The Star Tribune's Cassidy Hettesheimer and David La Vaque will lead you through the second day of the track and field state championships at St. Michael-Albertville High School. Check back often. Coverage of Thursday's Class 3A and 1A competition is here.
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3,200 becomes a two-girl race
10:15 a.m.
When you break a Class 2A record and come in second, you know it was a competitive race.
In the final lap of the girls 3,200-meter race Friday, Hutchinson senior Isabelle Schmitz broke away from Monticello sophomore Isabel Mahoney to defend her 2023 state title. Both Schmitz and Mahoney surpassed the previous class record of 10 minutes, 34.40 seconds, set in 2022. Schmitz ran in that race two years ago, too, and wanted to break 10:30.
Mahoney said that when the record was read aloud on the PA system before the race, she thought, " 'I'm going for it.' I gave it my all the last 400 and luckily I pulled away with a state record— and got second,' " she said, with a laugh. "I've been looking forward to this race all season."
Schmitz finished 10:24.14, and Mahoney ran 10:32.49. The pair raced ahead of the pack, lapping multiple runners, until Schmitz passed Mahoney heading into the last 400 meters.
"I'm just so thrilled that this was a great way to end out my senior year," Schmitz said. "I knew I had the second [-fastest qualifying] time, [Mahoney] had the first time going in. So I knew that it was just going to be the two of us out there. And so I just wanted to stick together and run it fast together and not worry about what's happening behind us."
Macy Hanson, a junior from Fairmont, led the rest of the pack in a sprint to the finish, with a third-place time of 10:53.04.
Salvador Wirth, an Annandale junior, won the boys 3,200 title after placing second last year. The boys race featured a much closer field, with the second-place finisher, Pequot Lakes senior Eli Hall, leading most of the race until Wirth pulled ahead. Wirth ran a time of 9:06.54, followed by Hall at 9:08.47. Isaiah Anderson, a senior from Mankato East, placed third in 9:13.24.
According to Wayzata Results, the top seven finishers in the boys 3,200 all set personal-best times.
As the prelim heats began, Simley junior Naomi Moore set a 100-meter hurdles 2A record — 14.50 seconds — to qualify for the event's finals.
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The rest of the day, from early morning to day's end:
St. Charles wheelchair competitor breaks new ground
10:06 p.m.
Tyler Gunnarson made history as the first wheelchair division athlete to compete in the 400-meter race. The junior from St. Charles won in a time of 58.07 seconds, adding to a busy day of success in St. Michael-Albertville.
He won the 100 in a state-record time of 15.82 seconds.
"I like breaking records," Gunnarson said.
He said the key to success in the 400 required breaking down the event into four equal parts.
"I just imagined four guns going off during the race," Gunnarson said.
Bagley/Fosston girl wins three events
9:47 p.m.
Bagley/Fosston junior Ava Phrakonkham got almost everything she wanted out of her Class 1A state meet performance Friday. She won the 100 (11.80 seconds) and 200 (24.60) and anchored the Flyers' first-place 4x100 relay (48.84).
"Believe it or not, Analisa Huschle has our school record in the 200, and I didn't beat it today," Phrakonkham said. "But I will."
No surprise, coach Jacob Vossler said. He observed Phrakonkham's offseason dedication, whether lifting weights, running alone at nearby Bemidji State or running in USA Track and Field meets in the Twin Cities.
"She could easily rest on her talent, but she's one of those special athletes that wants to be the best version of herself, and the best version of herself is pretty darn good," he said.
Perich misses state meet because of hamstring injury
9:22 p.m.
Esko standout Koi Perich missed competing in the meet because of a hamstring injury that he aggravated at the section meet last week. He posted an elite 100-meter dash time (10.87 seconds) but reinjured the hammy during the 4x200 relay. He also missed the long jump, an event he won two years ago. Perich is committed to the Gophers for football.
St. Paul Academy junior wins 400 but feels the heat
9:19 p.m.
Oliver Thompson ran the 400-meter dash in a season-best time of 48.78 seconds and earned a state meet championship.
Almost as fast, St. Paul Academy coaches were voicing their anticipation for a fitting encore performance next season, when Thompson is a senior.
Pump the brakes, folks. Because for all of Thompson's success Friday, he was only running the 400 for a full season the first time. He missed qualifying for state in the event last season by just two-tenths of a second. Dropping three seconds from his time this year only tightened the vise.
"I get so nervous for these meets," Thompson said. "I didn't sleep well last night, and I had to force myself to eat breakfast this morning. This year was more pressure because I had the fastest seed time at the start."
Not only that, but the 400 "is basically a full-out sprint. But your anaerobic system can only take you so far," Thompson said. "So that last 100 meters or so, it's about how well you can maintain your speed no matter how much it hurts. At the end, it's like you're running in water. You try to push, but everything is in slow motion."
Thompson trains with sophomore teammate Elizabeth Tuttle and watched as she won the 300 hurdles and open 400.
"It's inspiring to run with her," Thompson said. "She has a lot more technical ability and offers great advice."
A year ago, Tuttle was the Spartans' lone state meet representative. This year, nine athletes made the trip.
'The alphabet school' backs one of its own
8:50 p.m.
White T-shirts with the words "Chase Jayce," on the chest were worn by several LFCMC boys athletes at Friday's Class 1A state track and field meet.
The object of their tribute, teammate Jayce Kiehne, competed in the 800-meter race and the 4x400 relay at St. Michael-Albertville. He represented LFCMC, otherwise known as Lanesboro/Mabel-Canton/Fillmore Central or "the alphabet school," as teammate Mason Howard called it during one of the latest YouTube videos chronicling the final few weeks of Kiehne's senior season.
Kiehne peaked Friday by winning the 800 in a Fillmore Central record time of 1 minute, 53.11 seconds. The entire field was chasing Jayce.
"What a kick; that was awesome," coach Alex Aiken gushed to an LFCMC supporter after the 800.
Kiehne qualified for state by posting the fastest time (1:54.66 seconds) at the Section 1 meet last week, and his effort launched a multimedia marketing campaign. He said he appreciates the support of teammates and is not concerned about nerves or pressure.
He relaxed under the team tent earlier Friday wearing sunglasses — the same ones he wore for the race.
Howard and Kyle Daniels, sprinters for LFCMC, are recent graduates. Aiken said Kiehne, now a graduate of Fillmore Central, made his final meet something special.
"He's been coming to the state meet since he was a freshman," Aiken said. "And I think he felt there was some unfinished business in the 800 because he placed third last year."
Rockford vaulter lands third state title
2:13 p.m.
"Brian is up." And again. "Brian is up." By the end of the Class 2A boys pole vault, the call of the official signaling the start of Rockford senior Brian Schloeder's next attempt was uninterrupted by any other athlete's name — only by Schloeder heading to the track to qualify for the finals in the 200 before returning to vault again.
It's not rare for Schloeder, who already held the Class 2A pole vault state record, to be vaulting alone by the end of a competition. He's only the fourth high school boy to vault 16 feet or more in Minnesota.
On Friday, the now three-time state champion vaulted 15 feet, 7 inches for a new class state record and a state title. Four vaulters reached the next-closest height, 14 feet. Schloeder also made three attempts at 16-2 after his title-clinching vault.
Schloeder said his priority coming into the competition was getting the win because Rockford was in the running for the team state championship.
"I just wanted to get the win for my team," Schloeder said. During his long day — the pole vault was the last field event to finish — "it helps having all my friends and family around supporting me," he said.
Alexandria throwers have a day
1:31 p.m.
Three Alexandria girls discus throwers placed in the top seven spots.
Senior Elise Magaard won with a distance of 128 feet, 2 inches. Teammate Maya Wagner placed fifth, and Amari Sowada placed seventh.
"[Winning] makes you think a lot about how you prepare for it," Magaard said. "It makes these days, even the hard days, feel all the more better."
The trio attributed the Cardinals' success to their coach, Ty Granning, and his passion for helping them fine-tune.
Holy Angels senior Ashley Fisher joined the growing list of the day's 2A state record breakers with an 18-5.5 long jump. Per Wayzata Results, the top six girls long jumpers passed the class record on Friday, with Fisher ahead by 4.5 inches.
In jumps of a more vertical direction, Detroit Lakes senior and reigning state champ Grace Gunderson high-jumped 5 feet, 6 inches to another state title, just ahead of Princeton sophomore Kyleigh Noble and Grand Rapids sophomore Grace Pogorelc, who both jumped 5-5.
Fridley senior Fadel Johnson earned a state title in boys triple jump, jumping 47-3.25 inches. Johnson just began triple-jumping last year, when he finished fourth at state. Johnson said he studied in the off-season and trained to make a push for the state title.
"I knew I was going to have to come in here and jump crazy," he said.
Records keep tumbling
11:45 a.m.
It was rare to find a Class 2A record unbroken in the preliminaries and finals completed before noon Friday.
In the girls 4x200 relay prelims, Monticello cut more than two seconds off the class state record with a time of 1:41.02 to lead finals qualifying. Winona's boys 4x100 relay team (42.07) and DeLaSalle girls 4x100 team (48.57) also set class records.
Defending boys 400 champ Jack Markstrom, a Mound Westonka senior, finished in 48.07 seconds for a 2A record.
In field events, Winona sophomore Devin Filzen set a boys wheelchair shot put class record, 21 feet, 6.25 inches, breaking his own record.
"[Breaking the record] was definitely something I had in mind," Filzen said. "I really wanted to break my old record. [It took] lots of practice and my coaches helping me out."
Grady Minnerath, a senior from Rocori, threw 59-4.5 for a first-place finish and a class record in boys shot put.
Minnerath was second in qualifying seeding and said he knew "I've got to come up big. But never did I think I'd hit 59 and break the record. The goal was 60. … I'm just so pumped I hit 59 twice."
Rockford senior Josiah Zilmer's distance of 59-.75 inches also surpassed the class record. "He's a great thrower," Minnerath said, noting the competition helped him throw his personal best. "He hit 59 first, and I just took after him, I guess."
Big Lake sophomore Tayla Gassmann broke her own class record in wheelchair discus with a 40-4 throw.
Calm is restored
9:07 a.m.
Class 2A's runners and field athletes get to enjoy a sunnier and much less windy Friday morning for their preliminaries, compared to Thursday's blustery Class 1A and 3A sessions. High jump and pole vault have returned to their rightful place outside with the other field events.
We'll kick things off Friday with the boys and girls 3,200-meter state finals, which, like Thursday, are the one track event not holding prelims.
Follow along for updates on field state champions, plus notable developments in the track preliminary heats as runners look to qualify for the Class 2A finals on Saturday morning.
CASSIDY HETTESHEIMER
Schedule
See it event by event.
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Live results
Follow them event by event.
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Tickets
Cost ranges from $8 to $13. Purchase at mshsl.org/tickets.
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Streaming
By the Neighborhood Sports Network (subscription required). Link to the streams here.
