The Black Hills are set to host the 2021 State Track and Field meet on May 28-29 with Sturgis (AA), Spearfish (A), and Rapid City (B) helping to field the event. In a non-covid year, the three classes are split into three locations for day one, but then all come together on day two for a majority of the final’s events. This year, however, the three classes will remain split for both days of the state meet.
“This change is being done after consulting with our Site Hosts, Coaches and Administrators from across the state to formulate a meet that will allow us to hold a full, championship competition” stated Dr. John Krogstrand, SDHSAA Asst. Executive Director. “Our hope is these changes, both in terms of sites and schedule, will allow us to host a successful State Meet while also maintaining social distancing guidelines and health precautions.”
Another significant modification for the event is the lack of prelim heats. Outside of the girls and boys 100m dash, and the girls 100m hurdles and boys 110m hurdles, everything else is a finals heat. Some events will require three heats of finals, while others will only need one.
There will also be no 'practice day' available for the teams at each venue the day before the state meet begins. The start time for Friday is set for a 3 pm MT start, which will give teams time to travel on the day of the event if they so desire.
As far as SDPB's coverage, the track events for all three classes will air live on television and stream live online at sdpb.org/track. Class B on SDPB1-TV, Class A on SDPB2-TV, and Class AA on SDPB3-TV. Friday's coverage will start at 2:45 pm MT with Saturday's broadcast beginning at 8:45 am MT.
Starting in 2022, the state track and field competition in South Dakota will only take place at a single venue for the entirety of the event. This will also extend the state track and field meet from two days to three days. Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls is scheduled to host the state track and field meet in both 2022 and 2023 with Rapid City hosting again in 2024.
