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Already a two-time state champ, Scotland/Menno's Trinity Bietz aiming to finish career at the top

SCOTLAND, S.D. — Scotland/Menno’s Trinity Bietz is one of the top girls throwers in South Dakota.

With two Class B shot put titles already in her trophy case, Bietz has already cemented herself as one of the best throwers in Scotland history. Now in her final high school track season and the first of the Scotland/Menno co-op, she’s aiming to set benchmarks for those after her to strive for, while aiming to finish off her career by adding more gold medals to her resume.

This season has brought some changes for Bietz, though. For her entire high school career, she had only competed for Scotland. This season, Scotland and Menno became a co-op team for track and field, moving her competition up from Class B to Class A.

But that hasn’t slowed her down. Bietz still finds herself at or near the top of the Class A leaderboards, as she did in Class B. She currently holds the best shot put throw in the Class (40 feet, 5 inches), is third in the discus (129-0) and is fifth in the javelin (119-5).

Her relentless pursuit of greatness drives her, and it starts in practice.

“Just putting that work in that practice, I'm never satisfied, I always have to end on a good throw. If I don't, then I'll throw like five more,” Bietz said. “My (throwing) coach is always pushing me. He’s a new coach this year, and I’ve never had one. So, just a different spin on things. He has told me a different way to think about things, and it's definitely helped me.”

That introduces another change. After operating without one last season, Bietz has a dedicated throwing coach. Ryan Liebl has been guiding Bietz this season and said that while he already knew she was talented, there is always room to improve.

Liebl, who was previously on the Menno staff and is now coaching the Trappers, said that the key for Bietz this season has been consistency and footwork, making sure she’s at the top of her game wherever she’s competing.

“Most of the places we've been, she doesn't have a lot of competition,” Liebl said. “So we think, ‘Let's get that good throw in, and then we can work on a few little things here and there.’ But the biggest thing has been footwork. If we can get her left foot down before she starts throwing, she's always good. It’s the times she goes back to the old habits where we get in trouble.”

Bietz entered her final season with lofty, yet achievable goals. Before the state meet, she wanted to set new personal bests in all three throwing events. So far, she’s set new bests in both the javelin and discus, and is on the cusp of doing so in the shot put. Her current best shot put throw is 40 feet, 7.5 inches, which also happens to be the Scotland school record. Her best throw this season (40-5) is just 2.5 inches off.

Her goals at state are ultimately the ones that really matter the most. At the top, she’s determined to capture a three-peat in the shot put.

“The first title I wasn’t expecting, the second one I was definitely going for, and this one, I want it,” Bietz said. “I want to end my career as a track athlete on a high note. I don't want to just not do it. It would just be very special to me, my family and I think my community, to have a three-time consecutive champion in shot put.”

She’s also aiming to place in both the discus and javelin. However, what would be even more special would be to win all three throwing titles. Winning multiple state throwing titles is tough, but winning all three would cement her place in South Dakota track and field lore.

“You can see shot put and discuss occasionally, it doesn’t happen that often either. But if you throw in javelin on top, that’d be unheard of. It’d be great,” Liebl said.

Regardless of the state finish, Bietz has already had an accomplished high school career. She participates in volleyball, basketball and softball in addition to track and field. Off the field, she's the Scotland High School Student Council president and earned a state FFA degree, as well.

But for Bietz, a throwing triple crown would be a special reward.

“It would just say that all my time and hard work have paid off, and it would prove that you need to work to get to the top,” Bietz said. “And I just think those three gold medals would be a great way to end my year.”

Nathan Swaffar is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. He joined the Mitchell Republic in July 2024 after graduating from the University of Kansas in May of 2024 with a degree in journalism and a minor in history. He covers a variety of prep and collegiate sports throughout South Dakota including USD Football.

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