipse the meet record of 60' 3" set in 1971 by Aberdeen's Al Kirschman. Jung is closing in on the state record. His toss on Friday, up to this weekend, appears to be the best high school shot put in the USA this year. (Hey, 76Rabbit, if you're reading this...Jung's an old fashioned slider, not a spinner. He's experimented with the spin but isn't consistent with it so he continues to slide in meets. If he gets the spin down, there's no telling how far he'll throw the shot because he's so strong.)
SF Roosevelt's Bill Kogel ran 4:18 for 1600 meters, topping the 1971 record of 4:21 by Jeff Schemmel of Madison (one of SD's two sub-4 milers). Kogel's time is impressive because it's early in the season and he ran basically by himself...the rest of the field was several seconds behind him. Kogel, Pierre's Travis Fitzke and a runner from RC Stevens could run some amazing 1600's by the end of the season when they compete against one another.
Brookings's Evan Bunkers, with a :50.5 to his credit this year, set records at the Watomas in the 200 and 400. His 200 was :22.7. The kid's a horse and will be running at least low 49s in the 400 by the end of the season, perhaps better.
Watertown's Leslie Brost set a new state record in the pole vault at 13' 3". She broke her own record of 13' 0". It's believed that vault is third best in the USA.
I'm sure with the nice weather, high school track performances all across the state were pretty impressive this weekend.
Jung has signed for football and track at Augie.* Kogel is going to Oklahoma. Brost is going to NDSU and not sure where Bunkers is going.
If you get a chance to watch these athletes and several others in SD track and field, take it.
*tempted to get on my soapbox about the apparent discouragement of athletes to do both football and track and field at some schools. Jung is a real speciman, 250 lbs, great powerlifter.