FLYERS FINISH STATE STRONG — AND WITH MOMENTUM

STATE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Flyers finish strong — 

with lots of momentum

Peters, Scharberg make podium; six of nine relays earn medals

JEREMY WALTNER  –  PUBLISHER

On Monday morning, June 2, less than two days following the conclusion of the 2025 State Track and Field Championships, Freeman High School track coach Amy Sorensen didn’t hesitate when asked what comes to mind when reflecting on the Flyers’ showing in Sioux Falls.

“I’m just proud,” she said with smiling eyes. “The investment the kids made to track and field this season, the dedication they showed in the week leading up to the state meet — they were locked in. We as coaches are just really proud of the way they represented Freeman as a team and as a school. That means almost as much as how you compete.”

Imagine, then, how Sorensen’s emotional cup overflows considering the outstanding performances Freeman Public turned in over three days in Sioux Falls last Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Howard Wood Field. And it’s not just that the Flyers returned with nine medals, but most of their events were PRs, indicative of the preparation, mindset and dedication that led up to — and went into — the three-day event.

“These kids have so many opportunities in spring — club sports and other school activities — so to keep them engaged in school track and field is really special,” Sorensen said. “I hope to see the program continue to grow.”

Peters, Scharberg

Freeman’s medal count last weekend included six relays and three individual events, including another double top eight finish in the hurdles by sophomore Rylee Peters — something she has done the past three seasons.

Peters finished third in the 100 hurdles in 15.57 and fourth in the 300 hurdles with a clocking of 46.33. Not only was that a PR, it broke her own school record of 46.65 set last year.

“Every race I try to PR,” said Peters. “The school record just happens to go along with it. I was very happy.”

“She’s been at it since seventh grade,” said Sorensen. “She’s so consistent, always showing up, always performing.”

Freeman’s other individual medal came from another sophomore — Makenzie Scharberg, who reached the podium as an individual for the first time thanks to a dramatic sixth place finish in the long jump. Scharberg went into the competition 11th in the field of 24 and needed a big effort on her third and final jump of the preliminary round — and got it.

A PR of 16-6 ¼ topped her incoming best of 16-5 ¾ when it mattered most and ultimately catapulted her to sixth place.

Scharberg admitted her nerves were high throughout the competition, but especially going into that third jump knowing what was at stake, and she did her best to stay focused.

“I was mainly thinking about how I needed to work on my technique and taking some deep breaths,” she said, noting it felt good upon landing. “I could definitely tell it was better than my previous ones” — neither of which would have gotten her into the finals.

“We’ve been working on her stepping all season long, and the last two track meets, she’s just been on,” said Flyers coach Jenny Peters. “She could relax a little bit knowing that her stepping is on, so — like she said — it was all about technique and power.”

And Peters said she knew that Scharberg nailed that third jump.

“You could tell she was locked in and stayed calm,” she said. “I went running toward the board to see her distance because I knew it was going to be good.  She might have seen me jumping up and down, yelling and clapping real loud, because that was her best jump ever.”

Scharberg, who also competed for the Flyers in the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relays, said a PR and spot on the podium was her goal going into the state meet.

“I’ve been so close to it, I finally wanted to make it,” she said, smiling widely when thinking about how much she loves competing alongside her friends and teammates.

“It is so much fun, because I always know they’re going to be there to support me and; we’re always there for each other and have a lot of fun together.”

And Scharberg gives credit to her coaches.

“They’re always there; nerves are really something I struggle with, but I know I can always rely on those coaches to help me through those nerves,” she said. “When I’m running and I’m nervous, I listen to those voices.”

Relays thrive

“Fab Four” is a moniker given to Freeman’s all-freshman 4×800 relay team of Luke Miller, Brody Sorensen, Brayden Mangel and Lane McCune by Brayden’s mom, Rayna Roth, and is based on a Beatles tribute band that goes by the same name.

And on the first day of last week’s state tournament, they lived up to the name.

The quartet of underclassmen ran to a runner-up finish late Thursday morning, taking second in a field made up of largely older runners; their time of 8:32.80 was a PR by five seconds and Freeman’s best finish of the state meet.

In fact, Miller, Sorensen, Mangel and McCune would have been champions were it not for an outstanding foursome from Philip, which at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays a month ago ran faster than all other Class A teams competing in the all-class race.

The Scotties won at state in 8:22.13.

“They turned some heads,” Coach Sorensen said of Freeman’s freshmen. “I can’t wait to see what they do next and in the years to come.”

Motivation to end what was an outstanding season on a high note was strong for the Flyers — “motivation by all my teammates and my coaches for helping us get here and cheering us on,” said Brody Sorensen.

Mangel, the relay team’s anchor carry, said the work by the first three runners is motivation for him; on Thursday it was Miller’s strong start, McCune’s steady pace and Sorensen’s surge to second at the end of the third carry. “That motivates me to try and get an even better lead and blow out the other people and finish strong.”

Miller says the strength of the other three “pushes me to get better every single day, and since we’re all freshmen, we’re going to keep getting better and better every single year.”

The Flyers’ 4×800 wasn’t the only relay team to place at state last week. In fact, six of the nine girls and boys relays competing earned top eight finishes, and a seventh missed out by one spot. Here’s the rundown.

• The boys 4×100 relay team of Luke Peters, Tate Sorensen, David Walter and Christopher Aasen — the only senior runner on the full Flyers’ squad — finished sixth in 45.00. They went into the meet in the 12th spot with an incoming best of 45.12.
• The boys 4×200 relay team of Miller, T. Sorensen, Peters and Aasen finished eighth with a clocking of 1:34.48. It wasn’t the best of the season for the Flyers, which went into the competition fifth in the field with an incoming best of 1:33.98, but it was good enough to slip into the medal count.
• The boys 4×400 relay team of Miller, Peters, Mangel and T. Sorensen clocked a PR of 3:32.94 to finish third — an improvement over their incoming best time of 3:33.97, which had them sixth in the field.
• The girls 4×200 relay team of Cadence Hofer, Scharberg, Peters and Vaida Ammann took a third-best time into the final on Saturday and came away with seventh with a time of 1:49.77. While that clocking was better than the Flyers’ incoming best of 1:51.14, it was a couple of ticks slower than what they ran in the preliminary round — a 1:49.72.
• And the girls 4×400 relay team of Hofer, Peters, Scharberg and Ammann finished fourth in 4:11.80 — better than their incoming best of 4:12.51, which had them sixth in the field going in.

Also noteworthy is the girls 4×100 relay team of Scharberg, Reeslyn Hofer, C. Hofer and Ammann, who went into state 15th in the field and just missed making the finals, finishing ninth in the prelim in 52.15 — better than their incoming best of 52.63. Their time at state was just 0.32 seconds from making the finals.

And Amy Sorensen notes the young sprint medley team of Libby Ammann, Alexa Nanninga, Olivia Schultz and Rylea Timmerman. While the Flyers finished 22nd in the preliminary round, the girls set a PR at the state meet on Thursday, shaving 0.52 seconds off their incoming best of 10:54.77. “That’s two eighth graders and two freshmen competing in a race typically dominated by older, more experienced athletes,” said the coach. “They showed up, fought through the nerves, and performed.”

The other relay team competing for the Flyers was the boys sprint medley team of Walter, Aasen, B. Sorensen and Mangel. Freeman finished 19th with a time of 3:55.98, slower than its incoming best of 3:51.24 which had them 18th in the field going into the state meet.

One additional note: One track athlete who did not compete at state who was set up for a strong finish was sophomore Alaric Knittel, who in his first year out for track found his sport: the javelin.

Competing at the Don Diede Relays, Knittel set a PR of 145-03 that moved him from 20th to ninth in the state and five feet from the school record held by Rocky Ammann. But not long thereafter, Knittel suffered a hip injury running the 100 that ended his season abruptly.

As it turned out, Knittel would have been 10th in the field at state, and the level of improvement he found in a short amount of time could have very well lifted him to the podium in his rookie season.

“We were devastated,” Sorensen said of his injury — a painful avulsion fracture. “We were trying to find where his home is going to be in track and didn’t see what he would have been capable of.”

But he’ll be back, she says.

“Al has a very bright future in track and field, not just in the javelin, but in other events he tries, because he can unlock a lot of doors.”

Final perspective

Sorensen said the state meet was a bittersweet finale to what has been a great season.

“I just hate to see that weekend end; I get emotional every time I think about it,” she said. “After the meet we went out for a team meal, and I kept hearing, ‘I can’t believe it’s over,’ or ‘I don’t want the season to end,’ and ‘next year I’m going to try this.’ Those are the things you want to hear as a coach. That fills your heart and lights the fire for next season.”

Speaking of next season, Sorensen said the coaches — including Bailey Lagge, Matt Brinkman and Elizabeth Bjorklund — have talked about students who are not out for track who would be good fits on the team.

“That’s been a conversation all season — who else can we get out for track?” she said, reflecting on the large gathering of students when the Flyers hosted the Don Diede Relays early last month. “I think that home meet helped spark interest. Some kids not out for track were there watching, and now we hope to encourage more to come out next year and try different events.”

Momentum from the state meet certainly doesn’t hurt.

“At state, we brought 18 kids — nine boys and nine girls — and covered a lot of events,” Sorensen said. “We asked them to compete hard for three straight days, and they did. Their dedication was amazing. I can’t wait for next year.”

Also competing for the Flyers at state were:

• Vaida Ammann in the 100: 16th, 13.38
• Cadence Hofer in the triple jump: 11th, 31-10 ¼
• Brayden Mangel in the 800: 17th, 2:05.51
• Lane McCune in the 1600: 19th, 4:51.55
• McCune in the 3200: 13th, 10:20.45
• Luke Miller in the 800: 14th, 2:05.14
• Luke Peters in the long jump: 15th, 19-3 ¼
• Talon Pitchford in the pole vault: No height
• Brody Sorensen in the 800: 20th, 2:07.32
• Tate Sorensen in the 400: 11th, 52.75
• David Walter in the high jump: No height