Howard Wood Dakota Relays special event participants announced: Here's who's been selected

The 99th annual Howard Wood Dakota Relays will take place this weekend and the full field of special event participants has been announced.

The boys special event will be the 200m and the girls will be the 800m. Both will take place on Friday. The Howard Wood Dakota Relays will take place Friday and Saturday.

Coach Howard Wood started the Relays as a one-day event on May 4, 1923, but since then it’s evolved into a two-day event that features over 3,000 middle school and high school athletes from the upper Midwest.

Here are the full list of participants in both special events:

Boys Special 200m

Jeran McNichols, Bismarck

Hometown: Bismarck, ND

Grade: Senior

Accolades: Currently ranks No. 1 in North Dakota in 100m, 200m, & 300m Hurdles | No. 3 in NDHS history in 200m (21.20); No. 6 in 300m Hurdles (38.11) | 7x medalist at the NDHS State T&F Meet | 2023 “A” 300m Hurdle state champion | Defending Howard Wood Dakota Relays 100m champion | All-WDA selection in football | 4.2 GPA, BHS Class Valedictorian | North Dakota State University T&F commit

Griffin Fischer, Lincoln

Hometown: Sioux Falls, SD

Grade: Junior

Accolades: Currently ranks No. 1 in South Dakota in 100m & 200m | No. 10 in SDHS history in 100m (10.57) | Medaled in the 100m, 200m, 400m at the 2023 SDHS “AA” State Track Championships | 2024 Metro Conference Champion in the 100m, 200m, 400m | Helped lead Lincoln to a SDHS state championship in soccer | 4.0 GPA

Reece Snow, Legacy

Hometown: Bismarck, ND

Grade: Senior

Accolades: Currently ranks No. 2 in North Dakota in 200m, No. 3 in 100m | No. 5 in NDHS history in 200m (21.41) | Ran on the fastest 4x100m, 4x200m, and 4x400m relay teams in NDHS history, all three of which set Dakota Relays records in 2023 | Finished top-five in the 100m and 200m at the 2023 NDHS “A” State Track Championships | Three-sport athlete (football, soccer, track) | 3.9 GPA | University of South Dakota T&F commit

Landon Dulaney, Brandon Valley

Grade: Junior

Hometown: Brandon, SD

Accolades: 2023 SDHS “AA” champion in the 200m, Long Jump & 4x200m relay | Ran on BVHS’s state-title winning 4x100m and 4x200m relay teams as a freshman in 2022 | All-state selection in football, All-ESD and All-Metro in basketball | 4.0 GPA, National Honor Society member

Isaiah Johnson, George-Little Rock

Grade: Senior

Hometown: Little Rock, IA

Accolades: Currently ranks No. 1 in Iowa “1A” in 400m, No. 2 in 200m, No. 4 in 100m | 2023 Iowa “1A” State Track Championships runner-up in the 200m; Also finished top-four in the 100m, 400m | Finished top-six in the 100m and 400m at the 2023 Howard Wood Dakota Relays | All-State selection in football and track, All-Conference in basketball | North Dakota State University T&F commit | 4.0 GPA, Class Valedictorian

Cael Meisman, Rapid City Stevens

Grade: Senior

Hometown: Rapid City, SD

Accolades: 2023 SDHS “AA” runner-up in the 200m and anchored Stevens’ 4x100m relay team to state championship in his first season competing in T&F | Currently ranks No. 2 in SD in 200m | 2023 All-State Honorable Mention wide receiver | Victor Valley College (CA) football commit

Colby Fleck, St. Mary's Central

Grade: Junior

Hometown: Bismarck, ND

Accolades: Currently ranks top-five in North Dakota in 100m, 200m | 2023 NDHS “A” medalist in 200m, anchored 4x200m to 3rd-place as sophomore | 2024 Rapid City Track-O-Rama 100m & 200m champion versus some of South Dakota’s best sprinters | 3.9 GPA, National Honor Society member

Landen Matkins, Rapid City Stevens

Grade: Senior

Hometown: Rapid City, SD

Accolades: Currently ranks No. 3 in South Dakota in 200m | 2023 SDHS “AA” medalist in 200m, ran on state championship-winning 4x100m relay team in his first season competing in T&F | Three-sport athlete at RCS (basketball, track, baseball) | South Dakota State University T&F commit | 4.02 GPA, National Honor Society member

Jovi Wolf, Chester Area

Grade: Senior

Hometown: Chester, SD

Accolades: Five-time SDHS T&F champion, 10x state medalist | 2022 & 2023 SDHS “B” champion in the 200m and 400m and runner-up in the 100m | 2023 SDHSAA State “B” Boys Track MVP | 5th in 2022 HWDR Special 200m | Chester Area record holder in five different events | Five-sport athlete (football, basketball, golf, baseball, track) | Four-time all-state football player, two-time all-conference basketball player | Dakota State University football commit

Girls Special 800m

Berkeley Engelland, Mount Vernon/Plankinton

Grade: Senior

Hometown: Mitchell, SD

Accolades: 10x SDHS State “A” T&F champion | In 2023, became one of the first in SDHS history to win the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m in the same state meet; State “A” Girls Track MVP | 3x defending “A” champ in 400m and 800m; “A” State Meet record holder in both events | No. 3 in SDHS history in 800m (2:10.78) | 3rd consecutive year competing in the HWDR Girls Special Event; 2nd in ’22 Special 800m (2:11.75), 4th in ’23 Special 200m (24.88) | University of South Dakota T&F commit | 3.954 GPA

Sydney Drevlow, Hopkins

Grade: Junior

Hometown: Golden Valley, MN

Accolades: 3x MSHSL State T&F Runner-up | Currently ranks No. 3 in MN in 800m | Four top-five finishes at State XC | International-class Nordic skier; competed for Team USA at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in South Korea | 3.92 GPA

Libby Castelli, O'Gorman

Grade: Junior

Hometown: Sioux Falls, SD

Accolades: 2023 SDHS “AA” champion in the 1600m and the Sprint Medley Relay, 2nd in the 800m, 3rd in the 3200m | Nine top-five individual finishes at the last three SDSHS State T&F meets, including five second-place medals | No. 3 in SDHS history in the 1600m, No. 6 in the 3200m, currently top-ranked in SDHS in both events | 3rd in 2022 HWDR Special 800m | ’23 AA State XC champion, four straight top-5 finishes | 3x all-state soccer player at O’Gorman | 3.969 GPA, National Honor Society member

Mia Wentzy, Brandon Valley

Grade: Senior

Hometown: Brandon, SD

Accolades: 2023 SDHS “AA” champion in the 800m, 4x400m, 4x800m and 2nd in the 400m; State “AA” Girls Track MVP | Seven top-three individual finishes at the “AA” state meet, 4x state relay champion | No. 7 in SDHS history in the 800m (2:12.08) | 4x all-state XC runner | 4.0 GPA | University of Arizona Triathlon commit

Eva Selensky, St. Mary's Central

Grade: Junior

Hometown: Bismarck, ND

Accolades: Top-ranked in 800m & 1600m in North Dakota in Spring ’24 | 3rd in 800m, 1600m, 3200m in Class A at 2023 NDHS State T&F Meet | 6th at 2023 NDHS State XC, WDA Region Champion | 4.013 GPA, Distinguished Student Award winner

Addison Scholten, Brandon Valley

Grade: Sophomore

Hometown: Brandon, SD

Accolades: 6x individual medal-winner at the SDHS State T&F meet, including a 3rd-place finish in the “AA” 800m and a 4th-place finish in the 1600m in 2023 | Ran on BV’s state meet record-setting 4x800m relay team in ’23 | Three top-eight finishes at SDHS State XC, 2x ESD XC Champ | 4.0 GPA

Anna Vyn, Sioux Falls Christian

Grade: Junior

Hometown: Sioux Falls, SD

Accolades: 2023 SDHS “A” runner-up in 400m and 800m for second consecutive year; Anchored SFC to state championships in 4x4 and Sprint Medley Relay | Helped lead SFC to back-to-back team titles in both T&F and XC | 3x state medalist in XC | 4.0 GPA, SFC Student Body Vice President

Ella Boekelheide, Northwestern

Grade: Sophomore

Hometown: Mellette, SD

Accolades: Former SDHS “B” champion in 1600m, 3200m and XC | 2023 SDHS “B” runner-up in 800, 1600, 3200m, and XC | 4x All-State in XC | Four-sport athlete at Northwestern (volleyball, XC, basketball, and T&F) | 4.0 GPA

Ellie Maddox, Sioux Falls Christian

Grade: Sophomore

Hometown: Sioux Falls, SD

Accolades: 7x individual medal winner at the SDHS State “A” T&F Meet, including two runner-up finishes in the 1600m | Anchored SFC to back-to-back state 4x800m championships in 2022 and 2023 | Helped lead SFC to back-to-back team titles in both T&F and XC | 2021 SDHS “A” XC champion | 4.0 GPA

For more information on the Howard Wood Dakota Relays, including the full meet schedule, past results, and more, click here .

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Howard Wood Dakota Relays special event participants announced: Here's who's been selected