Championship cheers the standard for Sioux Falls Christian’s Isaac Davelaar

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - The range of emotions for Isaac Davelaar while circling the track aren’t complex.

“You know, depending on the race, it’s like ‘oh people are cheering, this is great!’ Or ‘man this really sucks, I guess I just got two laps!” Isaac says.

Nor was the reason he got into distance running in the first place.

“Seventh grade I wasn’t going to play football so what else was I supposed to do? I went out for cross country and so, from then, I just fell in love with the sport. This was the only thing I was really, really good at.” Davelaar says.

Once Isaac began running at Sioux Falls Christian, he soon found a standard to compete with in Rapid City Stevens’ Simeon Birnbaum, even though the two seldom faced each other due to being in separate classifications.

“It was motivation to be the best me. I know he’s a great, talented athlete, one of the best South Dakota has ever seen. But it kind of made me want to compete to be my best too. See if I could get my name up there like him.” Davelaar says.

Isaac certainly did that over the last three years in Class A. Highlighted by three straight championships in the 800 and 1600 meter runs, Davelaar won a total of ten individual and relay state titles.

His final run this year helping Sioux Falls Christian win their third consecutive team championship.

“Taking a few laps with my teammates and realizing wow, this is the last time I get to do this, but this is a great end.” Davelaar says.

Now it’s on to Dordt to run for the Defenders’ national championship cross country and track programs where Isaac hopes to run the gamut of emotions, and become a champion, again.

“You know I’m really just going to have to train at a higher level. Either more distance or more speed training. But college is a whole different ballgame so you got to work a little bit harder there.” Isaac says.

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