SPEARFISH, S.D. — The Spearfish Spartans turned in a strong early-season performance at the Queen City Classic, highlighted by a meet record, multiple podium finishes, and a state-leading relay time.
Leading the way for Spearfish was Sam Marcus, who set a meet record in the boys javelin with a throw of 184 feet, 4 inches to claim first place. Marcus also added a third-place finish in the discus at 139-02, contributing key points in the field events.
On the track, Kori Keil delivered a standout performance in the distance events. Keil won the girls 800-meter run in 2:19.02 and followed that with a second-place finish in the 3,200-meter run in 11:23.11. Teammate Sierra Sandford placed third in the 800 in 2:20.08, giving Spearfish two podium finishes in the event.
In the boys 3,200, Rylan VanDeest placed seventh with a time of 9:51.66.
Spearfish’s relay teams also produced strong results. The girls 4×400-meter relay team of Marley Mosset, Sierra Sandford, Ava Taglioli, and Daniela Rodriguez placed second in 4:06.22, a time that ranks No. 1 in South Dakota Class AA this season.
The girls 4×200 relay team of G. Ranek, Sandford, Mosset, and Rodriguez placed fifth in 1:50.25, while the boys 4×200 team of B. Andress, Evan Duncan, S. Marta, and Ben Muth finished sixth in 1:35.20. The boys 4×400 relay team of S. August, D. Durdall, O. Schave, and T. Limbo placed seventh in 4:01.19.
Individually, Ben Muth placed second in the boys 400-meter dash in 51.86. In the girls 400, Daniela Rodriguez finished third in 59.91, followed by Marley Mosset in fourth at 1:01.22.
In the field events, Reese Nida cleared 12-03 to place second in the girls pole vault, while Laila Ratzsch finished third at 12-00. Hattie Ewert added a third-place finish in the girls triple jump with a mark of 34-07.50. Taylor Vitto placed sixth in the girls javelin at 100-05, and Rodriguez added an eighth-place finish in the long jump at 16-04.75. Duncan also placed eighth in the boys pole vault, clearing 10-06.
With a combination of strong individual efforts and relay success, the Spartans showed depth across multiple events and will look to build on that momentum as the season continues.
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