Championship culture fuels Lincoln, SFC at state track and field meet

SIOUX FALLS — Jim Jarovski believes strongly in the culture he’s built during his 20 years as head coach of the Sioux Falls Lincoln track and field program.

There’s value found in every athlete within the program, and the belief is reciprocal. The time that’s invested by Lincoln’s coaches creates a culture in which the athletes also push themselves to sustain success.

On Saturday, the Patriots added to their mantle.

The Lincoln boys team captured its third straight Class AA state championship, while the girls team finished third to clinch the combined AA team award at the state meet at Howard Wood Field.

A year removed from setting a meet record with 174 points, the Lincoln boys set a new high mark in 2026 with 178 points. It’s the 18th boys state championship in school history.

Meanwhile, Brandon Valley took second with 115 points, and Harrisburg placed third with 78.5 points.

“I’ve got great assistant coaches that do a tremendous job, and then they buy in,” Jarovski said. “It’s a culture where we try to get as many kids out for track and field as we possibly can. We had 270 kids out for track this year, and those kids that aren’t even running here made a difference in our success because all they do is push each other in practice. And our practices are really competitive.

“When you have the talent at practice to push each other, they pull each other along, and they just get better. And that’s true in all of the events, in our sprints, in our distance, in our jumps, in our throws. I think a big part of that is the culture that we’ve created here, and I just can’t say enough about the kids and about the assistant coaches.”

Leading the charge for the Pats on the boys’ side was senior Javon Haukaas, who placed first in the 100-meter race (10.51) and 200-meter race (21.41) while also anchoring Lincoln in the 400-meter relay (42.23) and 800-meter relay (1:27.18), all four of which were all-class gold medal finishes.

An inner-city transfer who began his prep career at Sioux Falls Washington, Haukaas says his freshman and sophomore seasons were stymied after breaking both of his shoulders. He began his junior year with a pulled hamstring but has been able to turn things around as a senior.

“I love Lincoln,” Haukaas said. “I’m a Patriot and a Warrior. No coaches want to hear that, but I’m a Patriot and a Warrior at heart. But you kind of have to be in a good space, and have to believe in yourself a little bit.

“I didn’t believe in myself my freshman and sophomore year. I was crazy because I got hurt, but now that I’m here, I have confidence that I’m running it and doing it as best as I can.”

It was Preston Marty, Ben Burchett, Cooper Hicks and Haukaas who took first-place honors in the 400-meter relay, while Burchett, Hicks, Haukaas and Evan Abild led the charge in the Pats’ meet-record finish in the 800-meter relay.

Abild took first in the 400-meter race (48.22) before anchoring Lincoln’s 1,600-meter relay team (Everett Herrboldt, Isaac Herrboldt, Zyan Conrad and Abild) to a first-place finish with a time of 3:20.27. Both were all-class gold medal performances.

The team of Isaac Herrboldt, Miles Lechtenberg, Frank Vandy and Tyrus Needles also finished first for the Patriots in the 3,200-meter relay (7:48.37), earning another all-class gold medal.

Lincoln also got first-place finishes in a pair of field events, with Zachary Matos taking first and all-class gold in the boys high jump (6 feet, 10 inches) and Lucas Honner earning top honors and all-class gold in the javelin throw (188-4).

“We’re not coaching for state championships. We’re coaching for relationships,” Jarovski said. “We’re coaching for kids having a great experience, love of the sport and love of Lincoln High School.

“It’s rewarding, but the most important thing is that the kids love being here. They love doing this, and they’re a big part of the culture of Lincoln High School track and field.”

On the girls’ side, Rapid City Stevens finished with 111 points to earn its first state title since 2015. Harrisburg placed second with 98 points, while Lincoln was third with 81 points.

In Class A, Sioux Falls Christian continued its run of dominance in track and field.

The Chargers claimed their fifth consecutive girls title, while the boys claimed the team title for the sixth year in a row.

SFC’s girls earned a total of 178 points, finishing 78 points ahead of second-place Lennox (100). Dakota Valley was third with 58.83 points.

Meanwhile, the Charger boys claimed 110 points, finishing ahead of runner-up Lennox (78.5) and third-place Hill City (64).

“I think a big piece of it is we really focus on community and culture, which means a lot of kids want to be a part of our program,” SFC coach Luke Vander Leest said. “When you have a lot of kids, you start finding diamonds in the rough. We had a bunch of freshmen that stepped up and contributed, and then, of course, we’ve got our veterans. … I think the underclassmen see that that’s the standard.

“We work hard. We train hard. We cheer for each other. We love each other, and it just becomes a culture kids want to be a part of.”

Senior Halle Braun led the way for the Chargers on the girls’ side, taking first-place honors in the 100-meter hurdles (14.41, meet record), 200-meter race (24.23, meet record) and 300-meter hurdles (43.22, all-class gold). She also anchored SFC’s 1,600-meter relay team, which included Emory Lems, Natalie Smith and Ellie Maddox, capturing first place with a time of 4:00.07.

The Chargers also earned relay wins in the 400-meter race (49.53), 800-meter race (1:43.82) and 3,200-meter race (9:29.50).

Maddox had a stellar state meet, claiming first-place finishes in the 800-meter race (2:12.53), 1,600-meter race (4:53.37) and 3,200-meter race (10:29.33), all of which were meet records.

Meanwhile, Sydney Schaap claimed first place for the Chargers in the javelin throw (121-5).

It’s the sixth overall state title for the SFC girls squad.

Meanwhile, on the boys’ side, the Chargers claimed three first-place finishes among the 20 events but were steady across the board.

SFC senior Marcus Furth earned an all-class gold medal in the shot put with a throw of 60-8 1/2, while the relay team of Aiden Buys, Brice Wassenaar, Levi Vander Leest and Brant Wassenaar earned top honors for the Chargers in the 1,600-meter relay (3:23.49). SFC also took first in the 3,200-meter relay (8:06.47).

The 2026 state championship is the eighth in the history of the Chargers’ boys program.

“We’re fortunate to be in a really good conference, so we get to run against great competition throughout the season,” coach Vander Leest said. “Then you get to a meet like Howard Wood, and our kids have just learned to accept the pressure that comes with being on a big stage.

“Track’s a hard event. You can’t hide. There’s no hiding when you’re in the ring or on the runway or on the track, so learning how to deal with the nerves, learning how to handle that, I’m super proud of our kids for stepping up and being able to do that.”