Minnesota Preps Shine in National Meets

With MSHSL State Meet successes still echoing in their memories, some of Minnesota's top high school athletes were in action over the weekend at the a pair of national championships for high school and junior-aged athletes.

USA Juniors ... Headlining the USA Junior Championships in Bloomington, Indiana, St. Francis' Maggie Ewen finished 3rd in the discus throw with a mark of 171-0.  She followed up the podium-worthy performance with a 5th-place finish in the shot put, throwing 46-9 1/2.

Also in the throwing circle at the meet was Andover's Tom Anderson.  He finished 5th it he shot put, marking 61-9.  Anderson was scheduled to compete in the discus throw, but results of that event, inexplicably, are not yet posted.

Also competing at the meet were Eric Gebeke of White Bear Lake, 6th in his heat of the 800m in 1:53.38; Austin Salargo of Hopkins, 6th in his heat of the 400m in 49.00; and Roseville's Samantha Nielsen, 5th in her 800m heat in 2:12.11.

Find USA Junior results HERE.

New Balance Nationals ... This season's wholesale revisions to the state's girls' all-time 3200-meter/2-mile list continued at New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina where Blake's Clare Flanagan clocked a 10:20.75 2-mile -- the equivalent of a 10:17.17 3200m -- to finish 5th in the event.

The mark ranks Flanagan, only a sophomore, as the third-fastest prep two-miler in Minnesota history.  (See the rewritten top-10 list below.)  Also competing in the New Balance two mile were Maria Hauger of Shakopee, 8th in 10:28.40, and Eagan's Danielle Anderson, 15th in 10:41.00.

In the 5000m, Anderson finished runner-up in 16:43.65, while Hauger as 4th in 16:53.07.

Other Minnesota's competing at the meet included Lakeville South's Shaina Burns, 3rd in the heptathlon with 4706 points and 4th in the 400m hurdles in 1:03.47; Rochester Mayo's Riley Macon, 15th in the mile run at 4:20.92, and Brandon Clark of Blake, 4th in the 5000m in 14:44.32.

Find complete meet results HERE.

All-Time Minnesota Girls' 3200m List:

(List based on work by Kevin Moorhead.)

10:06.98  Bria Wetsch, Holy Family 2006
10:12.09  Elizabeth Yetzer, Lakeville North 2006
10:17.17  Clare Flanagan, Blake 2012
10:24.57  Jamie Piepenburg, Alexandria 2012 

10:24.78  Maria Hauger, Shakopee 2012
10:26.61  Shannon Bergstedt, Hopkins 2004
10:27.80  Lisa Dyer, Moorhead 2001
10:29.75  Joanna Deeter, Eden Prairie 1996
10:29.94  Lisa Waanen, Maple Grove 2003
10:30.28  Carrie Tollefson, Lac Qui Parle 1994