KIMBALL, S.D. — Several area track and field coaches were bestowed state and regional honors on Monday as the top coaches in South Dakota.

Kimball/White Lake track and field coach Stephanie McCord was named the Class B track and field head coach of the year in Area 3 by the South Dakota Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association. Platte-Geddes’s Matt Maxon and Scotland/Menno’s Ken Bruckner were also named the Class A Area 3 head coach and assistant coaches of the year, respectively.

McCord was also recognized in the fall as the state’s girls cross country coach of the year, after KWL won the Class B state team championship, which was the third in five seasons for the Wildkats.

In the spring track season, the Wildkats had athletes place on the podium in 10 events at the state track and field championships. The girls team finished tied for fifth place in the team standings following strong performances in the long-distance races, earning a pair of runner-up finishes and a third-place result.

Platte-Geddes finished with a share of 15th in the Class A boys team standing, securing three podium finishes in the sprint races. Scotland/Menno, on the strength of Trinity Bietz’ throwing double championship, came in eighth in the girls standings in the program’s first year competing in a co-op.

Additionally, the South Dakota High School Coaches Association recognized their selections to the National High School Coaches Association All-American teams, which include two All-American and two honorable mentions for both boys and girls track and field.

For the boys, Brandon Valley’s Landon Dulany was selected to the team following overall victories in the boys 100 and 200 meters, setting the state meet record in the latter. In all, the Lynx set two meet records en route to a runner-up finish in the Class AA boys team standings.

Custer’s Kincade Lehman was also selected as an All-American after winning field titles in the Class A long jump and triple jump, scoring the overall win and a meet record in the triple jump. Sioux Falls Christian’s Paul Hoekman and Madison’s Shane Veenhof were named the boys All-American honorable mention picks.

Sioux Falls O’Gorman’s Libby Castelli earned one of the two girls All-American spots, completing the overall distance triple, winning the Class AA 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Castelli also set the meet record in the 3,200-meter race.

Bennett County’s Reagan O’Neill was the other girls All-American following an integral performance to the Warriors’ Class B state team championship, winning the girls 100 and 200 meters, earning overall honors in the 200. She also set the meet record in the Class B long jump en route to winning the overall title.

Harrisburg’s Brianna Reilly and Bennett County’s Peyson O’Neill garnered the girls’ honorable mentions.

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SEATTLE – Sophomore pole vault superstar Hana Moll has been named the Women’s Outdoor National Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, the first Husky to ever win that honor. She is also the first women’s pole vaulter to win the national award since 2011.
 
Hana’s win makes for an indoor-outdoor sweep for the Moll family, as her twin sister Amanda won the 2025 Women’s Indoor National Field Athlete of the Year award.
 
On June 12 at Oregon’s Hayward Field, Moll won the NCAA Outdoor title in the pole vault, breaking the NCAA Outdoor Record in the process. She held off her top-ranked sister as well as 2024 NCAA Outdoor Champion Chloe Timberg in a hard-fought battle. Hana clinched the win when she was the only woman to clear 15-0 3/4, and she also cleared 15-2 3/4 on a first attempt before moving the bar up to 15-8 1/2, just a quarter-inch above Amanda’s old NCAA Outdoor Record. On her third attempt, Hana got up and over, celebrating a new collegiate record which is also the third-highest outdoor clearance in the world this year.
 
Moll, the native of Olympia, Wash., was previously named Big Ten Conference Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and USTFCCCA West Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year.

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Hana Moll has won the National Outdoor Field Athlete of Year award! ?

She is the first Husky ever to take the honor. #GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/Bb8oqZcvK0

— Washington Track & Field and Cross Country (@UWTrack) June 23, 2025

A pack of North Shore student athletes were stepping onto the podium at track and field provincials.

At the 2025 BC High School Track and Field Championship, running June 6-7 in Langley, hundreds of B.C. youth competed through a long list of classic sporting events.

Among them was pole vault star William Millard of Handsworth Secondary, who placed first in the event with a vault of 4.4 metres. It was a back-to-back victory, as he also won the event at provincials in 2024.

After vaulting to second place at trials on June 1 in Coquitlam, the Grade 12 athlete plans to attend the Canada Summer Games in August. Millard is also a member of the NorWesters Track and Field Club.

Also grabbing gold was Handsworth’s senior men 4×400-metre relay team with a time of three minutes 23.12 seconds. On the roster was Spencer Medland, Quinn Tveit-Borgenstrom, Michael Caddick and Garrett Chin.

On his own, Tveit-Borgenstrom won bronze in the 800-m run (1:55.66).

From Sutherland Secondary, Rory O’Brien picked up two bronze medals – in the senior women’s 1,500-m run (4:36.31) and the 800-m run (2:15.18).

Rockridge’s Ciel Fitzpatrick scored two silver medals – in the junior women’s 1,500-m run (4:36) and the 800 m (2:14.2)

In the junior men’s 700-gram javelin throw, Seycove’s Jonah Louie took silver (48.95 m).

Handsworth’s junior men’s 4×400-m relay team ran to bronze medals (3:36.22). On that team was Ethan Lam Di-lorio, Trey Adelaar, Akiva Turner and Chace Chin.

From Collingwood, Elizabeth Chibebe-Gough soared to gold in the Grade 8 women’s high jump (1.55 m).

Alexandre Comeau of Handsworth won silver in the Grade 8 men’s 3000-m run (9:45.28).

And Emily Ganden of Sutherland got bronze in the Grade 8 women’s 1500 m (5:01.11).

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NORMAN – Oklahoma track and field throws athlete Ralford Mullings was named the USTFCCCA Division I National Men’s Field Athlete of the Year and head coach James Thomas and associate head coach Jerel Langley, along with heptathlete Pippi Lotta Enok, picked up USTFCCCA Midwest Regional awards. The coaches association announced Thomas was awarded Men’s Coach of the Year, Langley Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year and Enok and Mullings Field Athletes of the Year.

Mullings, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, claimed the NCAA Outdoor Championships discus throw title on June 14. He tossed the implement for a PR of 69.31m (227’3.00″) to shatter a 33-year-old meet record and beat world record holder Mykolas Alekna of California. Mullings’ improvement cements his status as the No. 2 performer in collegiate history as the 69.31m (227’3.00″) mark sits ninth on the all-time collegiate chart. He was also the SEC Outdoor Championships discus throw title winner. Mullings is the first NCAA discus champion to win the national award since Ryan Whiting in 2010 and becomes the first Sooner in program history to be named national athlete of the year.

This marks Thomas’ second regional coach of the year accolade in as many seasons at the helm of OU T&F. During his time at Georgia (2021-23) and Texas Tech (2013-21) he earned 11 Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors. Langley, in his ninth year at OU, collects his third regional assistant coach of the year award and second of the 2025 season, as he also earned the indoor nod. Enok and Mullings claim the first regional accolades of their career.

Thomas directed the Sooner men to a sixth-place finish (30.5 points) at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the team’s best outdoor placement since 1997 and second highest in program history. He guided two men to national titles, BJ Green (triple jump) and Ralford Mullings (discus throw) and two more athletes to top-six finishes to total four NCAA First Team All-America honors.

Langley coached Enok to the second heptathlon national title of her career, with her performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships setting a program record of 6,285 points, breaking the Estonian record and moving to No. 10 all-time collegiately. He also assisted Olivia Lueking to her fifth conference title, winning the gold medal at the SEC Outdoor Championships in the pole vault.

Enok’s exceptional performance in the combined events on the national stage earned her the regional award. The Jõhvi, Estonia, native marked the end of her collegiate career with the No. 7 all-time heptathlon score in NCAA Outdoor Championships meet history.

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The future of Kenyan athletics is in safe hands.

That was the bold message at Afraha Stadium where junior stars dazzled during the National Under-18 and Under-20 Trials.

From South Rift to Nyanza, Central and beyond, junior athletes showcased raw talent and promise, a result of years of structured training and strategic planning.

Athletics Kenya (AK) Youth Development Director Barnaba Korir said the performances at the Afraha Stadium trials are proof that the federation’s nationwide programmes are working.

“What we’re seeing is not by chance. It’s the result of deliberate, consistent investment in young people,” noted Korir.

“Our holiday camps, school partnerships and regional camps are allowing our youth to dream and succeed.”

Barnaba commended all regions for producing top performers but highlighted South Rift’s leading role, describing it as a key pillar in AK’s development model.

“This region continues to lead in both numbers and structure. South Rift has nine active camps, the most in any region, and remains a cornerstone of our efforts,” said Korir.

Reflecting on his own experience as an athlete in the same region in 1983 before receiving a US scholarship, Korir noted how far youth athletics have come.

“Back then, we didn’t have the kind of support our athletes enjoy today. Now, with better coaching, facilities, and access to education, we are shaping not just great athletes, but great people,” he added.

Korir also emphasised the importance of holistic development and went ahead to credit AK’s school-based holiday training camps for combining academics with athletics, a model that prepares athletes for life beyond the track.

“Our vision is to raise disciplined, educated, and focused athletes who can represent Kenya with pride.”

In 2024, Korir said AK’s collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Education has enabled a smoother transition for young athletes from school into competitive sport.

With the expected completion of renovations at Afraha Stadium, Korir promised that more national events will be held in such upgraded venues to inspire and reach more talent at the grassroots level.

Similarly, Korir reaffirmed AK’s commitment to integrity and clean athletics warning, “We are capturing accurate biodata from a young age to curb age cheating and doping. No one should mislead our youth with shortcuts. The future of athletics must be clean, honest, and athlete-centred.”

He reiterated that the government-supported U-20 training camps remain a crucial part of AK’s long-term plan.

“These camps allow us to walk with the athlete through every step. They are central to our development strategy.”

Concluding his remarks, Korir expressed optimism and national pride stating that across Kenya “we are seeing brilliance emerge. These young athletes are the heartbeat of our future, and we have to guide them every step of the way”.

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