Stewartville hurdler Haylie Strum ends career on top

Jun. 10—ST. MICHAEL — Haylie Strum had been living all season with the knowledge that she was the one to beat in the 300 hurdles.

The Stewartville senior brought that realization with her to the Class AA state track-and-field meet at St. Michael-Albertville.

In past seasons, that would have likely gotten to the Tigers star all-around athlete. But not this one.

Strum proved just how collected she's become by willing herself to the Class AA state title in the 300 hurdles on Saturday, using a willful final 60 meters to push to her first state title.

Strum was timed in 43.62, a school record and personal best.

Stewartville longtime coach Dawn Miller had a lot to do with that championship. Miller got Strum's mind right.

"Dawn kept telling me that I have to ignore any outside pressure," Strum said. "She said that I had to just focus on my own race and do what I do."

Strum didn't only draw on Miller's words, but also her own experiences. A year ago, Strum finished fifth at state in the 300 hurdles. This winter, the Post Bulletin's Girls Basketball Player of the Year led her team to the state championship game.

So, gradually, she's been getting accustomed to bright athletic lights.

That served her well on Saturday in the biggest and final high school race of her life.

"Having experienced all of those moments, it helped me not get so stressed and not put too much pressure on myself, but instead just do what I had to do," Strum said.

What Strum had to do was find a new gear with 60 meters left. Because at that point, the lead she'd enjoyed early in the race was gone. She was suddenly in second place.

So, she dug deep while also staying poised, then ultimately accomplished what she's been driving for all season, a state championship. That new gear was located, with Strum gobbling up those final 60 meters and roaring to the finish line.

Not only had she won a state title, but she'd crossed another threshold that Miller had laid out for her. She'd run sub-44 seconds.

"I had faith in Haylie that she could run in the 43s this season," Miller said. "We kept that in our mind and that was a goal we'd worked for all season."

When Strum crossed the finish line, there were tears from the senior. Then, when she looked up at the scoreboard and saw her time — 43.62 — there were more.

The Byron 4x400 relay team of Taylor Matter, Lilah Kurke, Michaela Hamilton and Paige Halder had been hinting at something big.

There was that swift 4:04.43 time that it ran in the Section 1AA meet. Then came a 4:02.01 in Friday's preliminaries.

There was also the gradual return to health of one of the state's top all-around track-and-field athletes, Paige Halder. The junior had been hobbled late in the season by an ankle sprain.

She looked anything but hobbled on Saturday. Halder ran a spectacular 56.38 400 split.

On Saturday, everything came together for the Bears and it resulted in a state championship. Byron was clocked in a season-best 4:00.39. That was just enough to edge second-place Pequot Lakes (4:00.43).

"Our girls made the most of it," Byron coach Charro Coleman said. "They basically ran the race that they needed to run. I'm just really proud of them."

There hadn't been much satisfaction in past seasons at the state track-and-field meet for Austin all-around athletic star Olivia Walsh.

That changed dramatically on Saturday.

Walsh, who finished 10th in the triple jump (33-feet-7 1/2) and 13th in the high jump (5-1) last year, took a major leap in Saturday's Class AA finals.

Actually, she took three major leaps, it resulting in her best triple jump of her life. Walsh cleared 38-4 3/4, a personal record as well as a Class AA state-meet record.

It was also more than enough to leave her as a state champion.

"This feels really good," said Walsh, who next school year will play Division II basketball at the University of Minnesota Crookston. "It feels good to have all of my hard work pay off."

Walsh credits her ability to come up big when it matters most for the state title. Large moments don't scare her, they excite her.

That excitement was a significant player, too.

"I had a lot of adrenaline today," Walsh said. "Then I had a really good first jump today which built my confidence."

What followed all of that was her record jump.

"Olivia is such a competitor," Austin coach Nancy Jones said. "She's always someone who goes out there and just does her best. I've never seen her mentally break down. She is mentally very solid. Plus, she's got such a drive to do well."

It was an impressive two days for Plainview-Elgin-Millville thrower Lauren Rott.

On Friday, the senior came through with a third place in the discus. Then Saturday she launched the shot put a personal-best 38-6 1/4 for third place. Winona's Arianna Berlin-Burns was ninth with a 35-4 1/2 throw.

Rott will compete next school year at Division I University of St. Thomas.

Winona sophomore Adriana Brenegen came through with a personal record of 25.10 to finish fifth in the 200. Stewartville's Meghan Urban was eighth in the pole vault (10 feet).

Individual results:

https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/meet/516328/results/all