MSHSL Outdoor Track Championships Begin at 9 AM on Friday at Hamline

The MSHSL Track Championsips start off bright(maybe) and early(for some) with the Class AA girls 3200 at 9 AM on Hamline's track Friday.  Shakopee's Maria Hauger will try and be one of twenty-two individual champions do defend her title in the Class AA race.  Ten relay teams that won gold medals in 2012 will also attempt to win back-to-back championships.

Class AA prelims and a few finals go from 9 AM to nearly 1 PM, there is a break and then the track is turned over to the Class A athletes at 3:30 PM, which could be delayed if the AA competition takes longer than planned or is interrupted by the weather.  The same schedule, but with the finals in all the remaining events, will apply on Saturday. 

Class AA Girls Highlights 
The Class AA girls field is well represented with previous title holders. Defending champions in eight individual events and representatives from three gold medal-winning relay teams will be competing. Senior Taylor Anderson of Hopkins, who set the All-Time State Meet record of 11.71 last year, returns to defend her title in the 100-meter dash. Wensia Johnson, a ninth-grader from Alexandria, has the fastest qualifying time of 12.03. 

Junior Megan Linder of Cretin-Derham Hall of St. Paul returns in search of more gold as she has qualified in all three sprints and is the defending champion in the 400 and has  this year’s best qualifying time of 56.46. (Note qualifying times were taken from Sectional competition and may not be the fastest each athlete or relay team has run this year.)

Titles in the 1600 and 3200 have belonged to Shakopee senior Maria Hauger, who won both last year.  Hauger was second in her sectional meet to teammate Tess Misgen.   Misgen has the fastest time, 4:57.47, this year that she ran to win the Missota Conference 1600.  St. Michael Albertville sophomore Rachel King qualified with the best time of  the Class AA girls' sectionals of 5:03.71. Eagan senior Danielle Anderson qualified with the fastest sectional time of 10:46.76 in the 3200. Both Hauger and Anderson ran faster at the Hamline Elite meet in April--Hauger running 10:24.32 and Anderson 10:24.57.

Meleah Biermaier, a ninth-grader from Thief River Falls, returns to defend her title in the 300 meter hurdles with the fastest qualifying time of 43.71. Eden Prairie senior Taylor Johnson qualified to defend her triple jump title, but was more than two feet off the best qualifying jump of 38-09.25, which belongs to Minnetonka junior Mia Barron. 

Maggie Ewen, a senior at St. Francis, is the final returning individual Class AA champion. She is looking for her fourth consecutive discus title and her third consecutive shot put title. Ewen set the All-Time State Meet 
record of 171'9" in the discus last year, and she owns the best qualifying distance of 158'7" this year. Her qualifying put of 47'2" is also the best in the shot put. 

The Hopkins Royals are looking for their third consecutive title in the 4x100-meter relay. Last year’s team of Judaisha Roach-Jackson, Taylor Anderson, Dami Manuel-Moore and Elise Anderson set a new All-Time State Meet record of 47.73. The Royals enter this year’s meet with the best qualifying time of 48.58. The defending champion Minnetonka Skippers return a relay team to both the 4x400- and 4x800-meter events. The Skippers also own the fastest qualifying time in each event -- 3:57.08 in the 4x400 
and 9:22.39 in the 4x800. 

Class AA Boys Highlights 
Only two relays and one individual qualified to defend their 2012 titles.  Senior Nathan Roese of East Ridge of Woodbury will defend his 400 title. Junior Michael Smith of Wayzata has the fastest qualifying time of 48.52. The 4x200-meter relay team from North of North St. Paul is looking to defend its 2012 title. Last 
year’s squad of Andy Giovinazzo, Quentin Mann, Akeem Sirleaf and Travis Griffin set a new All-Time 
State Meet record of 1:27.23. Wayzata owns this year’s best qualifying time of 1:26.96. Wayzata returns in search of a second consecutive gold medal in the 4x400-meter relay, but East Ridge boasts the fastest qualifying time of 3:20.74. 

 Class A Girls Highlights 
 Champions return in eight individual events and all four relays. Clare Flanagan, a junior at The Blake School of Minneapolis, is looking for her second consecutive title in both the 1600- and 3200-meter runs. She also has the fastest qualifying time in both: 4:50.54 in the 1600 and 10:38.74 in the 3200.  Sommer Haugrud, a Pelican Rapids senior, will defend her 200-meter title. Senior Kaija Crowe of Milaca owns the fastest qualifying time of 26.04. 

Senior Katie Shepardson of La Crescent returns in search of more gold in the 800. Cannon Falls junior Emi Trost owns the best qualifying time of 2:13.47. In the 100-meter hurdles, Staples-Motley junior Jaelin Beachy will race for a second consecutive title. Carolyn Nye, a sophomore at The Blake School, has the best qualifying time of 15.42. Nye, completing a unique double, returns to defend her own title in the pole vault. She set a new Class A record of 11'7" at the 2012 state meet and qualified with the best vault of 11'8"   this year. 

Junior Carlie Wagner of New Richland-H-E-G returns for a second shot at the high jump title. She will face competition from Caledonia/Spring Grove senior Emma Lange who qualified with the best jump of 5'4". Junior Danielle Wubben of Central Minnesota Christian of Prinsburg is the final returning Class A girls champion. She is seeking her second consecutive title in the long jump. Junior Jada Carr of RussellTyler-Ruthton holds the best qualifying mark of 17'8.5". 

 The Osakis Silverstreaks return to defend their titles in both the 4x200- and 4x400-meter relay 
races. Chatfield has the best qualifying time of 1:46.32 in the 4x200 and Blue Earth Area owns the 
fastest qualifying time of 4:00.32 in the 4x400. Osakis is also angling to upset the defending champions 
from Byron in the 4x100 race. The Silverstreaks enter with the best qualifying time of 50.55. 
 Watertown-Mayer is the final returning relay team. The Royals are looking for their second 
consecutive title in the 4x800 and come in with the fastest qualifying time of 9:44.97. 

 Class A Boys Highlights 
 Five individuals and representatives of one relay team are returning to defend titles. Michael Whitney, a senior at Breckenridge/Campbell-Tintah, returns to defend his titles in both the 100 and 200. Sophomore CJ Moise Damey of Prairie Seeds Academy of Brooklyn Park has the fastest qualifying time of 10.97 in the 100, and junior Tyler Beehler of Foley owns the best qualifying time of 22.19 in the 200. 

Junior Jason Montonye of Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley is looking for his second consecutive title in the 800, and senior Charlie Lawrence of Foley is searching for more gold in the 3200. Neither owns the best qualifying time in their respective event.  Waseca sophomore Shane Streich qualified in the 800 at 1:57.58 and Rochester Lourdes junior Mike Torchia qualified in the 3200 at 9:38.23. 

Senior Grant Krieger of The Blake School and senior Steffan Stroh of Ottertail Central are the final returning Class A boys' individual title holders. Krieger is looking for his second consecutive title in the pole vault while Stroh is in the hunt for his second consecutive crown in the discus. Tyler Tappe, a junior at Pequot Lakes, has the highest qualifying vault of 15'3". Senior Dustin Gill of LeSueur-Henderson has the best qualifying throw of 160'1" in the discus. 

Madelia/Truman’s 4x800-meter relay team is seeking to defend its title. Their qualifying time of 8:15.24 
is more than nine seconds slower than the top qualifying time of 8:06.08 of Cotter of Winona. 

Track Events to be Streamed Live  by GrandStadium.tv. The webcast can be viewed free. Find the link at www.Prep45.com. Field events will also be taped and highlights will be available for on demand viewing within a week of the completion of the meet.