SIOUX FALLS-- The Mitchell boys' 1600-meter relay team was ready to take first place at the University of Sioux Falls Relays on Saturday, but Mother Nature had other plans. After a weather delay in the morning, events were able to resume as scheduled and Nick Kummer, Austin Loes, Jason Greenway and Jade Miller took third place in the boys' 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3 minutes, 25.93 seconds.
"We were really gunning for that 3:23 mark, but it just didn't happen," Loes said.
Saturday's track meet was showered with severe weather warnings, rain and lots of wind, which had a huge effect on the boys' race, said Mitchell track coach Geoff Gross. He said it wasn't the finish they had hoped for, but they were up against plenty of good competition. Sioux Falls Washington claimed first place with a time of 3:21.92 and Bismarck, N.D., came in second with at time of 3:25.18.
"There were good teams in front of us ... Sioux Falls Washington and Bismarck are really good schools," he said. "They're both very good teams and both will probably win the state title in their respective states this year."
Gross said it was one of the biggest races of the season for the relay team, just because of the matchups.
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"There were at least three or four schools here that could run under 3:25, and the wind and the weather and everything wasn't really conducive to our race," Gross added.
Even though it wasn't the first-place finish the team was hoping for, the team did get the second-best time in Mitchell High School history with its finish time on Saturday. The best time is held by the same team, Kummer, Loes, Greenway and Miller, set at the Pierre American Legion Relays April 20. They broke a school record finishing with a time of 3:23.38. The previous record was 3:26.64 and was held by Jason and Justin Greenway and Turner and Tyler Volesky.
Gross said the wind on Saturday was one of the biggest factors during the race and really affected how the whole team ran, but said it was especially hard on Kummer, who ran the first leg for Mitchell.
"The wind was tough," Gross said. "He stands up and the first thing that hits him in the face is the wind."
The team has lots to look forward to in its upcoming meets, however. There is not a qualifying time for the state track meet for the 1,600 relay, so it's guaranteed a spot in that race.
Gross is not sure about the exact lineup for the state meet, but the team is looking forward to welcoming back Justin Greenway, who's been out for most of the season with a leg injury.
"With Justin getting healthy, we've got a lot of options, so that's pretty nice," Gross said.
