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Southeastern Minnesota strongly represented in state True Team track-and-field meets

pat ruff, post-bulletin, rochester, minn.
·4 min read

May 16—A dozen local teams will challenge for championships at this weekend's track and field True Team state meets. Here's a look at the contenders:

Schedule: Class 1A boys and girls start at 10 a.m. Saturday and end at 3:15 p.m. at Stillwater High School. Class 2A boys and girls start at 4 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. at Stillwater High School.

CLASS 1A

Who's going from southeastern Minnesota: GMLOKS, St. Charles, Winona Cotter and Lanesboro/Fillmore Central/Mabel-Canton have made it from Section One. GMLOKS was the Section 1, Class 1A True Team champion with 1,140 points. St. Charles was second (1,057), Cotter third (1,045) and LFCMC fourth (1,022). St. Charles, Cotter and LFCMC have made it to the state meet as wild cards. GMLOKS' Chantle Reiland did her usual dominating in the section meet. The junior was first in the 100 and 200, second in the 400 and seventh in the long jump. GMLOKS hurdler Breeley Galle won the 300s and was second in the 100s. Lexy Foster won both the shot put and the discus. GMLOKS finished second in the state True Team last year, edged out by Luverne. LFCMC was sixth. The Winona Cotter girls team is making its first-ever trip to the state True Team meet.

Class 1A teams participating: GMLOKS, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, Luverne, Howard Lake-Waverly, Minnewaska Area, Barnesville, Pierz, West Marshall, St. Charles (wild card), Concordia Academy (wild card), Winona Cotter (wild card), Lanesboro/Fillmore Central/Mabel-Canton (wild card).

CLASS 2A

Who's going from southeastern Minnesota: Byron and Winona. Byron won the Section 1, Class 2A True Team meet with a score of 492. Winona was second with 451 points. The Winhawks have reached the state True Team meet as a wild card. Paige Halder is the clear leader of the Byron team. She totaled a pack of points in the section True Team meet, finishing first in the 200, first in the 400, first in the high jump and fourth in the long jump. Lilah Kurke was also impactful in the sprints, landing second in the 100 and fourth in the 200 and 400. Byron's Kailey Schneider won the 800 and Ella Ott the pole vault. Carly Halder was second in the triple jump, third in the 300 hurdles and fifth in the long jump. Byron finished fifth at the state True Team meet last year and Winona was ninth.

Class 2A teams participating: Byron, Belle Plaine, Simley, Holy Angels, Rocori, Delano, Chicago Lakes, Pequot Lakes, Winona (wild card), Marshall (wild card), North Branch (wild card), Foley (wild card).

Schedule: Class 1A boys and girls start at 10 a.m. Saturday and end at 3:15 p.m. at Stillwater High School. Class 2A boys and girls start at 3:45 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. at Stillwater High School.

CLASS 1A

Who's going from southeastern Minnesota: St. Charles, Lanesboro/Fillmore Central/Mabel-Canton and GMLOKS have made it from Section One. St. Charles was the section champion, having scored 1,198.5 points. LFCMC was second (1,150) and GMLOKS third (1,099). Both reached the state meet as wild cards. This is the seventh straight year that St. Charles has qualified for state True Team. The Saints, who landed fourth at state last year, got things done last week without the benefit of their truest star, Chris Hilton. He was nursing a hamstring injury. Whether he will compete Saturday remains a question. St. Charles' Ivan Daood is a strong competitor in the distance races as is Charles Davidson in both hurdles. And Saevian Hong is a strong sprinter. St. Charles finished as state True Team champions in 2019. In their six-consecutive-years run, they also earned third place twice, fourth twice and sixth once. GMLOKS was third at state last year and LFCMC seventh.

Class 1A teams participating: St. Charles, Minnesota Valley Lutheran, Luverne, Howard Lake-Waverly, Montevideo, Osakis, Crosby-Ironton, Roseau, Holdingford (wild card), Lanesboro/Fillmore Central/Mabel-Canton (wild card), Concordia Academy (wild card), GMLOKS (wild card).

CLASS 2A

Who's going from southeastern Minnesota: Stewartville, Winona and Pine Island. Stewartville was the Section 1, Class 2A champion with 506 points. Winona was second (456.5) and Pine Island third (428). Winona and Pine Island both have made the True Team meet as wild cards. Stewartville, which finished third in the state True Team meet last year, got a great section True Team meet last week from Josh Langseth. The junior was first in the 3,200 and second in the 1,600. Stewartville excels in the field events. In the section meet, Dylan Hoot was first in the high jump and teammate Carter Anderson second, Parker Wangen won the long jump, Hoot won the triple jump and Anderson was second, and Ridge Hatz was second in the shot put and discus. Pine Island is headed to the state True Team meet for the 12th time in the last 15 years under coach Matt Northrop. The Panthers were Class 1A state champions in 2021.

Class 2A teams participating: Stewartville, Jordan, Totino-Grace, Rockford, Cloquet, Dilworth-Glynden-Felton, Winona (wild card), Belle Plaine (wild card), Fairmont (wild card), Pine Island (wild card), Detroit Lakes (wild card).