The Minnewaska Area track and field teams qualified seven athletes in nine events to the State Track Meet during the Section 5A Track Meet last Wednesday at St. John’s University in Collegeville.

The Laker girls finished third in the 20-team field, while the Lakers boys were 10th of 19 teams

Earning state trips for the boys team was Maeson Tank, who placed first in the 400 (51.11) and second in the 800 (1:58.12), while qualifying to state from the girls team were McKenzie Luetmer, Lauryn Ankeny, Jayda Kolstoe, Olivia Danielson, Brooke Kolstoe and Teagan Stark.

Luetmer became the first Minnewaska Area athlete to qualify to state in four events as she was second in the triple jump (34-10 1/4), 400 (59.46), 1600 meter relay with Stark, Ankeny and Danielson (4:06.28) and 3200 meter relay with Brooke Kolstoe, Danielson and Ankeny (9:44.95).

In addition, Ankeny earned a first in the 300 meter hurdles (47.1) with a time only one-hundredth off Kristie Mayo’s school record of 47.09, and Jayda Kolstoe goes to state in two events after placing first in the shot put (37-0) and second in the discus (106-8).  Besides becoming the first Minnewaska athlete to qualify to state in four events, Luetmer also broke the old school record of 34-9 1/2 in the triple jump, set by Beth Nevitt in 1999.

“We couldn’t be more proud of our boys’ and girls’ teams for their efforts today,” said first-year boys coach Zach Traphagen.  “We advanced athletes to state in nine events with a good chunk of kids advancing in multiple events.”

Seniors lost to graduation from this year’s Minnewaska track and field teams are Kiearra Wilmes, Makena Thoen, Serena Mellgren, McKenzie Luetmer, Miranda Longtin, Mya Lindemann, Brooke Kolstoe, Elsey Hagen, Conner Stein, James Ward, Hunter Kloos, Nick Ankeny, Jaden Anderson and Blake Andreas.

“The section meet is always bittersweet because it is the final meet for some of our seniors who have been such huge pieces to the success of our program over the years,” Traphagen said.  “Their focus and determination over the years will be sorely missed, but overall it was a fantastic day to be a Laker.”

Section 5A Track Meet

Minnewaska Area placed third of 20 teams in the girls’ meet and 10th of 19 teams in the boys’ field during the Section 5A Track and Field Meet last Wednesday at St. John’s University.

EVW-Kimball won the girls’ title by 28 points over St. Cloud Cathedral (131-103) with Minnewaska edging Pierz and Holdingford for third.

The top eight place finishers earned points for their team in each event with scoring going 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1.

McKenzie Luetmer and Lauryn Ankeny were two of the top female athletes at the meet as Luetmer qualified to state in four events and Ankeny returns to state in three events.

Luetmer was second in the 400 meter dash (59.46) and triple jump (34-10 1/4) and was also second with two relays.  Her finish in the triple jump broke the school record by less than an inch.

The 1600 meter relay team of Luetmer, Ankeny, Olivia Danielson and Teagan Stark was second with a time of 4:06.28, while the 3200 meter relay team of Brooke Kolstoe, Danielson, Ankeny and Luetmer was also second with a time of 9:44.95.

The 1600 meter relay came within less than a second of the school record time of 4:05.34 set last year by the same foursome.

Ankeny also won the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 47.1, which is one-hundredth of a second off the school record, while Jayda Kolstoe advances to state in two events.

Kolstoe won the shot put with a heave of 37-0 and was also second in  the discus with a throw of 106-8.

Also picking up points for the Lakers were Teagan Stark with a seventh in the 400 (1:02.98), Elsey Hagen with a seventh in the 3200 meter run (12:32.71), and the 800 meter relay team of Stark, Esryn Dahl, Dacia Fleury and Mya Lindemann was seventh in 1:50.99.

•  In the boys meet, Maeson Tank returns to state for the Lakers after winning the 400 meter dash (51.11) and placing second in the 800 (1:58.12).  His time of 51.11 is less than a second off the school record, while his 800 meter run time broke his old school record and is the first time a Laker has gone under two minutes.

Just missing out on a state berth was the 3200 meter relay team of James Ward, Jayce Kovarik, Nick Ankeny and Tank, which was third in 8:38.17, and Kovarik, who was fourth in the pole vault (10-11).

Also placing among the top eight were Owen Meulebroeck, with an eighth in the 300 meter hurdles (43.77), Blake Andreas with an eighth in the triple jump (39-1/4), the sixth-place 400 meter relay team of Kaiden  Harvey, Asante Adams, Conner Stein and Carter Meyer (45.83), the sixth-place 800 meter relay team of Meyer, Harvey, Meulebroeck and Adam (1:36.19) and the 1600 meter relay team of Andreas, Hunter Kloos, Ward and Ankeny which was eighth in 3:49.13.

Section 5A Track Meet

Girls team scoring:

(1) EVW-Kimball 131  (2) St. Cloud Cathedral 103  (3) Minnewaska 66  (4) Pierz 65  (5) Holdingford 60, Paynesville 51, Royalton 47, HLWW 42.5, Braham 23, SJP 16, Maple Lake 16, Sauk Centre 15, Northwest Nighthawks 13, East Central 11, Hinckley-Fin 11, USA 9, ACGC 8.5, Mille Lacs 6, Ogilvie 5, Rush City 3

Girls individual results:

(Champ and Waska top-12)

100m hurdles:  (1) Kimman, Pierz 15.21

300m hurdles:  (1) Lauryn Ankeny, Min 47.1

100m dash:  (1) Schueller, SCC 12.73  (9) Dacia Fleury, Min 13.53

200m dash:  (1) Schueller, SCC 26.61

400m dash:  (1) E. Kuechle, EVW 57.43  (2) McKenzie Luetmer, Min 59.46  (7) Teagan Stark, Min 1:02.98

800m run:  (1) B. Kuechle, EVW 2:19.57  (9) Makena Thoen, Min 2:33.07  

1600m run:  (1) Pauly, SJP 5:11.01  (11) Piper Citrowske-Lee, Min 6:05.39

3200m run:  (1) Schad, SCC 11:36.74  (7) Elsey Hagen, Min 12:32.71  (10) Kiearra Wilmes, Min 13:02.99

400m relay:  (1) EVW 50.8  

800m relay:  (1) SC Cathedral 1:46.05  (7) Minnewaska (Teagan Stark, Esryn Dahl, Fleury, Mya Lindemann) 1:50.99

1600m relay:  (1) EVW-Kimball 4:04.76  (2) Minnewaska (T. Stark, Olivia Danielson, Ankeny, Luetmer) 4:06.28

3200m relay:  (1) St. Cloud Cath 9:43.2  (2) Minnewaska (Brooke Kolstoe, Danielson, Ankeny, Luetmer) 9:44.95

Discus:  (1) Skiba, Pierz 109-4  (2) Jayda Kolstoe, Min 106-8

Shot put:  (1) J. Kolstoe, Min 37-0

Long jump:  (1) B. Kuechle, EVW 18-4 1/2

Triple jump:  (1) Yourczek, Royal 35-6  (2) Luetmer, Min 34-10 1/4  (12) Fleury, Min 32-3 1/2

High jump:  (1) Becker, EVW 5-2  (9) Phemie Oeltjen, Min 4-8

Pole vault:  (1) Walz, Pay 10-7  (10) Oeltjen, Min 7-2

Boys team scoring:

(1) Sauk Centre 96.5  (2) HLWW 93.33  (3) SC Cath 75.33  (4) Pierz 71  (5) Holding and EVW-Kim, both 47, East Central 43, Maple Lake 42, SJP 39, Minnewaska 37.5, Royal 25, USA 23, Rush City 16.33, Hinckley-Fin 16, NW Nighthawks 15, SC Christian 6, ACGC 5, BBE 2, Paynes 1, Ogilvie 1

Boys individual results:

(Champ and Waska top-12 finishers)

110m hurdles:  (1) Knott, HLWW 15.17  (10) Owen Meulebroeck, Min 17.63  (12) Hunter Stadsvold, Min 18.07

300m hurdles:  (1) Knott, HLWW 40.35  (8) Meulebroeck, Min 43.77

100m dash:  (1) Okoro, ML 11.23  (9) Asante Adams, Min 12.13

200m dash:  (1) Patrick, Holding 23.44

400m dash:  (1) Maeson Tank, Min 51.11

800m run:  (1) Kampsen, SC 1:54.82  (2) Tank, Min 1:58.12

1600m run:  (1) Kampsen, SC 4:30.37  (11) Zach Palmer, Min 5:04.8

3200m run:  (1) Hansen, SJP 9:53.05

400m relay:  (1) Holdingford 44.28  (6) Minnewaska (Kaiden Harvey, Adams, Conner Stein, Carter Meyer) 45.83

800m relay:  (1) Holdingford 1:32.69  (6) Minnewaska (Meyer, Harvey, Meulebroeck, Adams) 1:36.19

1600m relay:  (1) St. John’s Prep 3:26.67  (8) Minnewaska (Blake Andreas, Hunter Kloos, James Ward, Nick Ankeny) 3:49.13

3200m relay:  (1) St. John’s Prep 8:01.71  (3) Minnewaska (Ward, Jayce Kovarik, Ankeny, Tank) 8:38.17

Discus:  (1) Guthrie, USA 139-0

Shot:  (1) Oberfeld, Pierz 48-9 1/2

Long jump:  (1) Luchsinger, HLWW 21-4 1/2

Triple jump:  (1) Vannurden, Royal 42-6 1/2  (8) Andreas, Min 39-1/4

High jump:  (1) Zielinski, EC 6-2

Pole vault:  (1) Matheson, HLWW 11-11  (4) Kovarik, Min 10-11

Check out more photos in our photo gallery!