Athletes improve on marks at Howard Wood Invitational

Although the scheduled track meet for Lead-Deadwood was cancelled because of weather last Saturday, a handful of Custer High School track athletes traveled east to the Howard Wood Invitational last Saturday in Sioux Falls.

The boys were led by Tyler Schultz’s second place finish in the shot put, where he improved on his season-best mark by two feet, with a throw of 56-4 1/2. He was defeated by an athlete from Beresford, who he will undoubtedly tangle with again at the state meet.

In the discus, Schultz uncorked some throws of 180 feet, but scratched each time, and never recorded a throw to make it to the finals. Schultz was the only Wildcat boy to record any points at the meet.

For the girls, two relay teams improved on their times for the season, as Breezy Boldon, Taylor Neugebauer, Ellie Parsons and Allison Kostelecky placed second in two relays, running a time of 51.38 in the 400 relay and 1:47.55 in the 800 relay. In the 400 relay Sioux City Heelen beat the Wildcats by only .02 seconds, requiring meet officials to look at the photo finish. In the 800, the girls were edged only by Luverne, Minn.

Tiffany Dower was the only girl to place individually, throwing the shot put 38-2 1/2, good for fifth place. She was not beaten by any thrower in the Class A ranks.

The team is scheduled to compete at the Black Hills Track Classic in Sturgis this Saturday. But, much like has been the case all season, that meet is pending weather. It is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. start.

“We are working through injuries and a few other things like that, but gearing up for Saturday, as it looks like we might be able to run at Sturgis if we get the break in the weather that it looks like we will get,” head coach Craig Black said. “Then it is off to conference the week after that.”