ST. MICHAEL, MINN (KDLM) – The prelims of the 2023 Class A State Track and Field meet at St. Michael-Albertville High School are in the books. Athletes from twelve area schools competed on Day One of the competition.
Bjorn Anderson (Perham) won the state championship in the 3200m race at 9:22.44. Brady Rach (Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale) finished fourth with a 9:37.91, Noah Huot (Park Rapids) finished sixth with a 9:39.93, and Taylor Johnson (UCB) placed 10:00.24. In the girls 3200m, Jade Rypkema (Nevis) won her seventh-career individual state title with a 10:35.02. Audrey Brownell (Staples-Motley) finished third with a 11:11.26 and Kyanna Burton (Staples-Motley) placed seventh (11:16.93).
Lauren Rustad (Perham) made the finals in both the 100m and 300m hurdles with third-place finishes in both races. Rustad will compete for state championships in both events on Friday afternoon.
In the 110m hurdles race, Pierce Deblieck (Park Rapids) finished 15th overall (16.24), and Joey Molstre (DGF) placed 17th with a time of 16.52. Megan Gular (Pelican Rapids) finished 15th in the 100m dash with a time of 13.05 and 17th in the 200m with a time of 26.75. Anthony Checco de Souza (Pelican Rapids) placed 15th in the 300m hurdles with a time of 42.49.
In the boys 100m dash, Remington Converse (Staples-Motley) made Friday’s finals with a sixth-place finish (11.36). Teammate Austin Weite (Staples-Motley) finished 17th with as 11.59.
The Perham 4x200m girls relay team (Lauryn Rustad, Gracie Morris, Mya Morris, Jaden Hackel) will run in today’s finals after a sixth-place finish and a new Perham 4×200 school record of 1:45.81. The 4x400m relay team (Morris, Morris, Hackel, Cora Grismer) also set a PHS school record with a sixth-place finish and a time of 4:04.56.
The Park Rapids 4×400 team (Natalia Lopez, Morgan Koppelman, Madeline Brandt, Addison Lauwagie) finished third overall with a time of 4:01.45. Frazee (Elsie Ratz, Jayden Sonnenberg, Brynn Larson, Hailey Selly) also made the 4x400m finals with a seventh-place finish and a time of 4:06.55.
The Perham boys 4×200 team (Aiden Kennedy, Noah Thompson, Blake Swenson, Tyrus Coudron) finished sixth with a new school record time of 1:30.83 and will run in today’s finals. The Pelican Rapids boys (Mark Kapenga, Jack Kapenga, Tristan Landberg, Carter Johnson) finished 13th with a 1:32.79. DGF (Brody Friend, Bodey DeVries, Joe Wilson, Jordan Summers) was 15th with a 1:32.88.
The Perham 4×400 team (Isaac Paurus, Blake Swenson, Micah Thompson, Bjorn Anderson) finished second with 3:26.73, and the DGF team (Joey Molstre, Kolton Wagner, Brody Friend, Joe Wilson) placed ninth with a 3:31.47 and will compete in the finals. United Clay Becker (Leif Shervey, Noah Nelson, Bradley Olson, Landon Bakke) was 12th with a 3:32.18, and Pelican Rapids (Carter Johnson, Anthony Checco de Souza, Jack Kapenga, Charlie Larson) was 15th with a 3:34.47.
In the boys 4×100, Staples-Motley (Austin Weite, Avandre Brandt, Hunter Miller, Remington Converse) finished fifth overall with a 43.67. Park Rapids (Jayden Walen, Luke Hartung, Cameron Runyan, Malachi Martin) will also run in today’s finals with an eighth-place finish and a time of 44.03. Perham (Dayton Koetke, Aiden Kennedy, Noah Thompson, Tyrus Coudron) finished 13th with a time of 44.43, and United Clay Becker (John Vetter, Bradley Olson, Derek Tibbetts, Leif Shervey) placed 15th with a time of 45.01.
Amber Collins (Wadena-Deer Creek) qualified for the 400m finals with an eighth-place finish and a time of 59.25. Braeden Bredman (Barnesville) made the finals in the boys 400m race with an eighth-place finish and a time of 51.33.
In the girls 800m Lindsey Rotz (Barnesville, 2:18.55) was fifth, Morgan Koppelman (Park Rapids, 2:19.24) was sixth, and Jada Goeson (New York Mills, 2:20.38) was ninth and will all run in the finals this afternoon.
In the boys 800m, Micah Thompson (Perham, 1:57.44) finished fifth and Charlie Larson (Pelican Rapids, 1:58.06) was eighth and will both compete for a state title this afternoon. Eli Bervig (Park Rapids, 2:00.68) and Ephraim Bervig (Park Rapids, 2:02.33) finished 12th and 13th, respectively.
In yesterday’s field events, Jaden Hackel (Perham) finished seventh in the long jump with a jump of 17-01.25. In the high jump, Ally Hart (OTC, 4-10) was 12th, Brynn Larson (Frazee, 4-10), and Grace Backstrom (Pelican Rapids, 4-10) tied for 15th. In the discus, Alexis Riniker (DGF) finished sixth overall with a throw of 116-04 and Elle Welch (Pelican Rapids) was seventh with a 111-07.
Bradley Olson (UCB) was ninth in the triple jump with a 41-08.25, and Sawyer Ferdon (Staples-Motley) was 16th with a 38-03.00). Joe Wilson (DGF) was fourth in the pole vault with a 13-03, Brady Crabtree (Frazee) was fifth with a 13-00, and Treyvon Benson (Pelican Rapids) was 16th with an 11-00. Luke Hartung (Park Rapids) was state runner-up in the shot put with a throw of 51-11.25, and Justin Jacobson (Pelican Rapids) was 12th with a 47-11.
The Class A Finals and the remaining events are on Friday, June 9th beginning at 3:30.
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