The Scoop: Birnbaum, Bainbridge Secure Victories At State

Birnbaum, Bainbridge connect for victories at South Dakota Champs

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Results

If we're looking for any similarities from last year in order to make impressions about this fall, consider this: Simeon Birnbaum has now won four straight races, and in all of them he's improved by 46 seconds, 51 seconds, 64 seconds and 32 seconds. 

On Saturday, Birnbaum won his second straight South Dakota Class AA title at Broadland Creek Golf Course, closing in relative ease as he won in 15:16.19, a full 54 seconds in front of second-place Cashton Johnson of Harrisburg High School. 

Pierre's Jared Lutmer was third in 16:17.51. 

Perhaps that's an indication of just where Birnbaum is: As a near of a lock to earn a national-qualifying berth to Team Nationals or Champs Sports. 

The times suggest he will. 

But perhaps deeper is a teenager full of confidence, ready to go, perhaps a bit motivated by those misses last year: Eighth at the Team Heartland Region and 16th at Eastbay Midwest. 

PLACE	ATHLETE		TEAM	RESULT	POINTS
1	Simeon Birnbaum	12	Rapid City Stevens High School	15:16.19	1
2	Cashton Johnson	12	Harrisburg High School	16:10.48	2
3	Jared Lutmer	11	Pierre TF Riggs	16:17.51	3
4	Zach Fedde	12	Yankton High School	16:25.36	4
5	Grady Loos	11	Rapid City Stevens High School	16:28.61	5
6	Mikah Peters	9	Brandon Valley High School	16:40.55	6
7	Peyton Cast	11	Douglas High School	16:44.21	7
8	Chase Henderson	12	Sioux Falls Lincoln High School	16:45.25	8
9	Sean Kilpatrick	12	Rapid City Stevens High School	16:45.90	9
10	Deron Graf	12	Sturgis Brown High School	16:49.31	10

What's more, Birnbaum wasn't a solo artist. Rapid City Stevens won its second straight. boys team title and its 12th in program history, defeating Yankton by 20 points, 122-142. It was part of two victories on the day for the program, which also saw the girls win the Class AA title with 96 points. 

According to DRG News, that's now a combined 29 championships for Rapid City Stevens across the program's tenure. 

The girls Class AA race saw standout Ali Bainbridge of Sioux Falls Lincoln run away with it in the end, finishing in 17:26.09, which was her fifth win in six tries and her first state title in South Dakota. 

She separated by 24 seconds from Bishop O'Gorman's Libby Castelli, who was second in 17;50.80. Rapid City Stevens' Brionna Holso was third in17:58.30. 

Those three were the only girls under 18 minutes on the course.

PLACE	ATHLETE		TEAM	RESULT	POINTS
1	Ali Bainbridge	12	Sioux Falls Lincoln High School	17:26.09	1
2	Libby Castelli	10	Sioux Falls O'Gorman High School	17:50.80	2
3	Brionna Holso	12	Rapid City Stevens High School	17:58.20	3
4	Peyton VanDeest	8	Spearfish High School	18:18.09	4
5	Adison Scholten	9	Brandon Valley High School	18:24.52	5
6	Ruth Pardy	11	Sioux Falls O'Gorman High School	18:37.99	6
7	Gracie Uhre	11	Rapid City Stevens High School	19:08.89	7
8	Addalai Dekam	11	Sioux Falls Lincoln High School	19:23.69	8
9	Kira Ubence	9	Douglas High School	19:29.92	0
10	Sheridan Madden	8	Rapid City Central High School	19:30.99	9