Class AA News and Notes

Joe Klecker said at the Hamline Elite Meet that he was aiming for a time in the 1600 around 4:06.  He didn't get it that day, but he did on Saturday.when he essentially kicked it in from a half mile out.  Farmington's Justin Hyytinen was able to hang on for the first 60 second 400, but not the next one.

What's next for Klecker?  The Brooks PR Invitational on June 20, he said.  After that he'll probably back off and start training for his first collegiate cross country season at Colorado.

Joe Klecker(1) and Justin Hyytinen(9)
Photo by Gene Niemi

@JoeKleckerxc record run in the @MSHSL 1600m yesterday. @TrackTownMN @hopkinscc @HopkinsRoyals @HopkinsHigh270 https://t.co/zrTIiUt2yH

— jarrin (@coachjw) June 7, 2015

                                                                  

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North's Akeem Sirleaf had a simple race plan for the AA 200 meter dash.  Run the curve hard, be ahead when you hit the home straight. He executed the plan to edge Armstrong's Evan McClellon by three hundreths of a second.  

He did a few interviews then headed over to the plastic bins to get his sweats.  Stitched on one arm in white thread was "Baby Bolt."
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The Class AA girl's champions wore yellow T-Shirts with the following advice in white lettering:

Don't Come to Play

Come to Compete

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Last year it was the Cretin-Derham Hall duo of Brieasha Hunter and Megan Linder who ruled the sprints.  Linder graduated and Hunter only ran the 100(4th) and 400(5th) this year. In their place was the new Minnesota's fastest female, Chanhassen's Jedah Caldwell who won both the 100 and 200.  Her biggest opponent was the headwind.

"The wind was just a killer," Caldwell said, "I just pushed through it."  A junior this year, Caldwell is hoping for a college scholarship, preferably in a Southern state, someplace warm.  Her pursuit in college, aside from sprinting, is to either get her degree and go on to be a coach or a veterinarian.  She wants to stay involved with track.  Do track programs for kids
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Luonna Burns, mother of Shaina Burns, who is going to Texas A&M and keeps teasing her parents about the warm weather down South.  She made the A&M All-Time list for multi eventers, Luonna said.  But trying some new training techniques injured her ankle, which shortened her season.  So, this summer Shaina hopes to make another US team.  She made her first last year and enjoyed the experience so much that she hopes to do it again this year, her mother said.
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Wayzata's Ruby Stauber shattered Heather Kampf's Class AA State Meet mark(2:10.42) and Jeanne Krukeberg's All-Time mark(2:08:77) by running 2:06.50.  One hint at where her speed came from is the fact that Stauber, a junior, finished third in the 400  at the 2014 MSHSL Outdoor track championships in 56.75.

Ruby Stauber. Photo by Gene Niemi