South Dakota

Howard Wood Dakota Relays: Day 2 roundup of results

Published

2 years ago

May 4, 2024

Howard Wood Dakota Relays: Day 2 roundup of results

Lincoln senior Ellen Merkley stood on the turf of Howard Wood Field, staring up at the bleachers as the crowd cheered her on for her achievements, taking it all in. Merkley was awarded the 2024 Howard Wood Gold Medal Scholarship on Saturday.

The Dakota Relays Gold Medal scholarship was established in 2000. The Howard Wood Dakota Relays Board of Directors created the scholarship to reward a South Dakota track and field student-athlete who has chosen to continue participation in the sport at the collegiate level in South Dakota.

“It was fun,” Merkley said of receiving the award. “I have been coming to Howard Wood since I was a seventh grader when I started competing with Lincoln. It’s just been so fun to watch all the different competitors and there’s been amazing competition here.”

Merkley applied for the scholarship and her coach James Jarovski wrote her a letter of recommendation telling the board why she deserved the recognition. Although she said it’s kind of cliche, Jarovski has always been in her corner through the good times and bad.

“No matter what, I can tell that he’s my biggest fan,” Merkley said of her head coach.

Merkley was part of the team that set the state meet record in the 4×100. She also stood out from the crowd of applicants with her extracurricular activities. The senior is currently the editor-in-chief of the Lincoln High School student newspaper.

Merkley committed to continuing her track and field career, alongside her sister Lauren Merkley and a few other Lincoln alums, at Augustana University.

Here is the round-up of Sioux Falls-area schools from Day 2 of the Howard Wood Dakota Relays

Brandon Valley’s Wyatt Melcher placed third in the Boys triple jump with a 44-07 leap, the second-best mark in AA.
Sioux Falls Roosevelt’s David Ndong placed fifth in the Boys triple jump with a 43-11 leap.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Rylee Punt placed third in the Girls Pole Vault with a 11-03 mark.
Brandon Valley’s Shelby Bergan finished third, broke her personal record, and set the top in Class AA in the Girls 300m hurdle with a 45.61 time.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Halle Braun finished fourth in the Girls 300m hurdle, setting the second-best time in Class A with a 45.76 mark.
Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Luke Eichacker finished fourth in the Boys 300m hurdle, set a new personal record and the third-best mark in Class AA with a 40.26 time.
Harrisburg’s Tate Larson finished fifth in the Boys 300m hurdle with a 40.46 time.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Girls 1600m sprint medley team of Ashlee VanDriesen, Mya VanDonge, Katie VanderLeest, and Ellie Maddox finished first with a time of 4:17.43.
Brandon Valley’s Girls 1600m sprint medley team of Shelby Bergan, Madison Pederson, Addison Scholten, and Sarah VanDeBerg finished first with a time of 4:08.04.
Harrisburg’s Girls 1600m sprint medley team of Brylee Krier, Amarise Okken, Ragyn Peska, and Bria Miller finished second with a time of 4:17.72.
Sioux Falls Roosevelt’s Girls 1600m sprint medley team of Irene Thaenrat, Faith Peterson, Lily Tadlock, and Brooklyn Koll finished fourth with a time of 4:21.66.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Boys 1600 Meter Sprint Medley team of Kian Clapp, Levi Davelaar, Brant Wassenaar, and Alex Oberloh finished fifth with a time of 3:40.63.
Harrisburg’s Boys 1600 Meter Sprint Medley team of Beau Karst, Jagger Lombard, Tytan Tryon, and Griffin Smith finished second with a time of 3:37.91.
Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Boys 1600 Meter Sprint Medley team of Javin Augustus, Liam Van Roekel, Griffin Fischer, Tyrus Needles finished third with a time of 3:39.58.
Sioux Falls Washington’s Boys 1600 Meter Sprint Medley team of Javon Haukaas, Ethan Rave, Carter Akkerman, and Mohamed Muse finished fourth with a time of 3:40.36.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Ana Vyn placed second in the Girls 400m and set the second-highest mark in Class A with a 57.78 time.
Sioux Falls Washington’s Nyariek Kur placed third in the Girls 100m hurdles with a 15.09 time.
Harrisburg’s Tate Larson placed third in the Boys 110m hurdles, setting a personal record and the second-best mark in Class AA with a 14.73 time.
Harrisburg’s Clay Sonnenschein placed fifth in the Boys 110m hurdles with a 14.82 time.
Lincoln’s Javin Augustus placed fifth in the Boys 100m with a time of 10.97.
Harrisburg’s Lydia Van Stedum finished second in the Special Olympics Girls 100m with a 20.08 time.
O’Gorman’s Libby Castelli set a new top mark in AA in the Girls 1600m with a 4:54.60 time.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Girls 4x100m team of Sydney Schaap, Katie VanderLeest, Ashlee VanDriesen, and Mya VanDonge finished second in the Class A competition with a time of 49.97.
Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Girls 4x100m team of Ellen Merkley, Faith Kpeayeh, Ella Termaat, and Linnea Nesheim placed first and set a new high mark in Class AA with a 49.18 time.
West Central’s Boys 4x100m team of Preston Butts, Ben Vuong, Patrick Hammond, and Layton Johnson set the fourth-highest mark in Class A with a 44.75 time and placed fifth.
Sioux Falls Lincoln Boys 4x100m team of Javin Augustus, Josh Myers, Mikey Roche, and Griffin Fischer placed second and set the best mark in Class AA with a 42.24 time.
Sioux Falls Jefferson Boys Unified 4x100m team of Jack Wagoner, Luke Determan, Kieran Weigelt, and Joseph Tongyik broke a school record and placed third with a 1:04.42 time.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Girls 4x400m team of Savaeh Sichmeller, Halle Braun, Corinne Braun, and Anna Vyn placed first, set a meet record, and the new top mark in Class A with a 4:00.58 time.
Lennox’s Girls 4x400m team of Bergan Musser, Jayla DeCou, Tori Gerdes, and Karlie Bosma placed third and set the second-best mark in Class A with a 4:08.44 time.
Brandon Valley’s Girls 4x400m team of Addison Scholten, Kyra Weiss, Sarah VanDeBerg, and Madison Pederson placed first and set the best mark in Class AA with a 3:57.78 time.
Sioux Falls Roosevelt’s Girls 4x400m team of Faith Peterson, Brooklyn Koll, Emily Schuck, and Lily Tadlock placed third and set the fourth-best mark in Class AA with a 4:08.32 time.
West Central’s Boys 4x400m team of Patrick Hammond, Elliot DeJong, Rylee Hartung, and Jude Jarding placed first and set the best mark in Class A with a 3:29.66 time.
Sioux Falls Christian’s Boys 4x400m team of Kian Clapp, Brant Wassenaar, Alex Oberloh, and Bennett Wassenaar placed third with a 3:30.56 time.
Lennox’s Boys 4x400m team of Drake Mikkelsen, Cloy McVey, Noah Sayler, and Cade Sherard placed fifth with a 3:33.95 time.

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at@JFERN31

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South Dakota

South Dakota: GFP Commission modifies bounty program – focuses on youth trapping and coyote removal

Published

6 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

South Dakota: GFP Commission modifies bounty program – focuses on youth trapping and coyote removal

The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) Commission passed a resolution to end the current Nest Predator Bounty Program at their March meeting in Pierre and create two separate programs within the existing budget and time period.The Nest Predator Bounty Program began in 2019 with the implementation of the Second Century Initiative. This reinvigorated trapping as an outdoor recreational opportunity and a means to get youth engaged and spend more time outdoors.

Data collected from the program shows that the level of youth participation over the past 4 years has exceeded 30%. In 2024 and 2025, youth participation reached 46%.”The Nest Predator Bounty Program has been incredibly successful at engaging youth in wildlife management and our tradition of trapping in South Dakota,” said Kevin Robling, GFP Secretary.

In total, 342,743 nest predators were removed since the program’s inception.”Intense nest predator removal in localized areas during the nesting season can contribute to higher nest success and we encourage individuals to continue to participate in this management activity,” continued Robling. “In 2026, we are going to focus on continuing to get youth outdoors and addressing our coyote population.”

As part of this focus, the current Nest Predator Bounty Program is ending. The allocated $500,000 for this program will be split into two separate programs: the Youth Trapping Recruitment Program and the Coyote Bounty Program.

Youth Trapping Recruitment Program

The Youth Trapping Recruitment Program will be open for South Dakota youth age 17 and under. Tails from raccoon, striped skunk, badger, opossum, and red fox will be worth $10.The program will run from March 1-July 1, unless the $200,000 limit is reached first.”Youth recruitment and retention in trapping and wildlife management is a key component of this program,” said Robling. “We are thrilled with the amount of youth participation we have seen, so we want to continue this momentum.”

Coyote Bounty Program

The Coyote Bounty Program will be open for all South Dakota residents. Tails from coyotes will be worth $30.The program will run from April 1-July 1, unless the $300,000 limit is reached first.”Controlling the coyote population is critical for both our agricultural industry and wildlife populations,” stated Robling. “The newly created Coyote Bounty Program will assist in the management of these predators to help protect newborn calves and lambs for agricultural producers and enhance fawn survival for deer and antelope.”

Tail Submission Opportunities

Individuals wishing to participate in either of these programs may submit tails to their local GFP office during designated tail turn in opportunities. Households are eligible to submit up to $590 worth of tails in each program.

–South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 5, 2026

Published

18 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 5, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 5 drawing

17-20-23-30-33, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South Dakota

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

DOE selects nine school districts for 2026 South Dakota Perkins Reserve grant

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Nine school districts have been selected as recipients of the 2026 Perkins Reserve Grant by the South Dakota Department of Education.

The grant provides major equipment upgrades for Career and Technical Education programs, helping to equip students with the skills and experiences needed for post-secondary education and the workforce.

“CTE programs are constantly evolving to match the pace of workforce needs,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Joseph Graves.

“The South Dakota Perkins Reserve Grant aids schools in equipping students with current technologies, resources, and tools, offering students a realistic, hands-on learning experience that will strengthen their marketability to colleges or employers once they leave the K-12 education system.”

The following school districts have been named as the 2026 recipients:

Aberdeen School District:
- Awarded $30,233 for new precision machine equipment for the manufacturing program.
De Smet School District:
- Awarded $15,898 for modernizing metal fabrication within agriculture programs.
Lake Preston School District:
- Awarded $43,160 for expansion of program offers in multiple career clusters to strengthen industrial alignment.
McLaughlin School District:
- Awarded $11,997 to purchase equipment to offer a new culinary arts program.
Menno School District:
- Awarded $32,844 to purchase small engines and attend professional development opportunities to enhance the agricultural mechanics program.
Mitchell School District:
- Awarded $38,663 for the modernization of the automotive technology lab.
Timber Lake School District:
- Awarded $42,400 for the expansion of agriculture course offerings to strengthen industry alignment.
Wakpala School District:
- Awarded $40,145 to purchase a skid steer simulator to enhance the agriculture and construction program.
Wolsey-Wessington School District:
- Awarded $26,201 to purchase industry-aligned equipment to enhance the agriculture and construction program.