The Flandreau boys track and field team breezed to a first-place win at last Tuesday’s Pat Gilligan/Alumni Invitational in Estelline while the girls team came in second behind a strong Colman-Egan team.
It was the first time a Flier boys team had won a meet since 2013.
This week, some of the Flier athletes will be at O’Gorman on Friday or at Howard Wood, Friday and Saturday.

Boys
The Fliers scored 206.5 points to second place Elkton-Lake Benton’s 173.5 in the field of 15 teams.
“The boys are starting to pull together a strong team in both field and track events,” said Coach Owen Parsley.
“It was a real measure for how we rank in our region as we competed against teams like Sioux Valley, Deuel, Hamlin, and Deubrook. These young men are on a mission and if we consistently perform aggressively like this, we have a real shot at the LCC (Lake Central Conference) and Region 2A championships.
The boys had only one first place finish, but placed second in four events.
Alex Anderson sprinted to the gold in the 100 meter dash with a season best time of 11.13.
Those four runner-up medals went to Brenton Westberry for his 2:14.78 time in the 800 meter run, Liam Streitz in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 44.27 and to two relays, the 4x800, 8:57.96 (T. Reed, A. Kulm, Westberry, Gassman) and the 4x400, 3:48.85 (Anderson, B. Kulm, Streitz, Hoffman).
“Streitz attacked the hurdles,” said Parsley, “as he’s currently placed 16th in the state standings.”
He also noted that the 4x800 relay’s time was their best effort of the year and began with Westberry’s strong 2:08 opening split.
“Westberry also PRD in the mile and placed sixth, and battled for second in the 800 meter run,” said Parsley.
“I am amazed by his grit and resolution every race he runs.”
Also in the 100, juniors Lane Johanson and Ethan Hoffman both crossed the finish line at 11.5 to tie for third.
Parsley’s long distance runners of Matt Gassman, Lurick Dailey and Austin Kulm placed three through five in the 3200 run.
“Those guys are workhorses and always push to make each other better.”
A couple more placings to note were Caleb Pitsenberger’s javelin toss of 131’2” to place fourth and Chase Reed’s fifth place shot toss.
“Those two men really lead our throws department well and I can’t wait to see how they finish out this last part of the season.”
In pole vaulting, Austin Kulm set a new personal record of 8’9” and took fourth place and Lanz Dailey was eighth at 7’3” in his first meet in that event. Tathan Headrick also placed sixth to round out the Fliers’ vaulting scoring.
Other place winners adding to the team total were Headrick, eighth in the 400, Mike Tollefson was fifth in the high jump, Paul Parsley took fourth in the triple jump and seventh in the long jump and the fifth place 4x200 meter relay team was made up of Headrick, Anderson, Streitz and Hoffman.
 
Girls

From the field of 17 teams, the Flier girls scored 142 points tying with Arlington and coming in behind a cross-county team, Colman-Egan, who had 288 points.
“Our girls also pieced together a strong meet coming in second behind Colman Egan, but also beating every Region 2A team at the meet. These gals willingly punch through numerous events and that’s what makes our girls team so strong.
“From the opening 4X800 to the closing 4X400, our gals bring remarkable effort in every competition,” noted Parsley.
Pacing the Fliers to the win was the long distance events garnering three first place medals.
“Eighth grader Faith Wiese had a dazzling day helping the 4X800 to their best time of 10:32.18 (with an anchor split of 2:28), winning the mile at 5:29.99, and finishing off her day with a PR and first place in the 3200 at 11:44.11,” said Parsley. Other team members in the 4x800 were Kiley Westberry, Maria Parsley and Lily Klein.
In mid-distance, Klein was third in the 800 and Josie Hamilton, returning from an injury, was third in the 3200 meter run. The sprints had two seventh place finishers, Bella Pavlis in the 100 and Claire Sheppard in the 400.
In the field events, Lizzie Pavlis leaped into new territory in the triple Jump flying 33’1.5” for third place and Jade Stone took eighth in the discus, spinning it 82’.
Parsley says he has a small group of girls who vaulted in Flier history.
“Last week at the Pipestone junior high meet and also at this Estelline meet, our girls pole vault program finally vaulted for the first time in school history,” he said.
“Eighth grader Hailey Lahr set the bar at 5’0” in Pipestone (winning the junior high meet) and then Elodie Amdahl launched 5’9” at Estelline, in a three way tie for 8th place. Junior Katherine Kulm and Freshman Emma Keith also made vault history trying the new event. It’s exciting to see these gals write a new chapter in Flandreau track and field history,” he said.
In the other relay events, the Flier ran to second in the 4x200, 1:56.70. Team members were Bella Pavlis, Lizzie Pavlis, Sadie Iott and Claire Sheppard. The mile relay of Lizzie Pavlis, Sheppard, Klein and Bella Pavlis were fifth, 4:35.61
The medley team of Ayashi Artoz, Morgan Kontz, Amdahl and Diamond Roy took eighth.
Picking up personal records in the meet were Ella Hoffman in the 200 at 29.34 and Elodie Amdahl in the long jump at 13’8.25”.
Hopefully the spring weather will straighten out and the team will able to attend the meets yet scheduled.
“This team is continually refining themselves as we near the close of the season with Howard Wood, conference, regions, and state in sight. They are really picking up steam and I’m sure their final results will show the promising investment of hard work and consistency.”

Girls
100 M Dash- 7th Bella Pavlis 13.46
400 M Dash- 7th Sheppard 1:07.47
800 M Run- 3rd Klein 2:39.51
1600 M Run-1st Wiese 5:29.99
3200 M Run-1st Wiese 11:44.11; 3rd Hamilton 13:00.55
4x200 Relay-2nd Pavlis, Pavlis, Iott, Sheppard 1:56.70
4x400 Relay-5th Pavlis, Sheppard, Klein, Pavlis 4:35.61
4x800 Relay-1st Westberry, Klein, Parsley, Wiese 10:32.18
1600 Sprint Medley- 8th Artoz, Kontz, Amdahl, Roy 5:20.45
Discus- 8th Stone 82’
Pole Vault-tie 8th Amdahl 5’9”
Javelin-7th Lovejoy 52’11’
Triple Jump-3rd L. Pavlis 33’1.5”’ 7th Iott 31’2.5”
Boys
100 M Dash- 1st Anderson 11.14; tie 3rd Hoffman, Johanson 11.5
400 M Dash- 8th Headrick 56.67
800 M Run- 2nd Westberry 2:14.78
1600 M Run-6th Westberry 5:07.12
3200 M Run-3rd Gassman 11:35.48; 4th Dailey 11:35.73; 5th A. Kulm 11:56.25
300 M Hurdles- 2nd Streitz 44.27
4x200 Relay-5th Headrick, Anderson, Streitz, Hoffman 1:39.04
4x400 Relay-2nd Anderson, B. Kulm, Streitz, Hoffman 3:48.85
4x800 Relay-2nd T. Reed, A. Kulm, Westberry, Gassman 8:57.96
Shot-5th C. Reed 42’7.5”
Javelin-4th Pitsenberger 131’2”
High Jump-5th Tollefson 5’8”
Pole Vault-4th A. Kulm 8’9”; 6th Headrick 7’9”
Long Jump-7th Parsley 17’2.5”
Triple Jump-4th Parsley 35’9”