SIOUX FALLS – It wasn’t the figure she was looking for, but it was still a fitting way to go out for Taryn Hermansen.
The Aberdeen Central senior defended her Class AA state championship in the shot put with a meet record throw of 47-feet, 3-inches at Howard Wood Field on Thursday afternoon during the state track and field meet.
“I always want to be myself,” Hermansen said. “I wanted to beat myself from last year at state.”
Hermansen talked about the mental stress of trying to defend a state championship.
“It’s a lot pressure in a different way when you’re coming back as a state champion,” Hermansen said. “People come to watch you and you hope that you can put on a show for them, too, because they deserve it as much. I’m doing it for myself, and for God, and for my family, but you do it for this community that’s always supporting you.”
Hermansen got off to a bit of a slow start but finished with her two strongest throws of the day, breaking the previous state record with each attempt.
“I wanted to get that first throw in so I could go chase a mark,” Hermansen said, “because if you don’t get a first throw, you don’t get a second, you don’t get a third, you don’t get a chance at that big mark.”
Hermansen, whose best overall throw is 48-11, had a goal of throwing 50 feet this season. She still has that goal as she heads into a national meet next month in Eugene, Ore.
“This is a big stage, but that’s a really big stage,” Hermansen said. “That’s Track Town, USA.”
Hermansen, who is bound for the University of South Dakota in the fall, competed in Eugene last year, but a downpour put a damper on her performance.
“I’m hoping this year it’s a different story, and my story right now for my senior year doesn’t end on this throw,” Hermansen said. “I was able to do as much as I could in South Dakota and now I’m going to go represent South Dakota down in Eugene, and I can’t wait to go do that and it’s still another shot to get my 50 before college for sure.”
Central had a couple of other individual place-winners on the day.
Evan Sichmeller finished in a tie for sixth in the pole vault, after coming into the event seeded 10th.
“I wanted to at least match my PR, which I ended up doing,” Sichmeller said. “I would have liked 14 (feet), but I was happy to get 13-6 on my first attempt, which I hadn’t done before, so that helped me out there.”
The competition was close and the senior wasn’t quite sure where he would end up.
“It was definitely nice to hear that I got sixth, I didn’t know if I was going to,” Sichmeller said. “There was a lot of good seniors, and the class below has a lot of good kids, too.”
The state pole vault has a much different feel to it than at most meets. It is held in the infield of the running track and features a raised runway.
“It’s definitely a lot more of a crazy environment than any other event,” Sichmeller said. “You’re in the center of everybody. The raised runway is nice, though. The vaulters like that. It’s almost a little bit bouncier.”
Central also received a sixth-place finish from Lucy Fritz in the triple jump. The senior recorded one of the best jumps in prelims, despite not being in the top flight.
“I’m very happy with that, definitely,” Fritz said of her place.
Fritz also competes in the high jump and the long jump, but said that triple jump is the most physically demanding.
“Triple jump is definitely I’d say the hardest one,” Fritz said, “because it takes a lot out of your legs.”
She was pleased to cap off her final performance in the event with a state place.
“It feels great,” Fritz said. “I’ve never placed before, so I was definitely aiming for that.”
Central girls’ coach Jim Appl said that having fresh legs paid dividends for Fritz.
“She’s only triple jumped the ESD meet in May and this one, so she’s been pretty fresh,” Appl said. “We kept her off it a little bit, got her fresh legs, and it really paid off.”
Appl pointed out that the 400-meter relay team broke the school record again in the prelims and also talked about Hermansen’s effort in the shot put.
“We expect that from her and she expects that from herself,” Appl said. “She wasn’t going to let anything else get in her way, so that was awesome.”
The meet capped an adventurous 10-day journey for Central senior Lincoln Stone, who just missed making the finals in the javelin.
Stone spent more than a week in Taiwan with his family, before racing back to compete in the state meet where he promptly threw a personal best 158-2.
“I kind of got a good night of sleep. That was very important and an energy drink,” Stone said. “Honestly, the trip was a really good time to rest my shoulder up from the season. The rest really helped me throw better today.”
Stone boarded a plane in Taiwan at 7 p.m. Tuesday, flew into Jamestown, N.D. at 5 p.m. Wednesday, and then drove five hours to Sioux Falls that evening to connect with the team.
Stone, who will be competing in track and field at Morris, Minn., next season, said he wasn’t too worried about coming back to compete in the state meet.
“I knew that I earned my spot here and I could really trust my training,” Stone said. “That’s what mattered the most. I was able to enjoy the trip and then enjoy getting to compete today.”
The Golden Eagles still have numerous opportunities when the meet resumes today.
“I thought we had an OK day. I felt like we ended up in 10th place a few too many times and ninth place too many times today,” said Central boys’ coach Greg Murley. “There’s some points (Friday) that are out there if we compete hard.”
Murley was pleased with the way his athletes handled the opening day conditions.
“I thought our kids did a really good job of taking the heat and the elements out of the equation,” Murley said.
To see complete opening day results, click on the following link:
