VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Lucky Huber is pleased to announce the addition of 25 athletes in the class of 2024. The class includes: Sophie Amin, Ethan Baessler, Alea Briggs, Calia Chaney, Jaden Damiano, Berkeley Engelland, Kinsey Evans, Tayler Evans, Mariah Fenske, Jennifer Heilman, Lindee Henning, Anna Hoffman, Bobby Joseph, Natnael Kifle, Kate Langford, Tate Larson, Aubrey O'Hare, Isaac Ochoa, Logan Rosas, Owen Spartz, Sydney Stodden, Peyton Svehla, Ellie Thomas, Claudia Werner and Anna Willis.
 
More on each athlete follows.
 
Sophie Amin | Sprints/Hurdles | Huntley, Illinois | Huntley HS
 
A hurdler from Huntley, Illinois, Sophie Amin owns personal bests of 8.96 in the 60-meter hurdles, 14.94 in the 100-meter hurdles and 12.55 in the 100 meter dash. She also competed in gymnastics during her prep career. Amin plans to major in sustainability at South Dakota.
 
Ethan Baessler | Sprints | Blair, Nebraska | Blair HS
 
A four-time state medalist sprinter for Blair High School, Ethan Baessler took home the Nebraska Class B titles in the 100 meters and 200 meters as a junior. He owns the Nebraska Class B state record for the 100 meters with a clocking of 10.53 seconds. He also owns school records in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay, and 4x400-meter relay. He played football, basketball and baseball for the Bears in addition to running track and field. Baessler plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at South Dakota.
 
Alea Briggs | Distance | Becker, Minnesota | Becker HS
 
A varsity letterwinner in cross country and track & field at Becker High School, Alea Briggs qualified for three Minnesota state cross country championships. Briggs also medaled twice in the 4x800-meter relay at the Minnesota state track and field meet. She owns a personal best of 19:35 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. An honor roll student and academic all-state honoree, Briggs plans to enroll in USD's nursing program.
 
Calia Chaney | Middle Distance/Distance | Nisswa, Minnesota | Pequot Lakes HS
 
A state champion middle distance runner from Nisswa, Minnesota, Calia Chaney captured the 800-meter gold at the Minnesota state meet as a sophomore. She's a seven-time state medalist on the track and four-time all-state honoree in cross country. She won a national title in the 800-meter emerging elite division of the 2023 Nike Outdoor Nationals with a personal best time of 2:12.67. Other personal bests include 4:56.83 for 1,600 meters and 18:03.61 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. She's also a three-time state qualifier in alpine skiing, placing 11th as a junior. She garnered academic all-state honors in cross country, track & field, and alpine skiing. Chaney was one of 35 Minnesota students to receive the MSHSL ExCEL Award. She's also the National Honor Society's Chancellor of Communications, the REEL North Alliance President, a member of student council and a leadership council member.
 
Jaden Damiano | Hurdles | Iowa Falls, Iowa | Alden HS
 
A hurdler out of Iowa Falls, Iowa, Jaden Damiano is a three-time Iowa state champion. He owns personal bests of 14.02 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 53.74 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. He was a five-time first team all-district football player for the Cadets and also played basketball in high school. He plans to major in business at South Dakota. Damiano is the younger brother of USD track and field's director of operations, Gabi Damiano.
 
Berkeley Engelland | Middle Distance | Mitchell, South Dakota | Mount Vernon High School
 
A two-time South Dakota Class A MVP on the track, Berkeley Engelland has 10 state medals to her name through her junior season. She swept the gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and 800 meters as a junior. She's also captured three all-class gold medals at the South Dakota state meet. On the national stage, Engelland placed eighth in the 800-meter championship race at the 2023 Nike Outdoor Nationals and clocked a personal best time of 2:10.42. She also owns the South Dakota Class A state record in the 400 meters with a time of 54.96. She finished runner-up in the 800-meter special invite at the 2022 Howard Wood meet with a time of 2:11.75. She also played volleyball and basketball for the Titans. Engelland is the National Honors Society President and Student Council Vice President. An honor roll student, she plans to major in medical biology at South Dakota.
 
Kinsey Evans | Distance | Chamberlain, South Dakota | Chamberlain HS
 
The team captain at Chamberlain High School, Kinsey Evans is a six-time state medalist in cross country and nine-time state medalist in track and field. She finished seventh as a senior at the South Dakota Class A Cross Country Championships in 18:48.91. Her personal records include times of 18:35 for 5,000 meters in cross country, 11:17 for 3,200 meters and 5:16 for 1,600 meters. Evans also played basketball for the Cubs. An honor roll student, she plans to major in either early education or business at USD.
 
Tayler Evans | Pole Vault | Gretna, Nebraska | Fremont HS
 
A three-time state medalist in the pole vault, Tayler Evans captured the 2023 Nebraska Class A State Championship title as a junior. She's also qualified for the state meet in the triple jump twice. Evans won three district meet titles, a Heartland Athletic Conference title as a junior and finished runner-up at the Metro Conference meet twice. She holds Fremont High School's pole vault record with a mark of 12-5. Evans also played basketball, softball, and volleyball during her prep career. An honor roll student in the classroom, Evans plans to major in medical biology at South Dakota.
 
Mariah Fenske | Distance | Farmington, Minnesota | Farmington HS
 
A five-time state qualifier in cross country at Farmington High School, Mariah Fenske placed 16th at the Minnesota state meet this fall. She's a six-time all-South Suburban Conference honoree in cross country and won the 1,600 meters at the section meet on the track. Fenske's personal best of 18:00.10 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course came at the 2019 Nike Heartland Championship with a 16th-place finish. At the 2023 Nike Heartland meet this fall, she won her section and finished seventh overall in 18:30.8. On the track she owns a personal best of 5:08.81 for the 1,600 meters. She's an academic all-state recipient and member of the National Honor Society. Her parents, Joel and Tina, were All-American distance runners for the Coyotes. Joel, who led the Coyote cross country team to a national title in 1997, was inducted to the Henry Heider Coyote Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
 
Jennifer Heilman | Sprints | Rogers, Minnesota | Rogers HS
 
A sprinter out of Rogers, Minnesota, Jennifer Heilman helped the Royals' 4x200-meter relay place sixth at the 2023 Minnesota State Track & Field Championships. She's a four-time all-Northwest Suburban Conference honoree. Heilman owns personal bests of 12.62 for 100 meters and 25.47 for 200 meters. Her 100-meter time is a Rogers High School program record. She's participated in the USATF National meet for the last two years and was the Minnesota state champion in the 200 meters. An academic all-state honoree and National Honor Society member, Heilman plans to enroll in USD's nursing program.
 
Lindee Henning | Distance | Ogallala, Nebraska | Ogallala HS
 
A distance runner from Ogallala, Nebraska, Lindee Henning captured a state title at the 2023 Nebraska State Cross Country Championships with a time of 19:33.9. She finished runner-up for three-straight years prior to the championship run. She also finished runner-up on the track at the Nebraska state championships in the 3,200 meters. She owns personal bests of 18:23 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course, 5:22 for the 1,600 meters and 11:27 for the 3,200 meters. Henning plans to major in business at South Dakota.
 
Anna Hoffman | Hurdles | Spearfish, South Dakota | Spearfish HS
 
A hurdler from Spearfish, South Dakota, Anna Hoffman is a six-time South Dakota state medalist. She placed third in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2023 South Dakota Track & Field Championships with a time of 15.38 seconds. She also finished third in the 300-meter hurdles at the 2022 Howard Wood Relays. She owns personal bests of 15.15 seconds for the 100-meter hurdles and 46.85 seconds for the 300-meter hurdles. Off the track, she was a member of the Spartans' volleyball team. Hoffman plans to major in medical biology at South Dakota.
 
Bobby Joseph | Sprints | Omaha, Nebraska | Millard West HS
 
A sprinter out of Omaha, Nebraska, Bobby Joseph anchored the Wildcats' runner-up 4x400-meter relay at the 2023 Nebraska State Track & Field Championships. He's also part of Millard West's school record 4x100-meter relay. He owns personal bests of 22.51 seconds in the 200 meters and 50.86 in the 400 meters entering his senior season. Joseph was a member of the Wildcats' football team and surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards. An academic letterwinner, Joseph plans to major in finance at South Dakota.
 
Natnael Kifle | Distance | Sioux City, Iowa | North HS
 
A distance runner from nearby Sioux City, Iowa, Natnael Kifle placed third at the 2023 Iowa State Cross Country Championships as a senior. He was a member of Sioux City North's state championship team title as a freshman in 2020 and on the Stars' runner-up squad his sophomore season in 2021. On the track, he placed fourth in the 1,600 meters as a junior last spring. He owns personal bests of 15:00.28 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course and a personal best of 4:14.52 for 1,600 meters on the track. Kifle is coached by former Morningside head coach, David Nash.
 
Kate Langford | Multis/Hurdles | Bennington, Nebraska | Bennington HS
 
A multi-event athlete out of Bennington, Nebraska, Kate Langford is a six-time state medalist. She placed in the 300-meter hurdles and both relays at the Nebraska State Track & Field Championships as a sophomore and junior. She also qualified for the state meet in three events as a freshman. She helped the Badgers finish runner-up as a team the past two years. She owns personal bests of 46.06 for the 300-meter hurdles and 16.22 for the 100-meter hurdles. She ran cross country and played volleyball as well. She was an academic all-Eastern Midland Conference honoree. A National Honor Society member and National Merit Contest Commended Scholar, she plans to major in either medical biology or Spanish at South Dakota.
 
Tate Larson | Hurdles | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | Harrisburg HS
 
A hurdler out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Tate Larson ranks in the top-five of Harrisburg High School history for three different events. He owns personal bests of 15.03 for the 110 meter hurdles and 40.71 for the 300-meter hurdles. He was also a letterwinner on the Tigers' baseball team. Larson plans to major in biology at South Dakota.
 
Aubrey O'Hare | Hurdles | Gothenburg, Nebraska | Gothenburg HS
 
A hurdler out of Gothenburg, Nebraska, Aubrey O'Hare is a seven-time state medalist in Nebraska. She's placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles for three-straight years and also took fifth in the 100-meter hurdles the last two years. Her personal best 300-meter hurdle time of 45.95 came in the Nebraska Class B finals this past spring. Her 100-meter hurdle personal best is 15.04 seconds. She was also a member of the Swedes volleyball and basketball teams. She helped the volleyball squad finish as the Nebraska state runner-up as a junior in 2022 and take third in 2023. She was honorable mention all-state in volleyball as a senior and owns the program record for career aces. O'Hare is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society.
 
Isaac Ochoa | Distance | Norfolk, Nebraska | Norfolk Senior HS
 
A distance runner from Norfolk, Nebraska, Isaac Ochoa is a four-time state medalist in cross country. He's also garnered all-Heartland Athletic Conference honors four times during his prep career. He owns a personal best of 15:06 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. He won the Norfolk Invitational thrice and set the course record for Skyview Lake with a time of 15:23. Other personal bests include 4:16 for 1,600 meters and 9:25 for 3,200 meters. Ochoa plans to major in computer science at South Dakota.
 
Logan Rosas | Middle Distance | Mediapolis, Iowa | Mediapolis Community HS
 
A middle distance runner out of Mediapolis, Iowa, Logan Rosas captured an 800-meter state title as a junior, winning the Class 2A crown at the 2023 Iowa State Track and Field Championships. It marked his fourth career Iowa state title. He clocked a personal best 1:54.90 to take sixth in his age division at the AAU Junior Olympic Games at Drake Stadium this past summer. Rosas is a four-time Drake Relays qualifier. Rosas also ran cross country for Mediapolis, helping the Bulldogs finish sixth in Class 2A at the 2023 Iowa Cross Country Championships. Other sports he competed in include football, wrestling and baseball. An honor roll student, Rosas plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at South Dakota.
 
Owen Spartz | Pole Vault | Watertown, South Dakota | Watertown HS
 
A pole vaulter from Watertown, South Dakota, Owen Spartz is a two-time South Dakota state champion and two-time Howard Wood Dakota Relays champion in the pole vault. He owns the Watertown High School record in the pole vault with a personal best height of 15-9. He was also a four-year letterwinner for the Arrows' football squad and garnered all-state honors on the gridiron. Spartz plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at South Dakota.
 
Sydney Stodden | Middle Distance | Elkhorn, Nebraska | North HS

A middle distance runner from Elkhorn, Nebraska, Sydney Stodden is a 12-time state medalist on the track with five golds. Stodden took the tape in the open 400 meters at the 2022 Nebraska State Track & Field Championships, one of three gold medals she earned in helping the Wolves capture the Class B team title. She also ran on Elkhorn North's 4x800-meter relay in 2023 as the squad set a Class B state meet record. She owns personal bests of 56.93 for 400 meters and 2:15.27 for 800 meters. She helped the Wolves' basketball squad capture three-straight Nebraska state championships from 2021 to 2023. An academic all-state honoree and honor roll student, Stodden plans to major in biology at South Dakota.
 
Peyton Svehla | Distance | Lincoln, Nebraska | East HS
 
A distance runner out of Lincoln, Nebraska, Peyton Svehla is a four-time state medalist in helping Lincoln East to four-straight Nebraska state cross country championship titles in Class A. She's also a five-time state medalist on the track, helping the Spartans' 4x800-meter relay take the all-class gold in 2023. Individually she placed fifth in the 1,600 meters with a personal best of 5:09.78 and took eighth in the open 800 meters. She owns a personal best of 18:13 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. An academic all-state honoree and honor roll student, Svehla plans to major in business at South Dakota.
 
Ellie Thomas | Middle Distance/Distance | Hickman, Nebraska | Norris HS
 
A middle distance runner from Hickman, Nebraska, Ellie Thomas is a three-time state medalist in helping Norris High School capture three-straight Nebraska state cross country championship titles in Class B. She finished third as a senior in 2023 and garnered super state honors. She's a five-time state medalist on the track and captured the gold medal in the 800 meters as a junior with a personal best time of 2:13.65. She scored 14.25 team points in helping Norris capture the Class B team title in 2023. She owns a personal best time of 18:39 for 5,000 meters on the cross country course. An academic all-state honoree and member of the National Honor Society, Thomas plans to major in kinesiology and sport management at South Dakota.
 
Claudia Werner | Sprints | Rapid City, South Dakota | Stevens HS
 
A sprinter from Rapid City, South Dakota, Claudia Werner ran a leg of the Raiders' victorious 4x100-emter relay at the 2023 South Dakota State Track & Field Championships. She's a four-time state medalist on the track. Her Raider squad also won the 4x200 meter relay at the 2023 Howard Wood Dakota Relays. She owns personal bests of 12.79 for 100 meters and 26.33 for 200 meters. Off the track, she's a four-time all-state orchestra honoree and earned a superior score on a solo at the 2023 Region 8 contest. She's also a two-year varsity letterwinner in tennis. An honor roll student and member of the National Honor Society, Claudia Werner plans to enroll in South Dakota's dental hygiene program.
 
Anna Willis | Pole Vault | Colorado Springs, Colorado | The Classical Academy
 
A pole vaulter hailing from Colorado Springs, Colorado, Anna Willis is a first-team all-state honoree. She owns a personal best of 13-6, a height that ranks fifth nationally amongst high school vaulters. She also competed in the long jump, high jump and sprint events for the Titans' track and field team. Other activities include serving as president for the Spanish Honors Society, student council representative and as a member of the National Honor Society. An academic letterwinner, Willis plans to major in psychology at South Dakota.