Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame and Recognition Banquet set for Saturday

Rapid City Journal photo

The 50th Annual Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame and Recognition Banquet is set for Saturday in the Lacroix Hall at the Monument.

The doors open at 5 p.m., with the meal at 6 p.m. and program beginning at 7 p.m. The banquet, hosted by the OFFICIALS, is open to the public with tickets at $25 that can be purchased at the door.

Local athletes will be honored for High School Male and Female Athletes of the Year, College Male and Female Athletes of the Year and four new members of the Rapid City Hall of Fame.

Candidates for the High School Male Athlete of the Year include Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens, Landin Winter of Rapid City Central, Cade Kandolin of St. Thomas More, Jason Maciejczak of Douglas and Mitch Heidecker of Rapid City Christian.

Candidates for the High School Female Athlete of the Year include Olivia Kieffer of Rapid City Christian, Jayda McNabb of Rapid City Stevens, Matayah Yellow Mule of Rapid City Central, Mairin Duffy of St. Thomas More and Lamara Castaneda of Douglas.

Also being honored will be Dru Gylten, formerly of the University of Utah as College Female Athlete of the Year (women’s basketball) and Mason Archambault of the University of South Dakota as College Male Athlete of the Year (men’s basketball).

Named to the Rapid City Hall of Fame includes athletic trainer Paul Richter and rodeo contractor Jim Sutton, both as contributors, with Scott Benson as a coach and former NFL placekicker Adam Vinatieri as an athlete.

The OFFICIALS Club Member of the Year is Jerome Wickersham.

Kandolin, a senior, earned 12 letters at St. Thomas More, four in basketball, three in soccer, three in golf and one in track and field.

In the 2021-2022 school year, in basketball he was selected team MVP (also lead the team in steals, most charges) and team captain, the top field goal percentage for the team, was picked the Warrior of the Game in Hanson Classic and MVP of the Culvers Classic, named to the BHC All Conference Team, named to the All-Tournament team at Class A State Basketball Tournament, was Academic All State, played in the South Dakota Basketball Coaches All-Star Basketball Game and the Rise Senior All Star Game and was selected to the second team South Dakota Class A All-State Basketball Team.

Birnbaum, a junior, has earned eight letters in high school: three in track and five in cross country.

In the 2021-2022 school year he was selected cross country team captain, won the South Dakota Class AA cross country individual championship and helped lead the Raiders to the team title and was named the South Dakota Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year. In track and field he set all time South Dakota high school records in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs, won the Arcadia California Invitational Mile and placed first this spring in the 400 meter dash, 800 meter run, 4 X 400 meter relay, 4 X 800 meter relay and the sprint medley relay.

Winter, a senior, earned nine letters in high school: four in soccer, four wrestling and one in track and field.

In the 2021-22 school year he was selected team captain and Top Cobbler in wrestling, was the runner-up at 160 pounds in state wrestling tournament, was a three-time placer in state wrestling tournament and had 117 Career wins.

Maciejczak, a junior, earned eight letters in high school: five in football and three in track and field.

In the 2021-2022 school year he was named Black Hills All-Conference football, was the Black Hills Conference Track Meet champion in shot put and discus, placed second in both the shot put and discus at the state track meet and qualified for state track meet in shot put and discus and set Douglas High School records in shot put (56-10 1/2) and discus (175-5).

Heidecker, a senior, earned eight letters in high school: four in football, three in basketball and one in baseball.

In the 2021-2022 school year, in football he was selected team captain and named football MVP,, IN basketball he was selected team captain and MVP, selected to play an all-star game and holds school records for most rebounds in a game, season and career.

Kieffer, a junior, has earned nine letters in high school: five in volleyball and four in basketball.

In the 2021-2022 school year, in volleyball she was the team captain and MVP and unity council member, All BHC-First Team as Lady Comets placed second, and First Team Class A All-State. In basketball the Lady Comets were third in the BHC and she was selected to the All-Black Hills Conference first team and the Class A All-State Basketball team. She was named to the Lakota Nation Invitational Basketball Tournament All-Tournament team and to the National Christian School Athletic Association All-American Basketball team. She has 1,824 career points.

McNabb, a senior, earned 11 letters in high school: three in volleyball, four in basketball and four in track and field.

In the 2021-2022 school year, in volleyball she was selected team MVP. In basketball she was selected Team MVP, named to the AA All State Tournament Team and the All-State AA Team as the Raiders again finished runner-up as a team. She also was named Raider Female Athlete of the Year/ SD Miss Basketball finalists/Argus Leader-Scheels Player of the Year/selected to play in the Pentagon All-Star Game and the 3 Class All-Star Game Shoot- out.

Duffy, a senior, earned 10 letters in high school: four in volleyball, four in basketball and two in track and field.

In the 2021-2022 school year, in volleyball she selected team captain, team MVP, Academic All State and All-BHC Honorable Mention. In basketball, she was selected team captain, All-BHC, All state Tournament Team as the Cavaliers won the Class A state team title. She was also named Academic All State. In track and field, she placed fourth in the triple jump in the Black Hill Conference Meet.

Yellow Mule, a senior, earned 10 letters in high school: two in volleyball, three in gymnastics and five in track and field.

In the 2021-2022 school year, in volleyball was named the MVP and best offensive player. In track and field, she earned the third best all-time triple jump in South Dakota High School track history and won the triple jump at the South Dakota Class AA State track meet.

Castaneda, a senior, earned nine letters in high school: two in volleyball, four in basketball, two in track and one in other.

In the 2021-2022 school year, in basketball, she was the team MVP and team captain and selected to Black Hills Conference All-Conference team. In track and field, she placed third in the javelin in the Black Hills Conference Meet and qualified inhe javelin for the State AA track meet.

Gylten was a four-year starting point guard for the University of Utah. In her senior season, she averaged 4.9 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds a game for the Utes. She will play her final season (she was granted a Covid extra year) as she entered the transfer porter and will transfer to South Dakota State University.

Archambault started all 31 games for the Coyotes this past season and was second on the team in scoring at 14.5 points a game, while grabbing 3.4 rebounds per game.

Richter is a longtime athletic trainer for Black Hills Orthopedic & Spine Center, earned the Distinguished Service Award from the South Dakota High School Coaches Association in 2016 and has been an athletic trainer since 1998 for high school athletics, rodeo and other various sports.

Sutton, a stock contractor for top area PRCA rodeos, including the Black Hills Roundup, Days of ‘76 and Central States Fair Rodeo, was named to the PRCA Hall of Fame in 2020.

Benson, a Rapid City Stevens graduate, was a track and field coach for St. Thomas More where he won 17 state team titles with the Cavalier boys and girls programs.

Vinatieri, a Rapid City Central graduate, is widely considered the greatest placekicker In National Football League history for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. He is the all-time leading scorer in the NFL with 2,673 points and a four-time Super Bowl winner.