Minnesota Masters Grab a Dozen USA Titles

USATF-Minnesota Masters Track and Field Chairman Tom Langenfeld filed the following report on the exploits of the Minnesota contingent at last weekend's USA Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, California:

Minnesotans masters returned from the USATF national masters championships in Sacramento (July 22-25) with 12 individual championships, two world age-group records, three American records and at least 14 new Minnesota state records.

In addition to his pentathlon world record [reported earlier HERE], Ralph Maxwell [M90, Richville] set a new M90 world record for the 80m hurdles of 21.74, breaking the listed record of 22.76 set nine years ago by a Japanese hurdler. (As far as could be determined, Maxwell is the first American 90-year-old to attempt this event.)

Maxwell also had unopposed wins in the high jump (1.06m/3-3.75), long jump (3.01m/9-10.5) and triple jump (5.91m/19-9.75). He was forced to scratch from 100m because it came during his attempts to break the world M90 high jump record. (He came close.) His 200m time of 42.69 in the pentathlon broke the late James Hammond’s state M90 record of 43.57.

Sherwood Sagedahl [M71, Fairmont] finished among the leaders in all five of the running events he entered, winning the M70 400m (65.37) and finishing second in 800m (2:41.47), third (second American) in the 1500m (5:38.42), fifth in the 200m (30.04) and sixth in the 100m (14.32). He took time away from the track to take third in the M70 javelin (38.42m/126-0). His 100m and 400m times and javelin throw broke Minnesota age group records.

Thom Weddle [M71, Burnsville] took gold medals as the first American finisher behind a Canadian in both the M70 5000m (20:46.75) on Thursday and 10000m (43:36.29) on Saturday. He came back on Sunday to take the bronze in the 1500m as the third American finisher (fourth overall) in another race taken by the same Canadian.

Rick Kleyman [M70, Plymouth], running with an injury, finished fifth overall in the M70 1500m (5:45.17), giving Minnesota three of the top five places and three of the top four American finishers. Kleyman earlier took sixth in the 800m.

One of the more unusual doubles at Sacramento was the race walk-high jump combination attempted by Phil Rogosheske [M65, St. Cloud]. A race-walk specialist in recent years, Rogosheske was a record-setting high jumper at Gustavus Adolphus College more than 40 years ago. He entered both race walks and the high jump at Sacramento, winning the M65 5000m race walk on Friday (31:08.98). He then captured the 10000m road race walk on Sunday in 1:03:02.51 immediately BEFORE making his high jump comeback. He finished seventh in the jump at 1.35m/4-5 – equal to the fifth and sixth place finishers, who had fewer misses.

Michael Burns [M67, Milan] won the M65 300m hurdles in 57.79, improving on his second-place finish at Oshkosh in 2009. He took third in the 100 highs in 30.53.

Tom Langenfeld won the M75 high jump at 1.41m/4-7.5, a new American age group record.

Among the busiest Minnesotans were Tweety Wolf [W54, Watertown] and Kathy Haubrich [W50, Shakopee], both of whom competed for California’s So Cal Track Club. Wolf was second in the W50 400m (67.43), and fourth in both the 200m (30.59) and 1500m (5:33.54). All three performances bettered listed state age-group records.

Haubrich took bronze in the W50 800m in 2:42.77, also a state record, fourth in the 400 m (70.55), fifth in the 200m (32.24) and sixth in the 1500 (5:37.83). Both ran on So Cal’s winning M50-59 4X400 relay team, and on the third-place 4X100 team. Haubrich also ran on So Cal’s gold-medal 4X800 team.

Shawn Regan [M60, Minneapolis] took fifth place in the M60 400m in 62.21, a new Minnesota age-group record. He also finished tenth in both the 800m and 1500m.

Sprinter Paul Montgomery [M64, Woodbury] took eighth in the M60 200m in 29.16 after turning in a 28.41 in the preliminaries. He finished eleventh in the M60 100 at 13.68.

Editor's Note: Langenfeld, in his characteristically modest, 16-word description of his own exploits, didn't mention that his record-setting high jump victory was his 31st career masters high jump title.

Langenfeld tied the M75 American Record with a clearance at 4-7, broke the record with his winning mark of 4-7 1/2, but couldn't better the World M75 record in three attempts at 4-8 3/4.