SIOUX FALLS – The Hot Springs Bison track team came home with a total of six medals from this past weekend’s South Dakota Class “A” Track & Field Championships at Howard Wood in Sioux Falls on Thursday through Saturday, May 2830.
Helping to account for half of that total was senior Ashlynn Elshere who finished as the state runner-up in the 400-meters while also placing fifth in the 200-meters and running the anchor leg of the 4x200m relay which also placed fifth. Other team members of that 4x200m team were sophomore Emma Preuss, seventhgrader Abigail Haertel and senior Sophia Haertel.
All three of Hot Springs’ other state medals came from boys’ relays as the 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m teams each placed eighth overall in Class “A”.
Team members of the 4x100m included sophomore Westin Klippenstein, senior Wyatt Nellen, freshman Kaden Cruz and junior Nikolas Cruz. The 4x200m team included Klippenstein, both Cruz brothers along with junior Hunter Kunz, while the 4x400m team was Klippenstein and Kunz, along with senior Canton Gingrass and junior Lyle Roberts.
Roberts also ran in the open 400-meters and placed 16th (51.85), while Kunz also ran in the 400-meters and placed 17th (52.20) as well as the javelin where he placed 20th (13802). Senior Owen White threw discus and finished 17th (131-0).
In addition to the aforementioned three boys relay medals, Klippenstein nearly won a fourth medal as an individual when he finished one spot away, in ninth overall, after the preliminary round of the 200-meters with a new personal-record time of 23.09.
Another Hot Springs entry which just missed qualifying for the finals wasthegirls’4x100mrelayteamwhen they too placed ninth in the prelims with a time of 51.18. This team, which consisted of the sophomore Preuss, eighth-grader Presley Trevillyan and seniors Haertel and Elshere, had just set a new school record the previous week with a time of 50.56.
Pruess also ran in the open 100-meters (20th / 13.44) and open 200-meters (21st / 27.77). Sophia Haertel ran in the 200m (20th / 27.75) and the 400m (23rd / 1:02.88). “I loved the way we competed at state and am super proud of this team,” stated Hot Springs head coach Mike Close. “Day One was disappointing for us but we came out on fire in Day Two. Day Three saw us compete well and add medals to our count.”
Elshere’s performance on Day Three marked the end of her high school track career which has seen her qualify as an individual for state in the open 400-meters every year since she was a freshman, while earning a total of seven state track medals. In addition to the three medals she earned this year, she also won four last year as a junior when she placed 5th in the 400m, 8th in the 200m and was part of both the 4x100m and 4x200m which each placed 8th.
During this year’s state meet, Elshere’s time of 56.99 in the prelims of the 400-meters made her the first Lady Bison runner to crack the 56-second mark as she set a new school record which surpassed Lisa Collogan’s previous time of 57.44 from 1999.
After finding moderate success in her first two state meets as a freshman and sophomore, with 400m times around the 63 second mark, Elshere set a goal of breaking the one-minute barrier during her junior season. She accomplished this at the prelims of the 2025 state meet with a time of 59.55, which put her in the finals last year and on the same starting line with all of the top female runners in the state.
With that success on the big stage of Howard Wood, Elshere said she decided to step-up her off-season training which included combining more weight lifting into her running workouts. She began going to Benson Sports Training in Rapid City and also started doing some additional workouts at home which she said she got through her mom’s friend Bruno, who coaches track in Florida. She said Don Massa, who was a volunteer coach on the track team for many years, was also helpful in designing workouts for her as well.
As this year’s track season got underway, Elshere became a mainstay at the top of the podium, winning gold in the 400-meters at each and every West River meet in which she competed, including the Queen City Classic (59.18), Rapid City Track-O-Rama (58.49), Black Hills Classic (58.51), Black Hills Conference Championship (57.73) and West River Last Chance Meet (58.47).
Despite running a time of 58.03 in this year’s finals and placing second overall in Class “A”, her time of 56.99 in the prelims was the fastest time for all of Class ‘A’ during the state meet and now stands as the new bar for which future Lady Bison runners will strive.
When asked about the differences between running in the prelims versus finals, Elshere said the prelims on Day Two are “less stressful” and allowed to run more relaxed with the primary goal simply to qualify for the finals with one of the top-eight times. For the finals on Day Three, she said there was “a lot more pressure” on her to perform, in addition to having a body that was also fatigued from already running in the prelims, while also being part of the 4x100m and 4x200m relays.
In addition to crediting her offseason workouts for her success this year, Elshere said she also appreciated how supportive her in-season coaches were including assistant coach Caden Shanklin and head coach Mike Close.
“I believe Ashlynn will go down as one of the best female runners Hot Springs has had,” said Coach Close. “She was locked in her season year and was one of the top Class ‘A’ runners in the state.”
While running track is where Elshere has found the most individual success, she said her favorite sport is volleyball and is something she is continuing to play currently with the local club team known as 212 Degrees, which will be going to Arizona soon for a national tournament. For the past four years, she has also been one of the leading players on the front court of the Lady Bison volleyball team, while also playing basketball for the Lady Bison her freshman through junior years.
Currently, Elshere said she does not have plans to compete in track during college, but she would be open to the idea if her chosen university comes calling.
In the fall, Elshere will be attending South Dakota State University to pursue a degree in Exercise Science, but first, she’ll be headed to basic training after enlisting with the South Dakota Army National Guard.
Elshere was one of 14 seniors on the Hot Springs Bison Track & Field Team. Others include Wyatt Nellen, Ian Clyde, Francis Cunningham, Canton Gingrass, Carl Stanton, Miles Swift, Owen White, Jayden White Face, Alaina Daily, Sophia Haertel, Jennifer Hewitt, Keely Mogen-Frankfort and Katie Snyder.
“My seniors were great leaders this year. They will definitely be missed,” added Coach Close.