Nevis senior Jade Rypkema maintained her grip on the Class 1A 1,600- and 3,200-meter state championships. Rypkema won both events during the meet at St. Michael-Albertville High School, taking the 1,600 on Friday after winning the 3,200 on Thursday.
Nevis' Jade Rypkema completes Class 1A sweep of two longest races at state meet
Rypkema won the 3,200 for the third consecutive year, matching Bria Wetsch's accomplishment of 2004-06.
June 10, 2023 at 1:43AM
Back-to-back titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 made Rypkema the first girl to double up in those distance races since Blake's Clare Flanagan did it 2012 and 2013. And Rypkema's third consecutive 3,200 crown makes her the first to hit that mark since Holy Family's Bria Wetsch in 2004-06, according to information compiled by MileSplit Minnesota editor Ryan Kotajarvi.
Rypkema finished the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 54.27 seconds, the 3,200 in 10:35.02.
St. Croix Lutheran of West St. Paul captured the boys team championship with 41 points. Seniors Griffin Paulsen (110- and 300-meter hurdles) and Maxim Sergeyev (high jump) combined to contribute 27 points, and junior Will Olson (400) chipped in eight points. Paulsen won the 300 hurdles.
Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball won the girls title with 70 points, and Minnehaha Academy placed second with 49. Senior Cadence Tanner (high jump and long jump) brought in 10 points, while also running the leadoff leg of the Redhawks' victorious 4x100 relay.
Class 2A showdowns loom
Tantalizing showdowns on the track await Saturday in the Class 2A finals, set up by Friday's preliminaries. In the 100, Holy Angels junior Ashley Fisher looks to defend her state title against a field that includes Providence Academy junior Brooke Hohenecker. The duo will also battle in the 200, won last year by Hohenecker.
Friday notables included Hutchinson junior Isabelle Schmitz winning the 3,200 and Rockford junior Brian Schloeder topping the pole vault field for a second consecutive year. Belle Plaine senior Emmett Gerres set a state meet record in the boys 3,200 with a time of 9:03.72.
Schmitz runs the 1,600 on Saturday, competing against Jordan senior Kendra Krueger. Krueger is the top qualifier in the 800.
Simley sophomore Naomi Moore ran the fastest preliminary time in the 100 hurdles, 14.88 seconds.
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
