Two young athletes from Mitchell brought home championship glory from the Eastern South Dakota Conference middle school track and field meet, held Friday at Hollister Field in Pierre. The event showcased rising stars who are already making their mark on the track.
Seventh-grader Kynslee Tronnes delivered a standout performance in the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line in a personal-best time of 2:25.96. Not only did she claim the title, but she also shattered the previous meet record of 2:27.79, set by Harrisburg's Bria Miller back in 2022. It's the kind of breakthrough that signals big things ahead for the young Kernel.
Joining Tronnes in the winner's circle was eighth-grader Nova Long, who dominated the 100-meter hurdles with a winning time of 16.59 seconds. Long also showed her versatility by taking second place in the 200-meter hurdles, finishing in 31.69 seconds.
Mitchell's girls team put together a solid all-around effort. Kapri Herges contributed a pair of fifth-place finishes in the 800 meters (2:32.08) and the 1,600 meters (5:40.44). The 4x100-meter relay team—featuring Long, Piper Schoenfelder, Tronnes, and Emerson Lingemann—clocked a time of 54.63 seconds to secure sixth place.
On the boys' side, Liam Catron was a force to be reckoned with, earning second place in both the 100-meter dash (11.62 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (24.31 seconds). Micah Bennett also claimed a runner-up finish in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:56.81. In the 800 meters, Rocco Walker placed fourth (2:15.39) while Bennett took sixth (2:16.07).
The throwing events saw strong performances as well. Conor Herrlein launched the shot put 43 feet, 6.25 inches for a second-place finish, while Garret Stone threw the discus 121 feet, 9 inches to take third.
Mitchell's relay teams also made their presence felt. The eighth-grade quartet of Isaac Fischer, Rocco Walker, Mason Hajek, and Catron finished second in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 48.19 seconds. Meanwhile, Fischer, Catron, Noah Kampshoff, and Benjamin Raml teamed up for fourth place in the 800-meter medley relay, crossing in 1:51.16.
When the final scores were tallied, the Mitchell boys secured fifth place among nine teams with 65 points. Brandon Valley claimed the team championship with 142.5 points, followed by Pierre (103.5), Harrisburg (87.5), and Brookings (75).
In the girls' competition, Mitchell finished sixth with 39 points. Pierre took the team title with 162.5 points, with Harrisburg (133), Brandon Valley (77), Brookings (74.5), and Aberdeen (48.5) rounding out the top five.