Six By Six, Track Athletes Head to State

It should have been one elite southeastern Minnesota athlete’s Section 1A track and field swansong.  Instead, his magnificent high school career ended semi-ceremoniously.  Six individuals and a spectacular six relays from the FCJ-covered track and field programs covered for him.   Ashley Agrimson qualified for state Day One of the Section meet.  The RPH senior finished third in the Long Jump (17’2 ½”) and made it by standard.  K-W’s Mara Quam (18’1 ¼”) and PEM’s Morgan Shindelar (17’3 ¼”) went one-two.  Agrimson was a state qualifier (L-Jump) as a sophomore.  Quam, Agrimson, and Shindelar went 1-2-3 then too (2015).   Double-A had three top five finishes total (4th-tie H-Jump, 5th T-Jump).  Day two began and ended with an LFC girls relay team qualifying for state.  The 4×800 (Kaylee Arndt, Bailey Ruen, Kiera Olson, Leah Ruen) took first (9:40.7) over Stewartville (9:43.02). After taking a narrow second to Stewie in the prelims, the 4×400 (Ashley Miner, Bailey R., Emma Breitsprecher, Leah R.) did the same in the final (4:03.19 to 4:04.17).  Each squad was close to the meet record (4:02.44). The LFC 4×400 is exactly the same as last year.  The 4×800 swapped Arndt in for Maddie Smith.  The girls 4×200 (Miner, Leah R., Emma B., Bailey R.) won the prelims but finished fourth.  Breitsprecher, just a frosh, is also going individually.  After winning the 300-hurdle prelims, she finished third in the finals (46.49 > qualified by standard) to La Crescent’s Clair Shepardson (45.55) and D-E’s Marissa Richter (46.14).  The trio went 1-2-3 last year too, Emma B. not making the cut.  Miner (3rd P-Vault), Olson (5th 3,200) and Arndt (6th 1,600) had other high finishes.   On the LFC guy’s side, Caleb Kath made the most of his one year of track and field.  The senior qualified for state by taking second in the Long Jump (21’7 ¼”) to Lake City’s Ethan Heitman (22’1 ½”).  The only individual section champion of the FCJ-covered athletes was GMLOKS hurdler Drew Lewison.  The junior won the 110-hurdles (15.84) and 300-hurdles (40.78) to clinch his first state berths.  Lewison finished seventh and eighth last year.  Parc Williams (Z-M 1993) is the 110-H meet record holder.   Peter Torkelson of GMLOKS again qualified in the 1,600 (2nd 4:21.21), again battling La Crescent’s Matt Steiger (1st 4:21.10) and Zach Emery (3rd 4:23.14).  The trio went 1-2-3 last year too.  Torkelson almost went in the 300-hurdles (won prelims, finished third).  He finished eighth in the 3,200.  Amelia Staat gave GMLOKS three individual state qualifiers.  The sophomore took second (2:17.3) in the 800-meters to Byron’s Taylor Kreitinger (2:16.67).  Two GMLOKS girls relay teams qualified.  The 4×200 (Katelyn Luthe, Emily Hovden, Riley Queensland, Lauren Buchholtz) took first (1:46.33).  Hovden and Buchholtz were apart of last year’s state 4×200 team.  The 4×100 (Luthe, Hovden, Kassidy Kirtz, Isabelle Olson) took third (50.4) to La Crescent (49.6) and Caledonia (50.06), but made it by standard. Buchholtz (4th 200, 7th 400), Queensland (4th-tie H-Jump), Luthe (4th 100-H), Hovden (6th 100), and Kirtz (8th L-Jump) had other high finishes.  Buchholtz was a 400-meter state entrant last year.  After a year hiatus, Chatfield is back at state. The boys 4×200 (2nd 1:32.06) and 4×100 (3rd 44.39 > by standard) each qualified, team members Austin Swancutt, Kevin Bradt, Gage Tuohy, and frosh anchor Ben Muller.  It’s a bit of redemption for the 4×200 (same guys), which finished third in the prelims last year, eighth in the finals.  The Gopher 4×400 (Isaiah Froese, Bradt, Tuohy, Muller) took fourth.  LFC’s other top finishers; Michaela Brazee (4th P-Vault), 8th grader Carson Kiehne (5th 400), the boys 4×800 (6th > Matt Lutes, Aaron Eversole, Kiehne, Michael Harrison), Treyten Chiglo (7th P-Vault), Katie Prinsen (7th 800), and T.J. Ruen (8th Shot).  RPH’s other top finishers: Cullan Olson (3rd Shot), Nicole Blagsvedt (4th Shot, 6th Disc), Dylan Linder (6th 1,600, 7th 800), frosh Triton Meldahl (7th 300-H/T-Jump), Jordyn Holland (7th Disc, 8th Shot), Kaitlyn Bieberdorf (7th T-Jump), Branden Chapel (7th 110-H), Alex Van Gundy (7th H-Jump).  Chatfield’s other top finishers; the girls 4×100 (4th > Rylee Burnett, Macy Pederson, Megan Hopp, Mariah Bell) and 4×200 (6th > Hopp, Pederson, Kyra Dokken, Bell), Dokken (6th 400), Nathan Meeker (6th P-Vault), and Bell (8th 200).  Hailey Hindt (7th 100-H, 8th 300-H) had two top eights for GMLOKS.  One glaring sideline spectator was RPH Phenom Noah Carlson.  The defending Class A Long Jump, Triple Jump, and 200-meter state champion sat per a small hamstring tear.  He was honored for his past achievements.  The five-time state champion, ten-time state entrant’s next scored jump will be for Michigan University.