Ali in the 3200; Valli in the Pole Vault Put in Record Performances, Ewen Wins Fourth Discus Title, Hauger a Third Title in the 3200 in MSHSL Morning Session

The lead pack nearing the mile and a quarter mark of the Class AA 3200.
From L to R: Eric Colvin, Wayde Hall, Eli Krahn, Obsa Ali, Joey Duerr,
Will Burke,  Jacob McDermott, Connor Olson, Zach Benning. Photo by
Jim Ferstle

Richfield High junior Obsa Ali led three runners under nine minutes to capture his first State title in 8:57.07.  Ali, runner up Eli Krahn(a Stillwater High freshman/8:58.67), and third place finisher Joey Duerr(a Chaska High sophomore/8:59.03) all broke Rochester Lourdes and University of Minnesota Gopher Mike Torchia's 2006 All Time State record in the event of 8:59.19.  Shakopee senior Maria Hauger won her third straight girls 3200 title in 10:26.39.

The two races unfolded differently as Hauger took the lead on the first lap and ran a 5:07 first mile to open up a three second gap on eventual runner-up Danielle Anderson, also a senior,of Eagan.  That lead grew to nearly ten seconds at the finish as both Anderson(10:35.53) and Hauger slowed over the final mile, while Bemidji's Jenna Truedson ran a more even race gradually picking off runners in front of her to finish third in 10:40.57.

Hauger won despite an injured pelvis that was bruised during her conference meet when she hit a hurdle and fell while doing a backwards running exercise prior to a relay event she was supposed to run.  The bone and muscle bruise was so bad that she didn't know whether or not she would be able to compete in the Sectional Meet last week.

Despite, or perhaps to some degree because of, the lack of "on land" training  (Hauger ran on an anti-gravity treadmill and did pool running instead), she felt "really good" the first mile, but probably "ran too fast."  So did many of the others who tried to stay with her, and she was able to cruise to victory.

The boys race was anything but a cruise, as Stillwater senior Eric Colvin took it out from the gun, going 65 seconds for the first lap and 4:28 for the first mile.  The strategy, said teammate and fellow University of Minnesota recruit Wayde Hall, the 2012 high school XC champ, was to go hard from the beginning, but in the boys field, which was loaded with talent, instead of allowing the Stillwater trio to break away, it created a fast moving train for the pack of nine that stayed together until about a half mile to go.

Wayzata's Connor Olson, a sophomore, then rushed to the front of the pack and broke it up.  Duerr, who won the Hamline Elite Meet 3200 on the same track in April, hit the front on the bell lap and held it until the final straight.  Ali, who had been second or near to it the whole race, as per his coach Marty Huberty's pre-race instructions, began his kick with 200 to go.  Noticing that Duerr looked over his shoulder, Ali read the gesture as a sign of fatigue and kicked it into high gear, using his 51 second 400 speed to accelerate into the straightaway.

Halfway to the finish, he realized nobody was going to catch him and Ali began celebrating his victory.  "I was second last year," he said after the race.  "I wasn't going to be second this time."

Buffalo senior Mitchell Valli wasn't satisfied either.  Locked in a battle with Stillwater senior Connor O'Neill, Valli left O'Neill behind after both had cleared 15'.  Then Valli broke Anoka's Tim Koupal's 1997 All Time record of 15'7" by clearing 15'7.5".  He then made three attempts at clearing 16'1", but couldn't make it.  Another senior, Maggie Ewen of St. Francis, ran into a similar barrier as she tried to break her own record in the discus.  She had two throws over 160', but had to settle for a fourth straight title in the event, at 167'1", 4'8" short of the mark she set last year.

More later....Full results by event are HERE.