•  Boys team qualifies a record six events to state and girls team will send four

What a day for the Lakers!

The Minnewaska Area track and field teams continued their great seasons by earning a total of 10 state berths during the Section 6A Track and Field Meet, Thursday at Pillager.

The Laker boys will send six entries to the state meet (MAHS boys’ school record), including three relays, while the girls team will send athletes in another four events to the state meet, set for this Thursday and Friday at St. Michael-Albertville.

Barnesville edged Pelican Rapids for the overall girls team title (63-58) with Minnewaska Area finishing third with 52.5 points, while Pelican Rapids won the final event (1600 meter relay) to win the boys team title with 85.33 points, edging out Sauk Centre (81) and Osakis (80) with Minnewaska a close fourth with 69.33 points.

For the boys, Maeson Tank placed first in the 400 meter dash (50.91), while Owen Meulebroeck was second in the 300 hurdles (41.13), Asante Adams was second in the 200 meter dash (23.4), the 800 meter relay team placed first with another record time, and the 400 and 1600 meter relays also placed second to earn state berths.

The Laker girls, meanwhile, had Jayda Kolstoe earn first in the shot put (39-7 1/2) with another record throw, Lauryn Ankeny was first in the 300 hurdles (47.07) and the 1600 and 3200 meter relay teams also earned state berths by placing second. 

“Credit to our kids for trusting their training and having the mental strength to continue to shine in their events today on the big stage,” said boys head coach Zach Traphagen.  “We couldn’t be more proud as a coaching staff of this team. They are supremely talented athletes, but even better kids.”

The top two place finishers in each event at the section meet earned trips to state, along with athletes meeting a pre-determined state standard.  For the section meet, the top eight earned points (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1).

Section 6A Track

The Laker track teams qualified 10 events to state during the Section 6A Meet last week at Pillager.

Lauryn Ankeny, Owen Meulebroeck, Kaiden Harvey and Maeson Tank will each race in three events at state, while other athletes will be competing in two events.

Ankeny placed first in the 300 hurdles (47.07) and also ran on the second-place 1600 meter relay team with Aubrey Polzin, Alia Randt and Ella Larson (4:14.67) and the second-place 3200 meter relay team with Olivia Danielson, Randt and Larson.

In addition, Jayda Kolstoe returns to state in the shot put after winning the section meet with a school record throw of 39-7 1/2.

Dacia Fleury added a fourth in the 100 (13.24), seventh in the long jump (16-3 3/4) and eighth in the triple jump (33-10), while Lexi Bosek was fourth in the pole vault (8-1), Lyla Stadtherr was eighth in the high jump (4-11), Melena Longtin was eighth in the discus (87-11), Maia Larson earned eighth in the 1600 (5:40.65) and Jillian Deutsch was eighth in the 3200 meter run (12:4.93).

In the girls high jump, five athletes tied for first at 5-1 and all five advance to state on the state standard.

Barnesville had an athlete place second in the final event of the day (pole vault) to earn the overall team title.

•  In the boys meet, the state berths came early and often as the Lakers piled up two firsts and four second-place finishes

Maeson Tank won the 400 (50.91), while Owen Meulebroeck was second in the 300 hurdles (41.13) and both athletes also raced on two state-qualifying relays.

The 800 meter relay team of Meulebroeck, Tank, Carter Meyer and Kaiden Harvey placed first with a school-record time of 1:31.21, while the 1600 meter relay of Meulebroeck, Tank, Jayce Kovarik and Harvey earned second in 3:32.74.

Also earning state berths was the 400 meter relay team of Caden Christensen, Asante Adams, Harvey and Meyer, which placed second in 44.35, and Adams, who earned second in the 200 meter dash (23.47).

“We had a very good showing at the Section 6A meet today in Pillager. Anytime you can advance three relay teams to state along with three individual events, a lot of things have to go right,” said coach Traphagen.  “The 800 meter relay broke its own school record for the second meet in a row and just missed out on the section meet record by .01 seconds; the 400 meter relay took nearly a half second off its PR and secured a spot at state; Maeson Tank is a section champ in the 400 meter dash for the second year in a row; Owen Meulebroeck continued his impressive season in the 300 hurdles, qualifying for state under the meet standard; Asante Adams had a big upset in the 200 meter dash finishing second after coming in as the sixth seed; and the 1600 meter relay team held strong to run its best time of the year and secure a spot at the state meet as well.”

Also securing points for the Laker boys were Hunter Stadsvold, who was fourth in the 110 hurdles (17.51); Adams was also fourth in the 100 (11.65); Meyer was seventh in the 200 (24.34); Ian Mills was seventh in the 3200 meter run (11:07.02); Kovarik was eighth in the pole vault (10-10); and the 3200 meter relay team of Luke Hoffmann, Josh Hippe, Mills and Carter Dinsmore placed sixth with a time of 9:15.99.

Section 6A Track Meet 

Girls team scoring:

(1) Barnesville 63  (2) Pelican Rapids 58  (3) Minnewaska 52.5  (4) Border West 50  (5) Osakis 43  (5) LPGE 43  (5) Frazee 43, OTC 42.5, Staples-Motley 35, ABE 32, Pillager 29, Browerville 28, Sauk Centre 27, United North Central 27, WDC 26, Bertha-Hewitt-Vern 23, Parkers Prairie 21, WCA 15, Breckenridge 14, Hillcrest 13, Pine River-Backus 12, New York Mills 5

Girls individual results:

(Champ and Waska top-8 finishers)

100m hurdles:  (1) Wales, ABE 15.3

300m hurdles:  (1) Lauryn Ankeny, Min 47.07

100m dash:  (1) Guler, PR 12.8  (4) Dacia Fleury, Min 13.24

200m dash:  (1) Guler, PR 26.47  

400m dash:  (1) Collins, WDC 1:00.73

800m run:  (1) Brownell, SM 2:19.13

1600m run:  (1) Brownell, SM 5:06.68  (8) Maia Larson, Min 5:40.65

3200m run:  (1) Burton, SM 11:49.75  (8) Jillian Deutsch, Min 12:49.93

400m relay:  (1) Pillager 51.5

800m relay:  (1) Frazee 1:49.17

1600m relay:  (1) Frazee 4:10.22  (2) Minnewaska (Aubrey Polzin, Randt, E. Larson, Ankeny) 4:14.67

3200m relay:  (1) Bertha-Hewitt-V 9:57.03  (2) Minnewaska (Olivia Danielson, Alia Randt, Ella Larson, Lauryn Ankeny) 9:59.83

Shot put:  (1) Jayda Kolstoe, Min 39-7 1/2

Discus:  (1) Welch, PR 119-1  (8) Melena Longtin, Min 87-11

High jump:  (1) Backstrom, PR 5-1  (8) Lyla Stadtherr, Min 4-11

Long jump:  (1) Bormann, OTC 17-6  (7) Fleury, Min 16-3 3/4

Triple jump:  (1) Bormann, OTC 37-3  (8) Fleury, Min 33-10

Pole vault:  (1) Schwope, Osakis 9-7  (4) Lexi Bosek, Min 8-1

Boys team scoring:

(1) Pelican Rapids 85.33  (2) Sauk Centre 81  (3) Osakis 80  (4) Minnewaska 69.33  (5) Staples-Motley 67, Bertha-Hewitt/Vern 61, Pillager 35, Breckenridge 31.5, WDC 31, OTC 30, Rothsay 25, Border West 19.33, Frazee 18, LPGE 15.5, Pine River-Backus 14, WCA 12, United North Central 10, Hillcrest 6, Parkers Prairie 5, ABE 4, Barnesville 2

Boys individual track results:

(Champ and Waska top-8 finishers)

110m hurdles:  (1) Danielson, Rothsay 16.46  (4) Hunter Stadsvold, Min 17.51

300m hurdles:  (1) Jones, Osakis 40.58  (2) Owen Meulebroeck, Min 41.13

100m dash:  (1) Brown, Pillager 11.38  (4) Asante Adams, Min 11.65

200m dash:  (1) Brandt, SM 23.06  (2) Adams, Min 23.47  (7) Carter Meyer, Min 24.34

400m dash:  (1) Maeson Tank, Min 50.91

800m run:  (1) Larson, PR 1:59.01

1600m run:  (1) Larson, PR 4:34.83

3200m run:  (1) Rach, BHV 10:02.59  (7) Ian Mills, Min 11:07.02

400m relay:  (1) Sauk Centre 43.65  (2) Minnewaska Area (Caden Christensen, Adams, Kaiden Harvey, Meyer) 44.35

800m relay:  (1) Minnewaska (Meyer, Harvey, Meulebroeck, Tank) 1:31.21

1600m relay:  (1) PR 3:30.92  (2) Minnewaska (Harvey, Jayce Kovarik, Meulebroeck, Tank) 3:32.74

3200m relay:  (1) Bertha-Hewitt-Vern 8:13.99  (6) Minnewaska (Luke Hoffmann, Josh Hippe, Ian Mills, Carter Dinsmore) 9:15.99

Shot put:  (1) Jacobson, PR 49-9

Discus:  (1) Jacobson, PR 157-5

High jump:  (1) Haug, WDC 6-2

Long jump:  (1) Dalluge, OTC 22-3 1/2

Triple jump:  (1) Dalluge, OTC 44-4

Pole vault:  (1) Beachy, SM 13-10  (8) Kovarik, Min 10-10

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