•  Owen Meulebroeck wins 300 hurdles and Jayda Kolstoe places first in shot put to highlight efforts at state

It was a double-gold day for the Minnewaska Area Lakers.  

Yes, Jayda Kolstoe came home with the first-place gold medal in the discus at the State Class A Track and Field Meet at St. Michael-Albertville, Friday, while Owen Meulebroeck also earned a gold medal in the 300 meter intermediate hurdles.  Oh yeah, both Lakers also set new school records in the process.

It was quite a day for the Laker track program, which also earned three other state medals.

Kolstoe, a sophomore, threw the shot put 43-9 1/4 to beat the second-place competitor by almost three feet.  That also broke her old school record of 39-7 1/2.

Kolstoe had four of her six throws at state go over 40 feet, including the state-winning throw on her second attempt of the day.

“It just feels really good knowing that I can say I’m a state champ,” Kolstoe said in an interview with the West Central Tribune.  “I’m just really happy.”

Meulebroeck, who only took up track two years ago, ran a time of 39.86 in the 300 hurdles to earn first by .12 and also set a new school record in the process, breaking Paul Suckstorff’s old record of 40.05 set in 2003.

“It means a lot to me,” Meulebroeck said to the WC Tribune.  “I’m just really happy that it was a good choice to make.  I’m just proud because it shows my hard work and determination to do well and I think it shows my coaches are pretty good, too.”

Last year, Meulebroeck had a time of 43.77 at the section meet to place eighth.  “It couldn’t have happened to a better kid,” boys head coach Zach Traphagen said.  “He listens, he’s coachable, he believes in himself and he believes in his training.”

In addition, the 800 meter relay team of Meulebroeck, Maeson Tank, Carter Meyer and Kaiden Harvey placed fifth with a time of 1:31.43, while Tank also placed ninth in the 400 meter dash with a time of 51.04 and the girls 3200 meter relay team of Olivia Danielson, Alia Randt, Ella Larson and Lauryn Ankeny earned seventh with a time of 9:48.81.

Cotter won the Class A girls team title by one point over EVW-Kimball and Bagley-Fosston, while Caledonia dominated the boys Class A meet, winning with 67 points, while Cotter was second with 39 and HLWW third with 38.5.

Five entries make finals

During the first day of competition, the Lakers had half their entries still alive as Maeson Tank placed ninth during the 400 meter prelims (51.32), Owen Meulebroeck was third in the 300 meter hurdle prelims (40.62) and the 800 meter relay team of Carter Meyer, Kaiden Harvey, Tank and Meulebroeck placed fifth during the prelims with a time of 1:32.23 (top time was 1:30.87).

Eliminated the first day for the boys were the 1600 meter relay, Asante Adams in the 200 meter dash and the 400 meter relay.

The 1600 meter relay team of Harvey, Tank, Meulebroeck and Jayce Kovarik was timed in 3:36.79 to place 16th.  Only the top nine teams advanced to the finals.  The top time in the prelims was 3:27.89 and the Lakers had been timed at 3:32.74 during the section meet and a 3:34.63 was the ninth and final qualifying time.

The 400 meter relay team of Meyer, Harvey, Caden Christensen and Adams placed 11th with a time of 44.93 to miss out on the finals by one-tenth of a second.  Think that’s bad; how about Mesabi East, which tied for the final spot, but ended up 10th after officials looks at the photo finish.

And, Adams also competed in the 200 meter dash, placing 19th in the prelims with a time of 23.61.  The top time in the prelims was 22.3.

•  For the girls, Jayda Kolstoe competed in the shot put finals, Friday, as did the 3200 meter relay team.

Minnewaska’s other two girls’ entries were eliminated during the prelims, Thursday.  Lauryn Ankeny ran a 47.65 time in the 300 meter hurdle prelims (top time was 46.16) to place 13th and miss out on the finals by .47, while the 1600 meter relay team of Ankeny, Ella Larson, Alia Randt and Aubrey Polzin placed 14th with a time of 4:17.31, missing out on a state berth by just under five seconds in a race won with a time of 4:08.98.

State Class A Track Meet 

Girls team scoring:

(1) Cotter 41  (2) EVW-Kimball 40  (2) Bagley-Fosston 40  (4) Math and Science Academy 34  (5) DGF 32  (6) River Valley 30  (7) Staples-Motley 29  (8) GMLOKS 26  (9) St. John’s Prep 24  (10) St Paul Academy and Summit 22  (10) Luverne 22 . . . (22) Minnewaska Area 15 . . . a total of 79 teams scored in the Class A girls

Girls individual results:

(Champ and top-9 in Waska state events)

300m hurdles:  (1) Elizabeth Tuttle, SP Academy 44.82  

1600m relay:  (1) EVW-Kimball 4:02.48

3200m relay:  (1) St. John’s Prep 9:36.26  (7) Minnewaska Area (Olivia Danielson, Alia Randt, Ella Larson, Lauryn Ankeny) 9:48.81

Shot put:  (1) Jayda Kolstoe, Minnewaska 43-9 1/4

Boys team scoring:

(1) Caledonia 67  (2) Cotter 39  (3) HLWW 38.5  (4) Litchfield 38  (5) Concordia Acad 36  (6) Montevideo 31  (6) LQP-DB 31  (8) Crosby-Iron 30  (9) Luverne 28  (10) Osakis 24 . . . (15) Minnewaska 18 . . . a total of 75 teams had at least 1 point

Boys individual track results:

(Champ and top-9 in Waska state events)

300m hurdles:  (1) Owen Meulebroeck, Minnewaska 39.86

200m dash:  (1) Judah Zinte, Con Ac 22.14

400m dash:  (1) Oliver Thompson, SP Academy 48.78  (9) Maeson Tank, Minnewaska 51.04

400m relay:  (1) Caledonia 42.75

800m relay:  (1) Caledonia 1:29.28  (5) Minnewaska (Carter Meyer, Kaiden Harvey, Meulebroeck, Tank) 1:31.43

1600m relay:  (1) Crosby-Ironton 3:22.8

Check out more photos in our photo gallery!