West River runners Clarkson, Birnbaum repeat at state cross-country meet

Belle Fourche senior Sawyer Clarkson captured his third individual title and Rapid City Stevens senior Simeon Birnbaum also repeated to spearhead the performances of more than 720 runners Saturday in the 2022 South Dakota State High School Cross Country Championships.

The event featured 5,000-meter races for boys and girls in Class AA, A and B and was held at the Broadland Creek Golf Course in Huron.

Here's a recap by class:

CLASS AA

Birnbaum successfully defended his title in the Class AA boys' race, winning in a time of 15 minutes and 16.19 seconds. He won by nearly a minute over Harrisburg senior Cashton Johnson, who moved up from ninth a year ago. Pierre junior Jared Lutmer, Yankton senior Zach Fedde and Rapid City Stevens senior Grady Loos rounded out the top 5.

Sean Kilpatrick added a ninth-place finish to help Stevens repeat as the team champion. The Raiders finished with score of 122, followed by Yankton at 142 and Sioux Falls Lincoln 146.

It ended up being a good day for Stevens, who also won the Class AA girls division team title for the first time since 2-014. The last time the Raiders' swept the team title was in 2002. Stevens edged Brandon Valley 96-100 for the title, followed by Sioux Falls Lincoln (115).

Lincoln's charge was led by senior Ali Bainbridge, who won the individual race in a time of 17:26.09. She was the state runner-up a year ago. O'Gorman sophomore Libby Castelli, third a year ago, also moved up a spot to take second in 17:50.80.

Stevens senior Brionna Holso, Spearfish eighth-grader Peyton VanDeest and Brandon Valley freshman Addison Scholten rounded out the top 5. All three were top 10 finishers in 2021.

CLASS A

Clarkson's capped his successful high school cross country by winning the Class A boys' race in 15:30.28, finishing nearly 30 seconds ahead of teammate and runner-up Lane Krautschun (16:06.24). Krautschun, a junior, won the Class B boys' race last year while running for Bison.

Clarkson also won state Class A titles in 2019 and 2021 and helped the Broncs win their first-ever state team championship with a score of 38. Hill City was second (46) and Sioux Falls Christian third (59).

Junior Luke Ruppert of Hill City was third, followed by seniors Isaac Davelaar of Sioux Falls Christian and Gage Grohs of Custer.

Sioux Falls Christian had a three-year run of state championships come to an end in the boys division, but the Charger girls softened the blow by winning their first title by a 30-82 margin over Chamberlain, Defending champion Custer was third at 84.

Sioux Valley sophomore Isabelle Bloker, who finished third in 2021, took the individual race in 18:32.67. Sioux Falls Falls Christian freshman Natalie Smith took second (18:44.53). Senior Jade Ecoffey of Red Cloud, senior Ramsey Karim of Custer and junior Heidi Olson of Mobridge-Pollock added top-5 finishes. They each placed in the top 10 in 2021.

Freshman Ellie Maddox of Sioux Falls Christian, the defending champion, placed 17th.

Class B

Individual honors in Class B went to first-time winners Josiah Schroeder of Canistota and Emery Larson of Chester Area.

Schroeder, who was the runner-up in 2021, claimed the boys' race in 16:38.25 with juniors Tavin Schroeder of Freeman Academy-Marion, Nicholas Schlachter of Potter County, Lincoln Woodring of Northwestern and Waekly Burns of Philip. Schlachter was fifth and T. Schroeder eighth in 2021.

Larson capped her first year as a cross country runner in style, rolling to victory in the Class B girls' race in a time of 18:15.24. Defending champion Ella Boekelheide, a freshman from Northwestern, took second in 19:19.24.

Arlington freshman Kaelyn Ulschmid placed third for the second-straight year with freshmen Autumn Fallis of Highmore-Harrold and Dannika Kaup of Potter County following. Fallis took fifth and Kaup seventh in 2021.

Kaup's performance helped Potter County capture its first state team title as a coop. Potter County won by a 24-60 margin over Arlington. Gayville-Volin finished third at 64.

Philip's boys claimed their first state title since 2014, winning with a score of 20. Northwestern (38) and Freeman Academy-Marion (53) were second and third, respectively, for the second-straight year.

The top six teams and 25 individuals in each of the six races received awards.

2022 State Meet Results

Saturday at Broadland Creek Golf Course, Huron

5,000 Meters

CLASS AA

Girls Division

Team Scores: 1. Rapid City Stevens, 96; 2. Brandon Valley, 100; 3. Sioux Falls Lincoln, 115; 4. Sioux Falls O'Gorman, 126; 5. Rapid City Central, 127; 6. Spearfish, 128; 7. Sturgis Brown, 131; 8. Harrisburg, 147; 9. Pierre T.F. Riggs, 219; 10. Watertown, 241; 11. Yankton, 257; 12. Aberdeen Central, 314; 13. Brookings, 390; 14. Huron, 404; 15. Sioux Falls Washington, 418; 16. Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 426; 17. Sioux Falls Jefferson, 438.

Top 25 Individuals (122 Runners): 1. Ali Bainbridge, Sioux Falls Lincoln, 17:26.09; 2. Libby Castelli, Sioux Falls O'Gorman, 17:50.80; 3. Brionna Holso, Rapid City Stevens, 17:58.20; 4. Peyton VanDeest, Spearfish, 18:18.09; 5. Addison Scholten, Brandon Valley, 18:24.52; 6. Ruth Pardy, Sioux Falls O'Gorman, 18:37.99; 7. Gracie Uhre, Rapid City Stevens, 19:08.89; 8. Addali DeKam, Sioux Falls Lincoln, 19:23.69; 9. Kira Ubence, Douglas, 19:29.92; 10. Sheridan Madden, Rapid City Central, 19:30.99; 11. Reagan Askdal, Brandon Valley, 19:36.38; 12. Brinna Sheldon, Sturgis Brown, 19:36.68; 13. Sierra Hopp, Rapid City Stevens, 19:43.87.

14. Katelyn Beshara, Rapid City Central, 19:48.75; 15. Addison Reilly, Rapid City Central, 19:51.33; 16. Presli White, Harrisburg, 19:51.95; 17. Kori Keil, Spearfish, 20:01.54; 18. Destiny Yellow Boy, Rapid City Central, 20:05.45; 19. Thea Chance, Yankton, 20:07.10; 20. Lilan Rude, Brandon Valley, 20:08.52; 21. Sierra Sandford, Spearfish, 20:08.58; 22. Bria Miller, Harrisburg, 20:09.37; 23. Devyn Van Roekel, Pierre T.F. Riggs, 20:10.10; 24. Iris Zylstra, Sturgis Brown, 20:11.72; 25. Kate McElroy, Watertown, 20:13.49.

Boys Division

Team Scores: 1. Rapid City Stevens, 122; 2. Yankton, 142; 3. Sioux Falls Lincoln, 146; 4. Sturgis Brown, 151; 5. Rapid City Central, 181; 6. Sioux Falls O'Gorman, 194; 7. Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 196; 8. Pierre T.F. Riggs, 209; 9. Sioux Falls Jefferson, 218; 10. Brandon Valley, 232; 11. Harrisburg, 241; 12. Aberdeen Central, 242; 13. Sioux Falls Washington, 306; 14. Watertown, 317; 15. Brookings, 365; 16. Huron, 370; 17. Spearfish, 381; 18. Douglas, 452.

Top 25 Individuals (128 Runners): 1. Simeon Birnbaum, Rapid City Stevens, 15:16.19; 2. Cashton Johnson, Harrisburg, 16:10.48; 3. Jared Lutmer, Pierre T.F. Riggs, 16:17.51; 4. Zach Fedde, Yankton, 16:25.36; 5. Grady Loos, Rapid City Stevens, 16:28.61; 6. Mikah Peters, Brandon Valley, 16:40.55; 7. Peyton Cast, Douglas, 16:44.21; 8. Chase Henderson, Sioux Falls Lincoln, 16:45.25; 9. Sean Kilpatrick, Rapid City Stevens, 16:45.90; 10. Deron Graf, Sturgis Brown, 16:49.31; 11. Jack Wagoner, Sioux Falls Jefferson, 16:53.10; 12. Eli Johnson, Sioux Falls Jefferson, 16:53.86; 13. Tino Lopez, Aberdeen Central, 16:54.63.

14. Jack Castelli, Sioux Falls O'Gorman, 16:55.41; 15. TJ Lien, Huron, 16:59.10; 16. Dylan Payer, Yankton, 17:01.63; 17. Marcus Fleming, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 17:03.99; 18. Trevor Thomsen, Rapid City Central, 17:04.32; 19. Kieran Weigelt, Sioux Falls Jefferson, 17:04.41; 20. Morgan Papenfuss, Sturgis Brown, 17:04.93; 21. Ty Sullivan, Watertown, 17:05.97; 22. Imara Geliga, Rapid City Central, 17:06.09; 23. Nathan Arens, Sioux Falls Roosevelt, 17:07.13; 24. Evan Marhous, Sioux Falls O'Gorman, 17:07.63; 25. Bailen Hayford, Rapid City Central, 17:11.81.

CLASS A

Girls Division

Team Scores: 1. Sioux Falls Christian, 30; 2. Chamberlain, 82; 3. Custer, 84; 4. Red Cloud, 97; 5. Vermillion, 97; 6. Sioux Valley, 111; 7. West Central, 130; 8. Hill City, 148; 9. Milbank, 153; 10. Lennox, 154; 11. Dakota Valley, 155; 12. Kimball-White Lake, 161; 13. Clark-Willow Lake, 162; 14. Deuel, 198; 15. Miller, 254.

Top 25 Individuals (119 Runners): 1. Isabelle Bloker, Sioux Valley, 18:32.67; 2. Natalie Smith, Sioux Falls Christian, 18:44.53; 3. Jade Ecoffey, Red Cloud, 18:58.04; 4. Ramsey Karim, Custer, 19:12.24; 5. Heidi Olson, Mobridge-Pollock, 19:18; 6. Faith Wiese, Flandreau, 19:18.77; 7. Jerica Glasser, Sioux Falls Christian, 19:25.07; 8. Kinsey Evans, Chamberlain, 19:27.49; 9. Brit Wheeler, Custer, 19:28.77; 10. Rarity Cournoyer, Red Cloud, 19:31.67; 11. Anna Vyn, Sioux Falls Christian, 19:31.95; 12. Ashlan Blount, Red Cloud, 19:37.02; 13. Brie Peters, West Central, 19:37.48.

14. Autumn Baker, Kimball-White Laker, 19:38.67; 15. Kamryn Nesheim, Clark-Willow Lake, 19:40.62; 16. Halle Bauer, Great Plains Lutheran, 19:46.11; 17. Ellie Maddox, Sioux Falls Christian, 19:47.38; 18. Ella Pollreisz, Ethan-Parkston, 19:48.11; 19. Madison Zirbel, Waubay-Summit, 19:51.16; 20. Taeli Barta, Vermillion, 19:52.80; 21. Lydia Anderson, Vermillion, 19:53.74; 22. Jaycee Hourigan, Deuel, 20:01.83; 23. Sophie Redler, Dakota Valley, 20:02.90; 24. Callie Radigan, Vermillion, 20:03.90; 25. Hallie Person, Lead-Deadwood, 20:07.39.

Boys Division

Team Scores: 1. Belle Fourche, 38; 2. Hill City, 46; 3. Sioux Falls Christian, 59; 4. Custer, 86; 5. Dakota Valley, 111; 6. Vermillion, 112; 7. Milbank, 114; 8. Miller, 129; 9. Lennox, 155; 10. West Central, 161; 11. Flandreau, 164; 12. Ethan-Parkston, 180; 13. Deuel, 222; 14. Chamberlain, 236; 15. Aberdeen Roncalli, 257; 16. Kimball-White Lake, 300.

Top 25 Individuals (125 Runners): 1. Sawyer Clarkson, Belle Fourche, 15:30.28; 2. Lane Krautschun, Belle Fourche, 16:06.24; 3. Luke Rupert, Hill City, 16:29.24. 4. Isaac Davelaar, Sioux Falls Christian, 16:36.95; 5. Gage Grohs, Custer, 16:40.18; 6. Payton Brown, Milbank, 16:40.55; 7. Pierce Baumberger, Miller, 16:45.78; 8. Jack Brown, Dakota Valley, 16:50.34; 9. Joe Cross, Elk Point-Jefferson, 16:53.00; 10. Drew Lehman, Custer, 16:55.89; 11. Alex Schumacher, Miller, 17:03.05; 12. Ricky Berndt, Deuel, 17:04.42; 13. Brandon Escalante, Hill City, 17:04.53.

14. Maksim Strizheus, Sioux Falls Christian, 17:04.64; 15. Leighton Aves, Hill City, 17:06.57; 16. Evan Bartelt, Ethan-Parkston, 17:06.71; 17. Aiden Voyles, Belle Fourche, 17:09.01; 18. John Gronewold, Baltic, 17:09.18; 19. Tate Grabow, Hill City, 17:09.48; 20. Joel Dahloff, Vermillion, 17:09.95; 21. Kaleb Foltz, Tri-State, 17:15.84; 22. Lennon Clarkson, Belle Fourche, 17:16.06; 23. Carson Engbers, Sioux Falls Christian, 17:18.85; 24. Benjamin Strunk, West Central, 17:19.60; 25. Preston Bohl, Garretson, 17:21.88.

CLASS B

Girls Division

Team Scores: 1. Potter County, 24; 2. Arlington, 60; 3. Gayville-Volin, 64; 4. James Valley Christian, 69; 5. Northwestern, 72; 6. Colman-Egan, 78; 7. Aberdeen Christian, 80; 8. Lemmon, 82; 9. Ipswich, 83; 10. Philip, 103; 11. Centerville, 104; 122. Jones County, 105; 13. Dell Rapids St. Mary 105; 14. Andes Central-Dakota Christian, 112; 15. Burke, 114; 16. Frederick Area, 121; 17. Highmore-Harrold, 136; 18. Scotland, 140; 19. Wall, 152; 20. Wessington Springs, 196.

Top 25 Individuals (113 Runners): 1. Emery Larson, Chester Area, 18:15.24; 2. Ella Boekleheide, Northwestern, 19:19.24; 3. Kaelyn Ulschmid, Arlington, 19:22.36; 4. Autumn Fallis, Highmore-Harrold, 19:25.43; 5. Dannika Kaup, Potter County, 20:01.67; 6. Jolie Dugan, Jones County, 20:11.99; 7. Madisyn Gellhaus, Ipswich, 20;17.34; 8. Jada Koerner, Freeman Academy-Marion, 20:25.73; 9. Asia VanDerWerff, Gregory, 20:37.17; 10. Ellie Olsen, Deubrook Area, 20:38.94; 11. Reese Luze, Colman-Egan, 20:430.35; 12. Jadyn Ahlemeier, Potter County, 20:41.57; 13. Jolie Westrum, Gayville Volin, 20:49.59.

14. Abby Hasart, James Valley Christian, 20:56.99; 15. Kylee Johnson, Deubrook Area, 20:58.9; 15. Hadasah Olson, James Valley Christian, 21:01.01; 17. Emma Schlachter, Potter County, 21:08.32; 18. Presley Luze, Colman-Egan, 21:10.11; 19. Kathryn Steger, Aberdeen Christian, 21:10.4; 20. Gracyn Kadlec, Ipswich, 21:18.35; 21. Elizabeth Vogel, Dell Rapids St. Mary, 21:21.14; 22. Kennadee Wiedebush, Warner 21:26.68; 23. Anna DeHaan, Andes Central-Dakota Christian, 21:27.64; 24, Abigail Engel, Gayville-Volin, 21:29.62; 25. Presley Terkildsen, Philip, 21:32.42.

Boys Division

Team Scores: 1. Philip, 20; 2. Northwestern, 38; 3. Freeman Academy-Marion, 54; 4. Ispwich, 55; 5. Arlington, 61; 6. Frederick Area, 63; 7. Mitchell Chrsitian, 71; 8. Gregory, 87; 9. Deubrook Area, 98; 10. Highmore-Harrold, 103; 11. Lemmon, 104; 12. Centerville, 125; 13. Potter County, 128; 14. Herreid-Selby Area, 130; 15. Wall, 148; 16. McCrossan, 152; 17. Wolsey-Wessington, 164; 18. Timber Lake, 193.

Top 25 Individuals (114 Runners): 1. Josiah Schroeder, Canistota, 16;38.25; 2. Tavin Schroeder, Freeman Academy-Marion, 17:06l.47; 3. Nicholas Schlachter, Potter County, 17:11.7; 4. Lincoln Woodring, Northwestern, 17:15.88; 5. Wakely Burns, Philip, 17:36.77; 6. Silas Holdeman, Mitchell Christian, 17:38.18; 7. Tukker Boe, Philip, 17:48.82; 8. Finley McConniel, Freeman Academy-Marion, 17:53.08; 9. Dawson Hole, Highmore-Harrold, 17:54.36; 10. Nathan Melius, Northwestern, 17:55.11; 11. Caden Schwader, Howard, 17:57.33; 12. Baylor Burns, Philip, 17:58.64; 13. Ethan Hartung, McCrossan, 17:58.80.

14. Evan Fonseca, Arlington, 18:01.91; 15. Trey Larson, Philip, 18:02.63; 16. Asher Peterson, Philip, 18:04.22; 17. Dax Frandsen, James Valley Christian, 18:07.73; 18. Milo Sumption, Frederick Area, 18:09.41; 19. Fin Adams, Gregory, 18:10.13; 20. Dylan Wald, Ipswich, 18:12.09; 21. Xavier Kadlec, Ipswich, 18:12.24; 22. Luke Sinclair, Gregory, 18:14.66; 23. Turner Thorson, Ipswich, 18:15.58; 24. Jonathan Bretsch, Frederick Area, 18:18.68; 25. Tyler Tjeerdsma, Avon, 18:25.05.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Belle Fourche's Clarkson wins third Class A boys title in four years.