Photos Courtesy of 605sports.com
The Maȟpíya Lúta Khiíŋyaŋkapi traveled to Custer on Wednesday, April 23rd, for the Custer Invitational and returned home with one of their strongest performances of the young season, highlighted by two first-place finishes, over 16 personal records, and continued growth across the roster.
Girls Highlights
Ashlan Carlow-Blount was the story of the day for the girls, delivering a dominant performance in the 100-meter hurdles with a first-place finish and a time of 15.64. She wasn’t done there, as she also anchored the girls’ first 4×100 relay team alongside Josephine Haas, Dorthie Mesteth, and Kaimana Newbrough, which claimed another first-place finish with a time of 52.88.
Josephine Haas continued her strong season, finishing 8th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.77, while Kaimana Newbrough turned in a 7th-place finish in the 200-meter dash with a time of 28.53. Payton Vitalis improved in the 400-meter dash, finishing 7th with a time of 1:13.38, a strong step forward from her previous meet.
Athena White Elk once again proved herself as one of the team’s most versatile and hardworking competitors. She finished 6th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 7:09.98, then came back to claim a remarkable 2nd-place finish in the 3200-meter run with a time of 15:38.30.
A second girls’ 4×100 relay team of Mya Mills, Melody Janis, Payton Vitalis, and Armanii Pettigrew also competed, finishing 5th with a time of 1:00.97. The girls’ 4×200 relay team of Lydiah Red Cloud, Ofelia Zuniga, Kylee Martin, and Cassie Richards rounded out the day with a 6th-place finish.
Boys Highlights
On the boys’ side, Cody Two Bulls had an impressive outing in the distance events, finishing 7th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:22.52 and coming back strong to claim 3rd place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 11:23.34.
The boys’ relay teams showed their speed and depth throughout the day. The 4×100 relay team of Braylon Little, Dreysen Steele, Braiden Lunderman, and Jesse Carlow earned a strong 3rd place finish with a time of 49.26. A second boys’ 4×100 relay team of Tony Kills in Water, Justin Ross, Kyren Tibbitts, and Baylee Little finished 5th with a time of 53.14. The 4×200 relay team of Memphis Brewer, Braiden Lunderman, Jesse Carlow, and Hunter Big Crow added a 4th place finish with a time of 1:47.65.
Braylon Little continued to impress in the field events, tying for 4th in the high jump at 5’4. Tatum Brewer had another multi-event day, tying for 4th in the high jump at 5’4 and finishing 5th in the long jump with a leap of 18’8.
Looking Ahead
With over 16 personal records on the day, the Maȟpíya Lúta Khiíŋyaŋkapi are clearly a team on the rise. Each meet brings new growth, new confidence, and new milestones for this developing squad. The Khiíŋyaŋkapi will look to carry this momentum into their next meet on Thursday, April 30th in Lyman.