Laker alum Brady Labine headed to fourth DIII track and field championship

L to R: Jack Young, Kevin Arthur, Brady Labine and Ryan Miller (image courtesy of head coach Jeremy Karger-Gatzow)

(KDLM) – Detroit Lakes alum Brady Labine and the St. John’s University 4x100m relay team is set to compete at this weekend’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Labine, a 2017 graduate of DLHS, is competing in his third DIII Championships, having won the national title in 2019.

In 2018, Labine and fellow senior Ryan Miller were freshmen on the Johnnies’ 4×100 team that placed 12th at nationals. The following year, they won the DIII Championship with a time of 40.92. Miller, who took the baton in fifth place but surged into the lead down the stretch, won the race by 0.05.

COVID-19 canceled the 2020 Track and Field Championships, but the current team of Labine, Miller, Jack Young, and Kevin Arthur finished fourth overall at nationals the following season.

Two weeks ago, Labine/Miller/Young/Arthur broke the SJU school record in the 4x100m relay with a time of 40.65 at the qualifier for nationals in La Crosse, breaking a record previously held by the national champion relay team of Miller/Labine/Nick Gannon/Drew Schoenbauer. The 40.65 time was the sixth-fastest in NCAA DIII competition this season.

Prelims in the 4×100 relay is scheduled for tonight (May 26) with the finals set for this Saturday afternoon. The meet is being held at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio – the same track on which the Labine and the Johnnies 4×100 team won the national title three years ago.

“Honestly, I’m really excited to be back at SPIRE,” Labine told SJU writer Frank Rajkowski. “There’s something magical about that place for me now. We’re excited to go back there. This isn’t Ryan or my first rodeo. We’ve been to nationals four times now. So there’s a real sense of comfort we have.”

You can find results from the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships here.