Track and Field: 38 Area Athletes Qualify for State

The Section 1A individual track and field meet was denoted by a couple things. Area teams Caledonia/Spring Grove, GMLOKS, RP/H, LFCMC and Chatfield were all busy, each qualifying at least four kids for state. Making state by standard was a common theme though each squad had a section champ.

Warriors Mostly Speed Their Way to State, to Team Runner-up

C/SG’s teams this year have been renowned for their speed. The speedy Warriors will send three sprint relays and four individual sprinters amongst their state qualifiers. Leading the way are guys from the 4×100 (Eli Staggemeyer, Gabe Curley, Owen Staggemeyer, Josh Beardmore) and 4×200 (swap Fischer Wait for Curley) teams. Each won their prelim race and each was top dog in the finals, the 4×100 running 43.39, the 4×200 1:30.44. Both topped nearest foe Pine Island (43.85 and 1:31.17). Each squad repeated in making state. But that was not the guys’ only work done. Beardmore grabbed the 100-meter title (11.20) while taking second in the Long Jump (20’11 ½”) behind Cotter’s Preston Meinke (21’0 ½”). He thus quadruple qualified for state (after going thrice last year). Eli Staggemeyer was runner-up in the 100 (11.26). Wait took third (49.91) in the 400-meters and fifth (22.55) in the 200-meters, Curley third (22.48) in the 200-meters. All three also made state solo style. Wait and Curley did so by standard (which were 22.66 and 51.40). Additionally, the girls 4×200 team (Loisah Gay, Chloe Lange, Sienna Augedahl, Nicole Banse) took fourth (1:47.38) but also qualified by standard (1:48.07). The same foursome took fourth in the 4×100 but did not make state (by .09 seconds). In the field, Jordan Tornstrom tossed 171’2” to claim the 1A Discus title, repeating as a state entrant. He reset his own program record. Ethan Stendel jumped 6’4” to tie for third in the High Jump, repeating making state in that event by standard (6’2”). Additionally, Stendel took third (110-hurdles), Curley fifth (100), Banse seventh twice (200, L-Jump), and O-Staggemeyer seventh (200). The Warrior boys thus had three make the medal stand in both the 100 and 200. The seven Warrior boys (above) did enough damage that C/SG (136) took second team-wise to a much larger Pine Island (161) contingent.

Reiland Qualifies Four Times, Girls Take Second to Lead GMLOKS

GMLOKS’ program got five girls and two guys to state, and did so by grabbing four section titles. Junior sprinter Chantle Reiland led the way. Reiland not only won the 100 and 200-meter races, but she did so by setting 1A meet records in both. Her 100 time (12.30) topped St. Charles’ Lindsey Root (12.46) from 2021, and her 200 time (25.11) topped former teammate Anika Reiland (25.34) from last year. C-Reiland repeated as 100 champ and in making state in both events. She was last year’s state champ in the 100. Reiland also qualified for state in the Long Jump, taking third (17’1 ¾”) but making it by standard (16’10”). She teamed with Breeley Galle, Gracie Foster, and Lydia Redman to keep the GMLOKS girls 4×200 state tradition going. The foursome (1:45.00) was section runner-up to Chatfield (1:44.15), which set a meet record (topping last year’s GMLOKS group). Additionally, both Galle and Foster made state in the 100-meter hurdles. Galle (15.92) took fourth and Foster (15.94) fifth, but each went by standard (16.06). Both athletes finished top eight in the 300-hurdles (Galle sixth, Foster eighth) and Triple Jump (Foster sixth, Galle seventh) as well. Two-time defending section champion in the Discus and Shot Put, Lexy Foster, only defended one of her crowns. She was not able to get a Discus throw to score Day 1, but she won the Shot Put title on Day 2 with a throw of 39’6 ½”. It was thus her third straight 1A Shot Put title. She took third at state last year. Also winning a section title was High Jumper Sam Snitker. The senior cleared 6’8” to top Triton’s Pierce Petersohn (6’6”) for the title. Petersohn had jumped 6’10” and beat Snitker at the True Team meet. Finally, Tate Georgen (1:57.18) took second to three-time event champ Jayce Kiehne (1:54.66) of LFCMC in the 800-meters. Georgen thus made state. Additionally, Lauren Queensland (High Jump), Caisa Kolling (Discus), and Beau Wiersma (L-Jump) took fourth. Wiersma (20’6 ¼”) neared state standard (20’10”). Ayden Howard (Triple Jump, L-Jump) and Kaleb Yunker (300-H, 110-H) each took fifth and eighth. Amelia McCabe (Pole Vault) took fifth, Naomi Warmka seventh (1,600). The boys 4×400 (Erik Shaw, Carter Glynn, Georgen, Yunker) took fifth while the 4×100 (Wiersma, Nathaniel Drees, Zach Reiland, Howard) and 4×800 (Drees, Glynn, Shaw, Georgen) took sixth.

Kiehne and Relays Denote LFCMC’s Exploits

LFCMC was not limited to the performances of its top senior male runner and a trio of distance relays, but said efforts are a good place to start. Jayce Kiehne won his third straight 800-meter section title (1:54.66), grabbing the Burros their only section title. It is his fourth 800-meter state berth. He was also the anchor on the runner-up 4×400 team (also Mason Howard, Luke Ruen, Isaac Snyder) that took second (3:26.12) to Cotter (3:24.28). On the girls’ side, both the 4×400 (Kinley Soiney, Sahara Morken, Kammry Broadwater, Lillyan Kiehne) and 4×800 (Autumn Rakosnik, Morken, Broadwater, Kiehne) made state. Each took third and qualified by standard. The 4×400 ran 4:08.55. Standard was 4:08.82. The 4×800 ran 9:54.18. Standard was 9:59.01. LFCMC’s first three state qualifiers were on Day 1. Broadwater was runner-up (112’6”) to L-A’s Georgia Mundt (116’11”) in the Discus to secure a berth. Rakosnik (11:40.89) was runner-up to Cotter’s Sonja Semling (11:29.68) in the 3,200-meters to qualify. The eighth grader thus makes state in both cross country and track and field this year. Boston Wright (12’4”) was runner-up to Pine Island’s C.J. Tree (12’10”) in the Pole Vault to carry on good LFCMC vaulting tradition. Parker Storhoff made state last year. Addie Miner, Madison Simon, Kassidy Broadwater, and Ashley Miner have gone for the girls in recent years. Finally, Lucas Nikoloski repeated in making state. Last year’s 1A champion in the Discus finished fourth this year (152’11”), but went by standard (143’4”). Teammate Michael Rein took seventh (143’0”) and narrowly missed by standard (four inches). The boys 4×200 (Howard, Michael Rein, Henry Liew, Greg Kennedy) took fourth. Kyla Hellickson (High Jump) took fifth. Brody Niemeyer (Shot Put) took sixth. Luke Ruen (800), Riley Grant (1,600), the girls 4×100 (Charlotte Ferrie, Aubrey Daniels, Soiney, Bailey Erwin), girls 4×200 (Daniels, Soiney, Sari Rein, Erwin), and boys 4×800 (Maddex Rindels, Snyder, Jaxon Huntington, Landon Sethre) each took eighth.

Double Section Champ Relay Foursome is Chatfield’s Darling

Last year, the 4×100 and 4×200 foursome of Lauryn Daniels, Savannah Peterson, Evy Goldsmith, and Jaelyn LaPlante from Chatfield took second and third at state respectively. It only made sense that the same foursome running each relay dominated said events at this year’s 1A Meet. The 4×100 (49.27) set a meet record, topping Byron from 1991 (49.51). The 4×200 (1:44.15) also set a meet record, topping (state champ) GMLOKS (1:44.42) from last year. LaPlante also was a standout elsewhere, as the junior notched four total state qualifications. Tying her own personal and the school record (5’3”), she was runner-up to BP’s Annaka Forsberg (5’5”) in the High Jump. She also took fourth in the 200-meters (25.79) but qualified but standard (26.34). Additionally, Lexi Kivimagi took fourth in both the 1,600 and 3,200. Charlotte Oeltjen (3,200) and Rebecca Copeman (Pole Vault) each took sixth. Chloe Berg took seventh (100-hurdles). Peterson took seventh (100) and eighth (Long Jump). Daniels (200) and Adia Evans (400) took eighth. On the guys’ side, Lane Schmaltz and Zach Whalen tied for fifth (Pole Vault). Callen Backer took seventh and Jake Stevens eighth (Shot Put). Chatfield’s girls took third overall as a team.

Boldt’s Triple Qualification Leads RPH Contingent

When it is all said and done, Houston’s Aubry Boldt should have a lot of state track and field qualifications. She already does as just a sophomore. After qualifying twice last year as a frosh, she upped the ante by one event and qualified three times this year. Boldt was 1A runner-up in both the 100-meter hurdles and the Triple Jump, the events she qualified for last year. She ran 15.58 behind Pine Island’s Elena Hartung (15.50) in the hurdles, and jumped 36’1 ¾” in the T-Jump behind BP’s Annaka Forsberg (37’0 ¾”). Boldt set the RPH record in the 100-hurdles topping Janet Darr (15.60) from 1986. The sophomore also took fourth in the Long Jump (17’0 ¾”) but qualified by standard (16’10”). She is the co-owner of RPH’s Long Jump record (17’8” with Ashley Agrimson). Two teammates each again qualified for the state meet. Lauren Honken (10’1”) took second in the Pole Vault to L-A’s Grace Erickson (also 10’1” – progressed to in less attempts) to earn her third berth in the event. Honken was section champ last year (10’2”). Quintin Betthauser took second in the 300-meter hurdles (41.37) behind PI’s C.J. Tree (40.7) to again qualify in said event. Last year’s 300-hurdle champion, this year’s 110 champion, Christopher Hilton of St. Charles, came up lame early in the 300-meter race. Betthauser also took fourth in the 110. He made state in both last year. Grabbing RPH its only section championship was Gregg Gile, who leapt 41’5 ¼” for his title in the Triple Jump. Finally, Ryan Prinsen took third (1:57.92) to GMLOKS’ Tate Georgen and LFCMC’s Jayce Kiehne in the 800, but qualified for state by standard (1:59.11). He broke the RPH record set last year by Dalton Hoel (1:58.87). Prinsen made state last year amidst RPH’s 4×800. Additionally, Jorja Meyer took third (Discus) and sixth (Shot Put). Chace Drazkowski took fourth (Shot) and eighth (Discus). Casey Herek took sixth (110-H) and seventh (300-H). Matthew Sprague (800) and boys 4×400 (Q-Betthauser, Tyler Betthauser, Prinsen, Hunter Rislov) took seventh.