SIOUX FALLS – A variety of Northeast Conference athletes left their marks during the final day of competition at the Class A State Track and Field Meet on Saturday at Howard Wood Field.

Aberdeen Roncalli’s Parker Grieben clocked a personal record time of 15.34 seconds on the way to a fourh-place finish in the 110-meter high hurdles.

“I really think it was my start (Friday). I’ve always had this problem. I stand straight up when I get out of the blocks,” Grieben said. “At this point my hurdle form has become pretty natural, so I really didn’t focus on that a lot. I just focused just on my start, keeping my shoulders low, driving out and it just carried me through the whole race.”

Grieben said his start wasn’t the best on Friday, and he knew if he could clean that up, he would have a better time in the finals.

“I knew my start was not great (Friday) and I still ran close to my PR,” Grieben said.

Cavaliers coach Brady Lesnar said that the start was a point of emphasis heading into the state meet.

“Going into state, Parker worked on his block starts, because he knew that was an area he needed to improve upon,” Lesnar said. “Today’s race showed off his hard work. Parker had a better start to his race, which led to him running a PR and placing fourth in Class A. Proud of the work he did.”

Clark-Willow Lake’s Kamryn Nesheim has also been putting in work and it is paying dividends.

The eighth-grader used a strong closing kick to take fifth place in the 1,600-meter run.

“My seventh-grade year I could never finish strong, so I never did well at the end,” Nesheim said. “So over the summer I’ve been working on finishing strong, and I think I’ve been getting stronger. I’ve been hitting the gym.”

While she has concentrated on the physical aspect of the sport, the eighth-grader said there is another key component.

“A lot of track is mental,” Nesheim said, “so you just focus on your mental capacity and how much you think you can take.”

She also uses a phrase to help her finish as quickly as possible: “The faster you run, the faster you’re done.”

While Milbank’s Payton Brown was unable to win a state title in the boys’ 1,600, there were few people more excited than he was as he came across the finish line because he became the new owner of the school record in the event.

“Last lap all I was thinking was school record,” Brown said.

When asked who held the previous record, Brown responded, “I have no idea. It was ran on a dirt track, that’s how old it was.”

Brown was part of a stellar field of runners, which he said helped him to accomplish his goal.

“I had great runners that pushed me,” Brown said. “This Class A, it’s so fast.”

Brown actually ran in in the middle of the track for the final 100 meters of the race, something he has grown accustomed to.

“I’ve been doing that all year. I don’t know it is,” Brown said. “I just take the curve and then I just get into a gear and I just go.”

Hamlin’s Zac VanMeeteren is on the go all the time. The junior standout placed in three different open events on the day. He finished second in the 100-meter dash, second in the 200-meter dash, and fourth in the 400-meter dash.

When asked about his favorite event, the 6-foot-6 VanMeeteren said, “Any of the sprints, probably the 200 though. I just use my long legs to just eat up everybody. The 100 is maybe a little too short for that, but the 200 I get a little more time.”

VanMeeteren is also a standout football player, and this past year helped to lead the Chargers to the state basketball championship. However, there is something about track and field that he really enjoys.

“It’s all dependent on me. I don’t have to depend on anybody else,” VanMeeteren said. “If I’m having a bad day, it’s a pick-me-up.”

Webster’s Matthew Mount saved his best for last in the shot put. The junior had a four-foot PR on his final throw to take second place in the event with a mark of 54 feet, 1 and 3/4 inches.

“Honestly, I just got my confidence back from the start of the season,” Mount said of the reason for his improvement.

He also noticed a few ways to improve by watching YouTube videos.

“I fixed some little things in my technique,” Mount said.

While Mount enjoys throwing the shot put more than the discus, he said there are some traits that help each event.

“The spin with the shot put really helps with discus,” Mount said.

Sisseton’s Chloe Langager wrapped up a memorable career by taking fourth in the shot put, matching a personal record throw.

“I didn’t PR, but I met my PR, so I threw 38-2 which was what was my best of the season, so I’m OK with it,” Langager said. “I was rated fourth and I got fourth, and I got eighth last year, so it’s better than last year.”

Langager, who helped to lead Sisseton to back-to-back third-place finishes in the state basketball tournament, said she will remember all of her teammates and coaches.

“I’ve been surrounded by a lot of great people throughout the years,” she said, “and I’m really thankful for all of them.”

So what will fill her competition void as she moves on to college?

“I’m not sure,” Langager said. “I’m still trying to figure that one out.”

To see complete Class A results, click on the following link:

https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/545344/results/all