Catching up with former area athletes: Ashton Massey powers Vikings in heptathlon

Apr. 30—SIOUX FALLS — Augustana University track and field standout Ashton Massey, a Menno High School graduate, has had a strong season in the multi-events for the Vikings.

Massey, a sophomore from Olivet, set a personal-best score of 4,737 points at the Drake Relays on April 22-23 in the heptathlon, which was good for sixth place in the field. She had the best score among Division II athletes in the event, and had personal-best times in the 200-meter run (25.77 seconds), good for third place in the event, and the 800 (2:18.93).

Earlier in April, Massey won the heptathlon at the Sioux City Relays with a seven-event score of 4,592 points. She was first in the 800-meter run (2:22.40), shot put (35-2.5) and 100 hurdles (15.00), and second in the 200-meter dash (26.24). The heptathlon also includes the long jump, javelin throw and high jump.

She has met the Division II national qualifying standard and ranks 35th on the qualifying list, as of April 30. The top-16 qualifiers advance to the NCAA Division II meet.

The NSIC outdoor championships will be held May 7-9 in Duluth, Minnesota, while the NCAA outdoor nationals will be held May 21-23 in Emporia, Kansas.

Massey was a second-team All-American during the indoor season after a 14th-place finish in the five-event pentathlon. It was her first NCAA national meet appearance.

SIOUX FALLS — Bon Homme High School graduate Riley Rothschadl has been a contributor to the Augustana University pitching staff in 2026.

For the season, Rothschadl has 5.82 earned-run average and a WHIP of 1.47 in seven appearances and two starts. He has a record of 1-0, and has thrown 17 innings and logged 22 strikeouts with 10 walks allowed, and opponents are hitting .246 against Rothschadl on the mound.

Rothschadl, a native of Tabor, had a strong outing to open his season, with seven strikeouts and no hits allowed in four innings on Feb. 9 against Bemidji State. He was also the winning pitcher of record in a 17-9 win over the University of Mary on April 3, when he threw 3 2/3 innings in relief, allowing three hits and two runs while striking out five batters. He also recently struck out three batters in an inning of work against Sioux Falls on April 26.

As of April 30, the Vikings are a half-game out of first place in the NSIC standings with a 28-6 league record, a half-game behind 28-5 Minnesota State.

Augustana (35-12 overall) closes the regular season with a three-game series against Minnesota Crookston on May 1-2 in Sioux Falls. The NSIC baseball tournament will take place May 6-9 at Augustana's Ronken Field and Sioux Falls Stadium.

YANKTON — Bridgewater native and Mount Marty University senior men's golfer Hunter Bailey was one of the leading contributors for the Lancers golf team, leading MMU to its best Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament finish in school history.

Bailey finished 25th at the conference meet at Dakota Dunes Country Club on April 20-21, shooting 234 over three days, including a final round 1-over-par 73 (83-78-73). That was the second-best finish on the team behind teammate Wout Kerkhofs, who finished tied for 21st, who shot 232 over three rounds.