Monday News and Notes ...

Today's catch-all post is dedicated to DtB's own Chris Marshall. While I was away at the Gustavus Adolphus College Hall of Fame induction of Craig Miller, whom I had the honor of coaching some 15+ years ago, Chris covered the MSHSL State Meet with aplomb.

Here are some items that may have gotten lost in the shuffle amidst all the weekend action ...

Mankato Men Qualify for D2 Nationals ... The #6-ranked Maverick men finished 3rd in the NCAA Division II North Central Regional in Vermillion, South Dakota. The top five teams in each region qualify for nationals. Minnesota Duluth, ranked #25, finished 7th in the meet. Denise Mayoka led Mankato which with a 10th place, 31:04 clocking over the 10,000 meter course. You can find details HERE and full men's results HERE.

In women's competition, UMD was 8th in the meet; Minnesota State Moorhead was 10th.

The Mavs head to Joplin, Missouri this weekend for the national championship.

State Cross Country ... If Chris didn't give you enough content on the State Meet -- or you wish to see one more photo of the meet above and beyond what Gene Niemi shot for DtB -- check out the John Millea's story in the Star-Tribune HERE.

Lehmkuhle's Great Race ... Following up on Team USA Minnesota's Jason Lehmkuhle who finished 5th at the Olympic Marathon Trials on Saturday morning ... there's THIS story -- with a great photo -- from the Star-Tribune.

Lehmkuhle offered the following via a Team USA Minnesota media release:

"This was a big breakthrough marathon for me. I was trying to be patient and not make any huge moves early on. I was very conscious of trying to pace myself because of the difficulties I've had in my last couple of marathons. I was worried the whole time but I was really comfortable and felt the best I have ever felt in the last six miles of a marathon.

"I was running with Brian Sell by the third loop. When we came through the hills on the west side which was at about 17 miles, he really dropped the pace down by about 10 seconds a mile and I couldn't maintain that. But there were people coming back to us. I saw Abdi [Abdirahman] drop out and then I passed Dan Browne [who finished sixth] at mile 23. I knew I was in the top five because about every third spectator was giving you a time gap about where you were.

"It was a great race for me with almost a four minute PR. It was the kind of marathon I knew I could run. I just had not put it all together before. Both of my quads were a little tight but I stayed together much better than when I ran the Boston Marathon last spring. The marathon is a very difficult race because it has a sharp learning curve. I had to learn to be careful of reaching a redline point and not crossing it. You have to got to stay within yourself.

"I wouldn't be up here if I wasn't with Team Minnesota. My coach and my teammates have provided me with a great deal of support. It has certainly been valuable to me to be with one of the training groups in this country."

The Shay Tragedy ... As was everyone, I was shocked when I heard the news of Ryan Shay's death at the Olympic Trails. I had gotten to know him a bit over the years through my reporting. He'd competed at Twin Cities Marathon events the last two year - finishing 3rd in the marathon in 2006 and competing in the USA 10 Mile Championship last month.

I wrote THIS profile of Shay for Running USA back in 2003 after he won the USA Marathon Championship in Birmingham, Alabama. I also conducted THIS interview with him prior to the 2004 Olympic Trails.

In the profile, there's a now-poignant quote from Shay about a favorite book, Jean-Paul Satre's Nausea. Describing a character struggling with the meaning of life, Shay said:

"He finally finds out what his purpose in life is and the sickness goes away. It's about someone finding what they want to do and doing it - and it makes your life that much better."