All Five “Journal 11” T/F Programs to Be Represented at State

Twenty-six total kids from the five “Journal 11” track and field programs, GMLOKS, LFCMC, RPH, Chatfield, and Caledonia/Spring Grove, clinched state berths at the 2022 1A Section Meet. 

GMLOKS Girls and Boys  Finish One-Two, Send Nine to State 

When your teams finish first and second in the section, it’s only academic your program had many successful individuals. The GMLOKS girls (137) topped LFCMC (83) for that team title, while the boys (106) narrowly took second to Pine Island (109). Each Bulldog team took hardware. Coaches Aaron Thauwald and Rebecca Young, combined, will send nine kids to state. Six will go in multiple events. Heading the cast in junior sprinter Anika Reiland. Already a three-time state entrant, she triple-qualified to make her fourth state T/F meet. Reiland cemented her status as the section’s top sprinter by taking first in both the 100 and 200-meters. She repeated section champ in each. Her 200-meter time (0:25.57) broke the meet and facility record held by Caledonia/SG’s Mariah Schroeder (25.82). Reiland bested Lake City’s Natalie Bremer (26.08).  In the 100, it was one-two for GMLOKS, as Reiland (12.90) and cousin Chantle Reiland (13.03) each earned trips to state. Reiland/Reiland joined with Breeley Galle and Anna Oehlke amidst the 4×200. Like last season, A-Reiland ran the anchor leg, chasing down a competitor, giving GMLOKS a first-place finish. The Bulldogs (1:45.19) beat Z-M (1:45.65) to set a facility record. It’s GMLOKS sixth straight girls 4×200 state team. Galle also qualified for state in the 300-hurdles. The 8th

grader took advantage of a couple falls to take second (48.18) behind LFCMC’s Lynsey Ruen (47.62). Galle had the fifth fastest qualifying time. Galle (3rd Triple Jump) just missed a third state qualification. While the sprinters did work, Lexy Foster claimed the title of Section 1A’s best gals thrower. Foster (116”) first bested Chatfield’s Zayda Priebe (115’5”) on Day 1 to win the Discus. Day two, she (36’10 ½”) topped Priebe (35’8 ¼”) to win the Shot Put competition. Foster double-qualified for state. On the guys side, James Howard and Riley Paul did the same. Howard competed in four events. One could argue he was Section 1A’s best guys sprinter. The senior won the 400 (50.11) over Medford’s Henry Grayson (50.17), took second (22.59) to Z-M’s R.J. Sylak (22.56) in the 200, while finishing third in the 100. He made state in the first two. Paul (49’7 ½”) took second to L-A’s Garrett Bonow (50’6 ½”) in the Shot Put. Paul’s teammate, Christian Luthe, took fourth. On Day 2, Paul (139’) took second to Luthe (139’10”) in the Discus. Each qualified for state. Rounding out the GMLOKS guys qualifier was Garrison Hubka. The junior (4:30.58) held off RPH’s Tyler Rislov (4:32.95) for second, while Lourdes’ Kevin Turlington (4:27.62) took first. That Thursday race came on the heels of Tuesday 3,200, where Turlington (9:47.34) took first, Rislov second (9:52.58), and Hubka fourth. Hubka finished first (3,200) and second (1,600) last year. The girls 4×400 (Lauren Queensland, McKenna Hendrickson, Kendyl Queensland, C-Reiland) and 4×800 (Warmka, Queensland, Queensland, Hendrickson) each just missed state, taking third. Rebecca Hoffman (3rd Shot), Hendrickson (4th-tie, Pole Vault), Neveah Shaw (5th High Jump), Warmka (5th 1,600), and Lucca Sween (5th Discus) finished top five. The boys 4×800 (Erik Shaw, Carter Glynn, Andrew Imm, Tate Georgen) took fifth.  Girls coach Aaron Thauwald was named 1A Coach of the Year and Jim Hubka, Assistant of the Year. 

Burros Claim Five Section Titles, Send Nine to State 

The group from LFCMC was all about section title efficiency. Of the six individuals or relays to make state, five did so as section champion. The girls team (83) finished second to GMLOKS (137) overall.

Three gals and a relay qualified for state. Brielle Ruen (59.96) earned her second 400-meter state trip by besting Pine Island’s Reese Koenen (1:00.37) for the section title. Lynsey Ruen (47.62) bested GMLOKS’ Galle (48.18) for the 300-meter hurdle title. The Ruens then joined with Morgan Picket and Kammry Broadwater amidst the girls 4×400. Said team (4:08.38) took second to Z-M (4:03.47) just ahead of GMLOKS (4:08.79). B-Ruen held off the Bulldogs’ C-Reiland to guarantee a spot at the state meet. They 4×4 was seeded fourth. B-Ruen also took sixth in the 100. Broadwater (4th Discus, 5th T-Jump) added two top five finishes. For the fourth time in recent memory, an LFCMC Pole Vaulter made state. Addie Miner (9’10”) topped nearest foe Lauren Honken (9’4”) of RPH to win a section title. Miner’s elder sister Ashley Miner also made state in Pole Vault. Kassidy Broadwater and Madison Simon have also gone in the event in the last six years. On the guys side, Jayce Kiehne (1:58.04) took home the 800-meter section title by besting La Crescent/Hokah’s Cody Kowalski (2:00.31). Kiehne was second in the event, making state last year. He joined with Isaac Snyder, Luke Ruen, and Carson Ruen to form the 4×800. It (8:19.55) bested Lake City (8:29.06) to claim the section title. Brielle, Luke, and Carson Ruen are siblings. Also finishing top five for the Burros were J.T. Rein (3rd 300-H), the boys 4×400 (3rd > Chase Christianson, Snyder, C-Ruen, Kiehne), the girls 4×800 (4th > Sahara Morken, Katie Pickett, M-Pickett, Lillyan Kiehne), Simon (4th-tie P-Vault), L-Kiehne (5th 3,200), C-Ruen (5th 3,200), Will Harvey (5th 110-hurdles), and Boston Wright (5th Pole Vault). Rein (300-H) and Simon (P-Vault) were individual state entrant’s last season. 

Repeats Headline Chatfield State Cast

Chatfield track and field was all about repeating. Two individuals repeat qualified for state. The two relays that made state, have the same exact four-man group.  Gopher boys sprint relays are the fastest in the section. The 4×100 (Isaac Erding, Eli Hopp, Thad Evans, Sam Backer) and 4×200 (same guys) each won section titles. The 4×1 (44:03) bested nearest foe La Crescent/Hokah (44.11). Anchor Backer ran past Lancer Mason Einerwold down the home stretch. The 4×2 (1:31.35) narrowly beat Lourdes (1:31.57) for first. It will be the second time in recent memory Chatfield sees its boys 4×100 and 4×200 make state. They both did so in 2019. Backer’s brother Chance was anchor. Sam Backer (11.17) also qualified individually, downing Z-M’s R.J. Sylak (11.22) to win the 100-meters. Backer repeated as 1A champion. He was a state entrant in both the 100 and 200 last season, but didn’t compete in the 200 this year. Finally, Zayda Priebe returns to state, this year in two events. Priebe (115’5”) took second to GMLOKS’ Lexy Foster (116’) in the Discus. She (35’8 ¼”) then took second to Foster (36’10 ½”) in the Shot. Priebe made state a season ago in the Discus.  Other Gopher top five finishers were the boys 4×800 (3rd > Alex Rowland, Adam Pagnano, Treyton Lanning, Logan Thompson), Anna Kivimagi (4th 300-H), Chloe Berg (4th T-Jump), and the girls 4×100 (5th > Lauryn Daniels, Jaelyn LaPlante, Saige Schild, Evy Goldsmith). 

RPH/CSG Combine for  Three State Entrants

R-P/H and C/SG will also be represented at state The Tro-Canes will send two individuals (after not having any last season). C/SG gets one, and he is the section’s best at his craft. Chris Pieper won the 1A High Jump title to head back to state. The 6’3” senior jumped his height, 6’3”. He out-did nearest for Mark Quintero of Pine Island (6’1”). Pieper took second at last year’s event, jumping 6’1”. RPH’s two entrants are Tyler Rislov and Lauren Honken. Rislov, a multi-time state cross country qualifier, finally made it in track. The senior (9:52.58) took second to Lourdes’ Kevin Turlington (9:47.34) in the 3,200-meters. Both were fast enough to make state by standard. Rislov also took third in the 1,600, but didn’t make state. Lauren Honken did what her older sister Jordan Honken (the RPH vaulter record holder at 10’4”) couldn’t do. She (9’4”) took second to LFCMC’s Addie Miner (9’10”) in the Pole Vault to make state. Other top five RPH performers were Aubryanna Boldt (3rd 100-H), Dalton Hoel (3rd 800), Aaron Prinsen (2nd-tie P-Vault, 4th 300-H), Gregg Gile (4th T-Jump), Jackson Bergan (5th Shot Put), and the boys 4×400 (5th > Quintin Betthauser, Prinsen, Austin Agrimson, Hoel).  Prinsen tied with St. Charles Jett Thoreson for second at 12’9” in the Pole Vault. The two had a jump-off for a state berth with Thoreson going 13’. PI’s Jarod White (16’2”) set the state record in the same event. Other top five Cal/SG performers were Fischer Wait (4th 400, 6th 200) and the boys 4×200 team (3rd > Eli Staggemeyer, Eric Mauss, Wait, Josh Beardmore).