Entering only its 5th year, the Hamline Elite Meet has already created an album full of memories for the athletes, coaches, parents, and fans who have witnessed this unique track and field event. On the nine-lane Klas Field track and on the fields in and around the red oval, Minnesota’s top high school tracksters have waged homestretch battles, set records, and confirmed their status as “elite.”
Tonight, another annual crop of Minnesota’s best is sure to etch new athletic memories for themselves and for anyone fortunate enough to witness their exploits. With talent, perseverance, and a dash of good fortune, we’ll witness feats tonight like those that stay with us from previous Hamline Elite Meets.
Like, the double victory Alicia Rue earned in the inaugural 2006 Elite Meet. The Robbinsdale Armstrong Falcon became the meet’s first double winner, winning the 100-meter hurdles and setting the current meet record in the pole vault at 12-3.
And who can forget Mike Torchia and his win in the 2006 Elite Meet 3200m? The Rochester Lourdes star ran a solo 8:59.19, a mark that remains the meet record despite challenges to it by the strongest crop of high school runners in state history over the years that followed.
Fans at the 2007 meet saw Forest Lake’s Kristie Buerkle establish meet records in the 200m (24.96) and 400m (57.37). In boys’ action, Irondale’s Andy Richardson established himself as an Elite Meet fan favorite winning the first of two consecutive 1600m crowns with his patented kamikaze start and furious finish.
Despite the rain at the 2008 meet, Wayzata’s Jordan Helgren, Minnesota’s most decorated female triple-jumper, won her signature event in a meet record 37-11 ¾. Likewise, Kasson-Mantorville’s Micah Hegerle found enough footing in the discus circle to mark a meet record 179-11.
Last year on a chilly April night, fans left Klas Field buzzing about Buffalo’s Zach Mellon and his “double triple” – Mellon won an unprecedented third straight Elite Meet 800m crown and was a triple winner at the meet, anchoring the Bison’s champion 4x 400 and 4 x 800 meter relay teams. In the field, Blaine’s Nicole Murphey, who will compete in her final Elite Meet tonight, defended her long jump title with a record-setting leap of 18-1 ¾.
Murphey is likely to feature in one of the more compelling stories of tonight’s Elite Meet. She’ll face Analisa Huschle of Bagley/Fosston in her attempt to win an unprecedented third-straight long jump crown. Huschle should provide quite a challenge; she set the Minnesota all-time record in the event with her State Class A winning 19-2 ¼ jump as a sophomore last spring. In addition to the long jump, where she’s seeded ahead of Murphey by one narrow inch, Huschle will also seek Elite Meet titles in the triple jump and the 200m.
Other girls’ events to pay close attention to tonight include the shot put and discus, where Red Wing’s Kim Hovey will try to be the meet’s first girls’ throws double-winner. She’s the #1-seed in the shot put, where she’s the defending Class AA state champ, and the #2-seed in the discus. In the 400m, sophomore sensation Erica Dombro of Highland Park, the Class AA State champ last year, will no doubt eye Buerkle’s record while she battles a field that includes five girls who made the Class AA podium in 2009.
The girls' pole vault is the venue for a heartwarming story: Alex Miller of Mankato East was the top seed in the event last year, but broke her foot during the competition. After being unable to walk until July, Miller is back tonight, hoping for a top-three finish.
On the boys side, Macauley Spandl, the defending Elite Meet pole vault champion, headlines the show. One week ago tonight, Spandl established himself as Minnesota’s top prep pole vaulter of all-time with his record-breaking 15-8 clearance.
Other boys' stars to watch include Red Wing’s Luke Johnson, the #1-seed in both the shot and discus, Jerome Begin, the #1-seed in both boys' hurdle events, and Benilde-St. Margaret’s high jumper Trevor Yedoni, the top seed at 6-10.
But, expect surprises! In competition like the Hamline Elite Meet, it’s impossible to predict who might emerge unexpectedly victorious. Perhaps some unheralded athlete will make the Elite Meet stage his or her own, and add to the history of the meet in one smashing effort.
And, etch new memories into the annals of this unique athletic event.
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