State Meet Photo Gallery -- By Gene Niemi

Benilde-St. Margaret's senior Trevor Yedoni soared to Class AA high jump and long jump victories.

Glen Ellingson of Moorhead (center) dove to a surprise Class AA 3200m victory over Aldis Inde of Edina (l) and Adam Zutz of St. Francis (r).

Eden Prairie's Michael Sandle, the state's top triple jumper of all time, defended his Class AA title in the event.

Albert Lea's Christina Monson (r) outkicked 3200m champ Jamie Piepenburg of Alexandria (4), Rebecca Dyson of Roseville (2), and Mara Olson of St. Louis Park (6) for the Class AA 1600m crown.

Blaine's Ayuk Tambe won the Class AA 100m.

St. Francis' Maggie Ewen, the state's top girls' discus thrower ever, won the Class AA discus and shot.

Mounds Park Academy's Mason Ferlic (1) grabbed Class A 1600m and 3200m titles.

Alexandria's Rosey Erickson took the Class AA long jump title.

St. Paul Humboldt's Calvin Clark (4) won the Class A 100m, 200m, and 400m.

Stillwater set a new All-Time State Meet record and sealed the Class AA team title with a 3:16.69 4 x 400m victory.

Photos by Gene Niemi.

MSHSL State Meet: Live Class AA Coverage

That concludes today's on-site coverage of the Class AA session of the MSHSL State Meet. Thanks for joining us!

Complete Class AA results are posted HERE (boys) and HERE (girls).

Saturday's Class A session results will be posted HERE (boys) and HERE (girls) later this evening.

Complied Saturday, Class AA coverage ...

Final Girls' Team Scores ... 1. Hopkins 84 points, 2. Alexandria 48, 3. Apple Valley 35

Girls' Pole Vault Results ... 1. Nicole Naatjes (Lakeville North) 11-9, 2. Alex Miller (Mankato East) 11-9, 3. Alex Stych (Mouns View) 11-6

Latest ... Still waiting for official girls' pole vault results and then girls' team scores ... BTW, we're down to just four donuts in the press room.

Final Boys' Team Scores ... 1. Stillwater 47 points, 2. Wayzata 43, 3. Park and Eden Prairie 42

Boys' 4 x 400m Results ... 1. Stillwater 3:16.69 (New Class AA and All-Time State Meet Record), 2. Wayzata 3;19.46, 3. Buffalo 3;19.75 ... old record was Stillwater's 3:17.39 from 1997

Donuts Remaining in Media Center ... Nine, all powered sugar.

Attendance ... Friday Class AA: 2863, Class A 2105; Saturday Class AA: 3240, Class A ???

Latest ... Results are delayed due to MSHSL server crash.

Latest ... We're still waiting for boys' 4 x 400m results ... and the girls are still pole vaulting!

Girls' 4 x 400m Relay Results ... 1. Hopkins 3:51.26 (a new Class AA and State All-Time Record), 2. Rosemount 3:52.34, 3. Prior Lake 3:52.82 ... the record breaks Hopkins mark of 3:51.28 last year.

Boys' 4 x 400m Relay Update ... Stillwater wins in what looks like a new record!

Girls' 4 x 400m Relay Update ... Hopkins wins ... in a new record!

Girls' Triple Jump Results ... 1. Piper Jensen (Minnetonka) 37-9, 2. Tatyana pashibin (Mpls Southwest) 37-8 1/4, 3. Alexandria Erickson (Eastview) 37-6

Boys' Long Jump Results ... 1. Trevor Yedoni (Benilde-SM) 23-0, 2. Frank Veldman (Eastview) 22-11 1/4, 3. Rumeal Harris (Eden Prairie) 22-5 3/4

Girls' 200m Results ... 1. Sasha Davis (Park Center) 24.73, 2. Taylor Browning (Apple Valley) 25.22, 3. Anuli Okonkwo (Osseo) 25.45

Girls' Team Score Update ... With two events to run: 1. Hopkins 72, 2. Alexandria 48, 3. Apple Valley 32

Boys 200m Update ... Anthony Gustafson of Faribault wins!

Boys' 800m Results ... 1. Eric Gebeke (WBL) 1:53.39, 2. Adam Moline (Wayzata) 1:53.56, 3. David Platner (Eden Prairie) 1:54.00

Girls' 200m Update ... Sasha Davis of Park Center defends her title!

Girls' 800m Results ... 1. Haylie Zenner (Fergus Falls) 2:12.56, 2. Samantha Nielsen (Roseville) 2:13.12, 3. Hannah Borowsky (Hopkins) 2;14.02

Girls' Shot Put Results ... 1. Maggie Ewen (St. Francis) 44-7 1/4, 2. Sydnie Mauch (Brainerd) 41-6 3/4, 3. Adrianna Nora (Stillwater) 39-11 3/4

Boys' Discus Results ... 1. Luke Johnson (Red Wing) 175-2, 2. Thomas Anderson (Andover) 173-5, 3. Devin Sowers (Delano) 173-4

Boys' 300m Results ... 1. R. J. Alowonle (Park) 37.32, 2. Jerome Begin (Buffalo) 37.79, 3. Connor Neal (Shakopee) 38.58

Curious about the results of an athlete or relay team not listed in the top-3? E-mail me (cmahler22 AT yahoo DOT com) and I'll respond with the info, if time permits.)

Boys 800m Update ... Eric Gebeke of White Bear Lake wins!

Girls' 800m Update ... Haylie Zenner of Fergus Falls, the 2009 champ and 2010 runner-up, wins!

Girls' 300m Hurdle Results ... 1. Mariah Witt (Hopkins) 44.34, 2. Emma russ (Simley) 44.77, 3. Alyssa Parco (Farmington) 44.81

Boys' 300m Hurdles ... R. J. Alownle defends his title and completes the 2011 hurdle double!

Boys High Jump Results ... 1. Trevor Yedoni (Benilde-SM) 6-10 (defending his 2010 title), 2. Frank Veldman (Eastview) 6-7, 3. Jamie Crum (Minnetonka) 6-6

Girls' 300m Hurdle Update ... Mariah Witt of Hopkins wins!

Boys' 400m Results ... 1. Austin Salargo (Hopkins) 48.56, 2. Nate Roese 49.07 (East Ridge), 3. Beau Bofferding (Marshall) 49.58

Girls' 400m Results ... 1. Paige Stratioti (Duluth Central) 54.77, 2. Bridget Sweeney (Hopkins) 55.19, 3. Alex Citrowske (Prior Lake) 56.27

Boys' 400m Update ... Austin Salargo of Hopkins wins!

Girls' 400m Update ... Paige Stratioti of Duluth Central wins!

Girls' 4 x 100m Relay Results ... 1. Apple Valley 48.10, 2. Osseo 48.16, 3. Eastview 48.43


Boys 4 x 100m Relay Update ... Apple Valley boys win too!

Girls' Team Score Update ... After 10 events: 1. Alexandria 38, 2 Hopkins 36, 3. St. Francis 24

Girls' 4 x 100m Relay Update ... Apple Valley wins!

Boys' 1600m Results ... 1. Christian Skaret (Minnetonka) 4:16.72, 2. Steven Dado (Totino Grace) 4:17.57, 3. Bryant Blahnik (Red Wing) 4:18.98

Girls' 1600m Results ... 1. Christina Monson (Albert Lea) 4:59.29, 2. Jamie Piepenburg (Alexandria) 4:59.51, 3. Rebecca Dyson (Roseville) 4:59.88

Boys' 1600m Update ... Bryant Blahnik of Red Wing leads at 400m ... @800m it's still Blahnik at 2:11 ... Minnetonka's Christian Skaret leads at the bell ... Christian Skaret of Minnetonka wins!

Girls 1600m Update ... Kaytlyn Larson of Lakeville South is off the front in 71 seconds at 400m ... @800m still Larson at 2:31, but the field has caught her ... @1200 Hauger of Shakopee leads a large pack ... Christina Monson of Albert Lea wins with a strong kick!

Curious about the results of an athlete or relay team not listed in the top-3? E-mail me (cmahler22 AT yahoo DOT com) and I'll respond with the info, if time permits.)

Boys' 4 x 200m Relay Results ... 1. White Bear Lake 1:28.29, 2. Mpls North 1:28.54, 3. Hopkins 1:28.54

Girls' 4 x 200m Relay Results ... 1. Hopkins 1:40.25 (A new Class AA and State Meet All-Time Record), 2. Osseo 1:41.71, 3. Armstrong 1:42.43 ... Hopkins' mark broke the record of 1:40.62 the Hopkins team set last year.

Boys' 4 x 200m Relay Update ... White Bear Lake defends its relay title!

Girls' 4 x 200m Relay Update ... Hopkins wins big!

Boys' 100m Results ... 1. Ayuk Tambe (Blaine) 11.17, 2. Anthony Gustafson (Faribault) 11.21, 3. cory Lushanko (Chisago Lakes) 11.22

Girls' 100m Results ... 1. Sasha Davis (Park Center) 12.31, 2. Taylor Anderson (Hopkins) 12.37, 3. Taylor Browning (Apple Valley) 12.45

Boys 100m Update ... Ayuk Tambe of Blaine wins!

Girls' 100m Update ... Sasha Davis of Park Center defends her title!

Boys 110m Hurdle Results ... 1. R. J. Alowonle (Park) 14.46, 2. Marshall Davis (Stillwater) 14.61, 3. Jerome Begin (Buffalo) 14.72

Boys' 110m Hurdle Update ... R. J Alowonle of Park wins!

Girls' 100m Hurdle Results ... 1. Jessica January (Richfield) 14.78, 2. Nadia Lorencz (Farmington) 15.26, 3. Michelle-Noella Ndely (Champlin Park) 15.60

Girls' 100m Hurdle Update ... sophomore Jessica January of Richfield repeats as champion!

Boys' 4 x 800m Relay Results ... 1. Bemidji 7:49.15, 2. Wayzata 7:50.64, 3. Rosemount 7:50.99

Girls' 4 x 800m Relay Results ... 1. Rochester Century 9:12.91, 2. Hopkins 9:14.14, 3. Eden Prairie 9:14.17

Boys' 4 x 800, Relay Update ... Forest Lake leads Buffalo at the first exchange ... Rosemount leads at the second exchange ... Rosemount leads Bemidji at the final hand-off ... Rosemount of Bemidji and Wayzata at the bell ... Bemidji wins!

Girls' 4 x 800m Relay Update ... Brainerd leads at the first exchange ... Mounds View leads Eden Prairie at the second exchange ... Rochester Century, Mounds View, and EP make the final exchange together ... With a lap to go it's MV, Century, Hopkins, and EP ... Rochester Century wins!

Find today's meet schedule HERE.

Girls' 4 x 800m runners are on the track!

The national anthem has just been played, so the action is about to start!

While we're waiting, HERE's the Star-Tribune's coverage of yesterday's action ... and HERE's Bruce Brother's Pioneer Press piece from Friday.

We're back for the second day of our live coverage of the MSHSL Class AA State Meet at Hamline University's Klas Field.

The weather forecast is for partly cloudy skies and temperatures topping out around 70 degrees. Winds are light and expected to stay below 10 mph. As we did yesterday, we'll post updates as track winners cross the finish line and official results from this morning's Class AA session as soon as we have them. We'll post the latest updates and results at the top of this post and collect prior happenings beneath. To stay abreast of the action, just refresh your browser regularly.

Before action starts at 9:00 a.m., we'd like to thank our presenting sponsors TC Running Company and USA Track & Field Minnesota. Their generous support of DtB helps us pay the rights fee the MSHSL charges us to cover the meet live. We also thank our advertisers for their support of our efforts.

MSHSL State Meet: Live Class AA Coverage

That concludes today's live coverage of the Class AA preliminary session of the MSHSL State Meet. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more live coverage of the Class AA action ... starting at 9:00 a.m.

Find complete Friday Class AA results HERE (boys) and HERE (girls).


Find complete Friday Class A results HERE (boys) and HERE (girls).

Look for Class A results after 5:00 p.m. this afternoon, also on the the MSHSL site.

Until tomorrow, so long from Klas Field at Hamline University!


Boys' 4 x 400m Relay Results ... Heat 1: 1. Stillwater 3:18.62, 2. Rosemount 3:21.75, 3. Osseo 3:22.62 ... Heat 2: 1. Buffalo 3:20.06, 2. Wayzata 3;20.07, 3. Prior Lake 3:22.88 ... other finalists Alexandria, Shakopee, and Hopkins.

Girls' 4 x 400m Relay Results ... Heat 1: 1. Minnetonka 3:59.00, 2. Rosemount 3:59.43, 3. Farmington 3:59.68 ... Heat 2 1. Prior Lake 3:55.23, 2. Woodbury 3:56.18, 3. Mounds View 3:58.65 ... other finalists Fergus Falls, Roseville, Hopkins.

Boys 200m Results ... Heat 1: 1. Dontay Matthews (St. Francis) 22.15, 2. Anthony Gustafson (Faribault) 22.41, 3. Jordan Crockett (Apple Valley) 22.53 ... Heat 2: 1. Quinton Coleman (Duluth East) 22.49, 2. Cory Lushanko (Chisago Lakes) 22.73, 3. Trey Johnson (Tartan) 22.73 ... other finalists Michael Sandle (Eden Prairie), Connor Lyons (East Ridge), and Miles Phillips (Rosemount).

Girls' 200m Results ... Heat 1: 1. Sasha Davis (park Center) 24.45, . osey Erickson (Alexandria) 25.61, 3. Dani Detloff (Elk River) 25,75 ... Heat 2: 1. Taylor Browning (Apple Valley), 2. Kalesha Taylor (Mayo) 25.50, 3. Anuli Okonkwo (Osseo) 25.64 ... other finalists Paige Stratioti (Duluth Central), Rose Jackson (Willmar), and Dustlynn Kaine (Armstrong).

Boys' 4 x 400m Relay Update ... Stillwater wins Heat 1 ... Buffalo wins Heat 2.

Boys' 800m Results ... Heat 1: 1. Eric Gebeke (WBL) 1:54.93, 2. Alex Schoneberger (Bemidji) 1:54.95, 3. Thomas Linner (Stillwater) 1:55.95 ... Heat 2: 1. Adam Moline (Wayzata) 1:56.03, 2. David Platner (Eden Prairie) 1:56.26, 3. Eric Johnson (Mankato East) 1:57.17 ... other finalists Chandler Dye (Rosemount), Christopher Mergens (Rosemount), and Stephan Bruha (Prior Lake).

Girls' 800m Results ... Heat 1: 1. Stephanie Knight (Orono) 2:15.09, 2. Stephanie Murray (Roch. Century) 2:15.44, 3. Haley Jerabek (Benilde-SM) 2:16.03 ... Heat 2: 1. Hannah Borowsky (Hopkins) 2;12.13, 2. Haylie Zenner (Fergus Falls) 2:12.18, 3. Samantha Nielsen (Roseville) 2;14.33 ... other finalists Jennifer Guibert (Roch. Century), Erica Bestul (Eastview), and Winona Rachel (Shakopee).

Girls' 4 x 400m Update ... Minnetonka wins Heat 1 ... Prior Lake wins Heat 2.

Boys' 300m Hurdle Results ... Heat 1: 1. R. J. Alowonle (Park) 37.93, 2. Emeche Wells (Roseville) 39.25, 3. Alex Wagner (Totino Grace) 39.35 ... Heat 2: 1. Jerome Begin (Buffalo 38.64, 2. Dan Gorghuber (Alexandria) 39.62, 3. Marshall Davis (Stillwater) 39.75 ... other finalists Connor Neal (Shakopee), Cody Walton (Forest Lake), and Antonio Haynie (Spring Lake Park)

Boys' 200m Update ... Dontay Matthews of St. Francis wins Heat 1 ... Quentin Coleman of Duluth East wins Heat 2.

Boys' Pole Vault Results ... 1. Lee Barnes (Lakeville South) 15-0, 2. Kent Esslinger (Mankato East) 14-6, 3. Brendan Johnson (Moorhead) 14-3.

Girls' 300m Hurdle Results ... Heat 1: 1. Emma Russ (Simley) 45.40, 2. Alyssa Parco (Farmington) 45.69, 3. Sophia Salmanpour (Roseville) 46.58 ... Jessica January (Richfield) DQ ... Heat 2: 1. Mariah Witt (Hopkins) 45.82, 2. Hannah Niewald (Fridley), 3. Kadie Savage (Princeton) 46.94 ... other finalists Shaina Burns of Lakeville South, Kirsten Whitney of Spring Lake Park, and Alex Wittinger of Delano.

Girls' 200m Update ... Sasha Davis of Park Center wins Heat 1 ... Taylor Browning 0f Apple Valley wins Heat 2.

Girls' 4 x 200m Revision ... Fergus Falls has been disqualified, moving Willmar into the finals.

Girls' Long Jump Results ... 1. Rosey Erickson (Alexandria) 18-1 3/4, 2. Nadia Lorencz (Farmington) 17-10, 3. Jessica January (Richfield) 17-4 3/4

Boys' Triple Jump Results ... 1. Michael Sandle (Eden Prairie) 49-4, 2. Frank Veldman (Eastview) 45-9 1/4, 3. Evan Gray (Mpls Southwest) 45-7

Boys' 800m Update ... Gebeke of White Bear Lake wins Heat 1 ... Adam Moline of Wayzata wins Heat 2.

It's Official ... Jessica Janaury was disqualified in the 300m hurdles.

Girls' 800m Update ... Stephanie Knight of Orono wins Heat 1 ...

Girls' 400m Results ... Heat 1: 1. Paige Stratioti (Duluth Central) 55.41, 2. Alex Citrowske (Prior Lake) 57.01, 3. Haley Kemper (Prior Lake) 57.61 ... Heat 2: 1. Bridget Sweeney (Hopkins) 57.47, 2. Shade pratt (Rosemount) 58.14, 3. Megan Linder (Cretin-DH) 58.45 ... other finalists Dombro (Highland park), Whitcomb (Shakopee), and Heinze (Moorhead).

Latest ... Jessica January, the defending 300m hurdle champion and apparent Heat 1 winner earlier, was not listed among the finalists ... DQ? ... awaiting printed results.

Boys' 300m Hurdle Update ... R. J. Alowonle of (Park ) wins Heat 1 ... Jerome Begin of Buffalo wins Heat 2.

Girls' Discus Results ... 1. Maggie Ewen (St. Francis) 155-4, 2. Angie Guenther (White Bear Lake) 132-4, 3. Molli Detloff (Elk River) 132-0

Boys' 4 x 100m Relay Results ... 1. Park 42.63, 2. Apple Valley 42.71, 3. Hopkins 43.23 ... Heat 2: 1. East Ridge 42.96, 2. Brainerd 43.06, 3. Mpls Washburn 43.09 ... other finalists St. Francis, Blaine, and Spring Lake Park.

Stay Tuned ... The Richfield coach has just been called to the "Coaches' Rep Tent," usually for notice of a DQ ... of January?

Boys' Triple Jump Update ... Michael Sandle of Eden Prairie wins ...

Girls' 300m Hurdle Update ... Jessica January wins Heat 1, no sign injury after walking gingerly after her 100m hurdle prelim ... Maiah witt of Hopkins wins Heat 2.

Girls' 4 x 100m Relay Results ... Heat 1: 1. Eastview 48.55, 2. Osseo 48.67, 3. Hopkins 49.04 ... Heat 2: 1. Apple Valley 48.64, 2. Andover 48.87, 3. Lakeville North 49.27 ... other finalists Mounds View, Woodbury, and Elk River.

Boys' 400m Update ... Eden Prairie's Rashawn Fountain wins Heat 1 ... Austin Salargo of Hopkins wins Heat 2.

Girls' High Jump Results ... 1. Tatyana Pashibin (Mpls Southwest) 5-7, 2. Morgan Pieri (Lakeville South) 5-7, Hailey smith (Hibbing) 5-5.

Girls' Discus Update ... Maggie Ewen, the longest HS discus thrower all-time in Minnesota, wins ...

Boys' Pole Vault Update ... The bar is at 14-9 with two competitors still alive -- Kent Esslinger of Mankato East and Lee Barnes of Lakeville South ... they're jumping indoors today.

Girls' 400m Update ... Paige Stratioti of Duluth Central wins Heat 1 ... Bridget Sweeney of Hopkins wins Heat 2.

Boys' 4 x 100m Relay Update ... Park wins Heat 1 ... East Ridge wins Heat 2.

Boys' Shot Put Results ... 1. Thomas Anderson (Andover) 62-4 1/2, 2. Luke Johnson (Red Wing) 57-7 1/2, 3. Bryce Johnson (Champlin Park) 55-7 3/4 ...

Boys 4 x 200m Relay Results ... Heat 1: 1. White Bear Lake 1:28.66, 2. Blaine 1:28.81, 3. Apple Valley 1:29.26 ... Heat 2: 1. Hopkins 1:28.50, 2. Mpls North 1:29.19, 3. Stillwater 1:29.30 ... other finalists Totino Grace, Eden Prairie, Wayzata.

Girls' 4 x 100m Relay Update ... Eastview wins Heat 1 ... Apple Valley wins Heat 2.

Girls' 4 x 200m Relay Results ... Heat 1: 1. Osseo 1:42.98, 2. Roseville 1:43.69, 3. Mounds View 1:43.80 ... Heat 2: 1. Hopkins 1:41.74, 2. Armstrong 1:43.09, 3. Mayo 1:44.33 ... other finalists Elk River, Apple Valley, Fergus Falls ... DQ Prior Lake.

Boys' 4 x 200m Relay Update ... White Bear Lake wins Heat 1 ... Hopkins wins Heat 2.

Boys' 100m Results ... Heat 1: 1. Brazell (Apple Valley) 11.26, 2. Matthews (St. Francis) 11.27, 3. Roti (Wayzata) 11.29 ... Heat2: 1. Tambe (Blaine) 11.02, 2. Coleman (Duluth East) 11.08, 3. Farley (Park) 11.20 ... other finalists Gustafson (Faribault), Williams (Washburn), Lushanko (Chisago Lakes).

Girls' 4 x 200m Relay Update ... Osseo wins Heat 1 but there is a yellow flag up ... Hopkins wins Heat 2.

Girls' 100m Results: Heat 1: 1. Davis (Park Center) 12.71, 2. Floyd (Armstrong) 12.73, 3. Beckman (Eastview) 12.78 ... Heat 2: 1. Erickson (Alexandria) 12.59, 2. Browning (Apple Valley) 12.62, 3. Anderson (Hopkins) 12.80 ... other finalists Anyaogo (Lakeville South), Straitioti (Duluth Central), Trentor (Totino Grace).

Boys' 100m Hurdle Finalists ... Davis (Stillwater) 14.73, Alowonle (Park) 14.76, Begin (Buffalo) 14.81, Mafe (Hopkins) 15.35, Wells (Roseville) 15.07, Walters (Brainerd) 15.13, Paarmann (Mankota East) 15.16, Balfanz (Monticello) 15.29, Thell (Mahtomedi) 15.34.

Boys' 100m Update ... Heat 1 is too close to call from the window of the media room ... Ayuk Tambe of Blaine wins Heat 2

Girls' 100m Update ... Defending champ Sasha Davis wins Heat 1 ... Rosey Erickson of Alexandria wins Heat 2 in 12.58, unofficially.

Girls' 100m Hurdle Finalists ... Janaury (Roseville) 15.18, Witt (Hopkins) 15.93, Pratt (Lakeville North) 15.71, Anderson (Becker) 16.00, Lorencz (Farmington) 15.90, Wittinger (Delano) 16.08, Ndely (Champlin Park) 16.09, Gravley (Mankato West) 16.10, Strong (Cretin) 16.11.

Boys' 110m Hurdles Update ... Marshall Davis of Stillwater wins Heat 1 ... Buffalo's Jerome Begin wins Heat 2 ... Emeche Wells of Roseville wins Heat 3.

Boys' 3200m Results ... 1. Glen Ellingson (Moorhead) 9:16.84, 2. Aldis Inde (Edina) 9:16.85, 3. Adam Zutz (St. Francis) 9:17.34

Jessica January appears to be favoring a leg after her 100m hurdle heat ...

Girls' 100m Hurdle Update ... Mariah Witt of Hopkins wins Heat 1 ... defending champ and all-time State Meet record-holder Jessica January of Richfield wins Heat 2.

Girls' 3200m Results ... 1. Jamie Piepenburg (Alexandria) 10:42.46, 2. Maria Hauger (Shakopee) 10:44.91, 3. Christina Monson (Albert Lea) 10:51.03

Boys' 3200m Update ... Moorhead's Glen Ellingson is the victor with 9:16 in a wild three-way kick for the win! Inde the runner-up ... Lusignan 3rd

@2800 ... Lusignan and Edina's Inde at 8:15 ... others close!

@2400 ... Trent Lusignan of Shakopee makes a strong bid in 7:05

@2000 ... Zutz leads in 5:52 ... ten runners close to the lead!

@1600 ... Thorson leads Adam Zutz of St. Francis and a tightening pack in 4:43

@1200 ... Thorson leading Keegan Hurley of Fergus Falls and a strung out field in 3:32

@800m ... Wayzata's Josh Thorson leads in 2:23 ...

Boys 3200m @ 400m ... a large pack goes through in 72 ...

Find the meet schedule HERE.

Find complete heat sheets HERE.

Field events currently underway this morning ... Girls' long jump and high jump, boys' triple jump -- featuring Eden Prairie's Minnesota all-time best jumper Michael Sandle -- shot put and pole vault. The girls' discus commences at 9:45.

Girls' 3200m Update ... Jamie Piepenburg of Alexandria wins in 10:42, unofficially ... Hauger is the runner-up.

@2800 ... Peipenburg leads Hauger, Monson falling off pace ...

@2400 ... Hauger leading Piepenburg and Monson in 8:09

@2000 ... Hauger leading Monson and Piepenburg in 6:45

@ 1600 ... Ditto in 5:21

@1200 ... Still Hauger leading Monson and Piepenburg in 3:57

@800 ... Maria Hauger of Shakopee leads Monson and Jamie Piepenburg of Alexandria in 2:35

@400m ... Christina Monson of Albert Lea leads in 1:13 ...

The girls' 320m is underway ...

They're announcing the girls' 3200m entrants now ...

Welcome to Down the Backstretch's live coverage of today's Class AA session of the MSHSL State Track and Field Championships. It's been drizzling on and off here at Hamline University, but winds are light. Rain is forecast for the bulk of the day, with high temperatures projected at 59 degrees.

We're ensconced in the meet's media center where we expect to identify unofficial track event winners as they cross the finish line and report top results as soon as they are printed and posted. Since we're no longer able to cover the meet from the press box, we're unable to update the progress of races in progress, except in rare circumstances.

We'll post the latest updates and results at the top of this post and collect prior happenings berneath. To stay abreast of the action, just refresh your browser regularly.

Before action starts at 9:00 a.m., we'd like to thank our presenting sponsors TC Running Company and USA Track & Field Minnesota. Their generous support of DtB helps us pay the rights fee the MSHSL charges us to cover the meet live. We also thank our advertisers for their support of our efforts.

Winona State Runner Dies in Kayak Mishap

Winona State University cross country runner Kevin Dammen died Tuesday while kayaking in the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior. The cause of death was reported as hypothermia.

The Duluth News-Tribune covered the accident HERE.

Dammen, a college freshman, was paddling with his brother Kyle, their Winona State cross country teammate Travis Hawley, and Grant Schlicter of Winona. The Dammens and Hawley were Austin High School graduates.

Kevin Dammen's kayak capsized in rough water while he and two other members of the party were attempting to assist a fourth kayaker whose boat had taken on water during a paddle from Little Sand Bay to Sand Island.

Last fall, Dammen was Winona State's 4th-man at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Cross Country Championships, finishing 53rd overall in 28:40.

KAAL Channel 6 has a story on Dammen HERE.

Stack Finishes 4th in NCAA 10,000m

Mankato Loyola graduate Dani Stack finished 4th in last night's 10,000-meter event at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. The Iowa State sophomore clocked 34:32.28, earning her first All-American honors.

Juliet Bottorff of Duke won the event in 34:25.86.

"I'm so happy with fourth," Stack said in an Iowa State media release. "It's been my goal all season to finish in the top-five at NCAAs and I accomplished that tonight and it makes me want to go out and see what more I can achieve."

According to THIS race recap, Stack (pictured) was in the lead with 600m to run.

“I’ve been known not to have a great kick at the end of races,” Stack says in the story. “I didn’t win, but I think there are other NCAA titles out there."

At Mankato Loyola, Stack's high school high-water mark was a pair of 4th-place finishes as a senior at the 2008 MSHSL Class A State Championships in the 1600m and 3200m runs.

Gopher Action ... No Minnesota Gophers found their way to the podium in yesterday's NCAA action. Harun Abda finished 12th in the prelims of the 800m in 1:47.66, but did not advance to finals. Teammate Brock Spandl finished 23rd in the pole vault at 16-4 3/4.

Nikki Tzanakis finished 14th in the women's discus with a mark of 166-8. Todea-Kay Willis was 16th in the long jump at 20-3 3/4.

The Gopher women's 4 x 100m of Willis, Nyoka Giles, Chimerem Okoroji, and Alena Brooks -- the first Gopher women's 4 x 100 to qualify for NCAAs -- ran 44.85, to finish an non-advancing 21st in the semi-finals of the event.

Find complete NCAA results HERE.

Photo courtesy of Iowa State University.

Yes/No: Three or More Gopher All-Americans?

The group of Gophers qualified to compete at the National Meet will not have to travel far this year. Drake University is hosting the Championship in Des Moines, Iowa. The Gophers have plenty of experience on this track as many athletes compete at the Drake Relays every year.

The qualifying method for DI Nationals is composed of two Regional Meets. There is a West Region and an East Region. Twelve individuals/relay teams qualify from each region and move on to compete at Drake.

There will be seven individuals and two relay teams wearing the Gophers' maroon and gold at NCAAs, each with a chance to become an All-American. How many will achieve this lofty goal?

Yes/No: Will three or more University of Minnesota individuals or relay teams finish in the top eight and earn All-American honors at the National Meet this week?

For the purposes of this contest we are defining an All-American as an individual/team that finishes in the top-eight in an event. Technically, All-American awards are also awarded to American competitors finishing outside of the top-eight, but within the first eight American finishers in each event.

Each competitor has a seed place or time for the National Meet. However, these marks are taken solely from the Regional Meet and may not be very relevant. Many competitors only did as much as they had to in order to advance to Nationals and because of this, many of the seedings are skewed. To see a list of all the marks during the outdoor season (prior to the Regional Meet), please visit the Track and Field Results Reporting System.

The Gophers participating in the National Meet include: Harun Abda (800), Men's 4x400 Relay, Brock Spandl (Pole Vault) and Micah Hegerle (Hammer Throw). On the Women's side, the competitors include: Nikki Swenson (1500), Women's 4x100 Relay, Samantha Sonnenberg (Pole Vault), Todea Kay-Willis (Long Jump) and Nicole Tzanakis (Discus).

For more information on the meet and Gophers, check out Drake University's page, the USTFCCCA site, and the Gophers preview for Men and Women.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 3:00 A.M. CDT, Wednesday, June 8th. Please put your answers in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will offer our usual bonus for participants making their 2011 debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for anyone who has not played yet this year.

My answer: Yes.

Last week's question was: Will William Leer finish ahead of Ben Blankenship in the International Mile at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday? Both runners ran great. Unfortunately they ended up competing in different races. Leer opted to run the 2 mile instead and ran 8:19.11. Blankenship ran a personal best 3:54.10 in the mile. Everyone that entered the contest earned a point this week.

We also awarded some bonus points for time predictions on the two runners. The bonus points were given to Daniel Gerber who guessed Will Leer would run 8:18.54 and Lori Anne Peterson who picked 3:54.67 for Blankenship. One additional point was given to Ryan Aylesworth who predicted a 1500 time (3:36.47) for Blankenship. While it was the wrong distance, his conversion was technically a bit closer than everyone who guessed a mile time. Lori Anne Peterson was able to use that bonus point to move into a tie for first place with Rachel Karel. There are four players tied for second place, one point back.

For all the results, please visit DtB Fantasy Corner, HERE.

The Thorntons: Northfield Track's First Family

We wanted to draw your attention to THIS recent story in the Northfield News about that city's "First Family" of Track and Field -- the Thorntons.

Bill Thornton, the father, was the long-time St. Olaf College men's coach. Sons Mark, the boys coach at Northfield High School, and Paul, a men's assistant for the University of Minnesota, ran for their dad at St. Olaf and followed in his coaching footsteps.

Northfield News reporter Shane Kitzman put together a nice piece about trio, all three of whom continue to live in the town famous for "cows, colleges, and contentment."

Grandm'a Marathon Entries Grow Over 2010

More than 900 additional runners will toe the starting line at next weekend's Grandma's Marathon than did so last year, the Duluth News Tribune is reporting HERE.

With registration closed for the event, 8319 marathoners are registered for the June 18 race. A record 7223 runners will participate in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon held in conjunction with Grandma's Marathon.

Grandma's Marathon set its entry record in 2008 with 9888 participants. In the last three years, however, the race has not filled its 9500 runner field. In 2009, 8377 runners ran the race; last year only 7387 chose to race from Two Harbors to Duluth.

Blankenship Runs 3:54.10 Mile at Prefontaine

University of Minnesota miler Ben Blankenship blazed a personal best 3:54.10 mile in finishing third in Saturday's International Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

The Stillwater High School graduate, who red-shirted this outdoor season for the Gophers, topped the Hayward Field homestretch on the shoulder of race leader David Torrence, the three-time Medtronic TC 1 Mile Champion, but was edged at the finish by Torrence and winner Ryan Gregson.

You can watch the race in its entirety HERE.

The performance makes Blankenship, a two-time Big Ten champion in the mile indoors, the second-fastest miler in Minnesota history. Only Richfield High School alumnus Steve Holman, with a 3:50.40 from 1997 has run faster than Blankenship among North Star Staters.

Notably, Blankenship's time put him ahead of Steve Prefontaine on the U.S. all-time list. The namesake of Saturday's meet ran 3:54.6 at Hayward Field in 1973.

There's a Flotrack interview with Blankenship HERE.

The anticipated Minnesota miling duel between Blankenship and Minnetonka High School alumnus Will Leer failed to materialize on Saturday. Leer moved to the meet's 2-mile event on the eve of the meet, where he finished 9th in 8:19.11.

Kara Goucher finished 9th in the women's 5000-meters in 15:11.47.

Find complete Prefontaine Classic results HERE.

Yes/No: Leer Over Blankenship at Prefontaine?

The 2011 Samsung Diamond League makes it's first stop in the United States this weekend. The Diamond League is a series of the most prestigious track meets in the world and this week it lands in Track Town, USA for the celebrated Prefontaine Classic.

Two of Minnesota's own will battle in the mile at the Pre meet this weekend. Ben Blankenship and Will Leer will be relegated to the "B" section of the mile race, a.k.a. the International Mile. If you're wondering how 3:37/3:39 1500 meter runners could be excluded from the fast heat, look no further than the ten sub-3:50 miler (metric equivalent included) that will be toeing the line!

The International Mile start list includes Aussie Ryan Gregson, who has run a 3:31 1500, and Kenyans Gideon Gathimba and Alfred Kirwa Yego who both have sub-3:51 mile credentials.

But we will take a Minnesotan angle with our question...

Yes/No: Will William Leer finish ahead of Ben Blankenship in the International Mile at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday?

Will Leer, a Minnetonka High School grad, has been a picture of consistency over the years. He has run 3:37 as a best time in the 1500 in each of the last four years. While Leer has been a mainstay on the middle-distance national track scene for the last 4 years, Blankenship has been running for the Gophers. Blankenship, a Stillwater High School alumnus, is coming off a big victory in the Stanford Payton Jordan Invite in May. At that event, he ran a personal best 3:39.49. This race may have marked Blankenship's arrival in the upper echelon of American 1500 runners, considering he took down top pros Lopez Lomong, Andrew Bumbalough, and Evan Jager.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 12:15 P.M. CDT, Saturday, June 4th. Please put your answers in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will offer our usual bonus for participants making their 2011 debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for anyone who has not played yet this year.

My answer: Yes.

Last week's question was: Will Lauren Stelten win the NCAA Division II women's pole vault title on Friday? The answer was yes. Stelten won another national championship, vaulting 13-0 1/4. Twenty-three contestants answered correctly last week. Rachel Karel is now the sole leader with thirteen points. There are four contestants in second place with twelve points -- including Chris Rivers who has answered correctly every time he has contested Yes/No this year! Five people scored a perfect four points in May. These are the winners for the last month: Chris Rivers, Jake Marotz, Daniel Gerber, Lori Anne Peterson, and Dan Vogel.

For all the results, please visit DtB Fantasy Corner, HERE.

Sandle Breaks State Triple Jump Record; Injury Thwarts Edina's Crawford-Tufts

Eden Prairie senior Michael Sandle broke the Minnesota all-time high school record in the triple jump last night at the opening day of the MSHSL Section 6AA meet at Hopkins High School.

Sandle marked a jump of 50-4 1/2, eclipsing Reondo Davis' 1999 leap of 50-4. At the Hamline Elite Meet earlier this season, Sandle jumped 50-3 1/4, just shy of Davis' mark.

Sandle is the defending MSHSL Class AA triple jump champion.

Devin Crawford-Tufts, the Edina senior who is the defending Class AA state champion at 100 and 200-meters, won't return to next weekend's State Meet at Hamline University to defend his titles.

Cawford-Tufts did not advance to the finals of the Section 6AA 100-meters. The state's second fastest high school 100-meter runner of all-time, ran an injury hobbled 11.85 last night, good for only 19th in the 100-meter prelims.

Crawford-Tufts did not compete in the 200-meter contested later in the evening.

The MSHSL's John Millea has a story from the meet HERE.

Find Section 6AA prelim results HERE.

The folks at TrackTalk's Minnesota forum are collecting Section Meet results HERE.

Gabrielson, McGregor Win at Kraft 5K

Team USA Minnesota stars Matt Gabrielson and Katie McGregor tuned up for important summer races with record-setting victories at the Brian Kraft 5K on Monday.

Gabrielson (pictured below) won in a Minnesota, 32-year-old single-age record of 14:24 on the Lake Nokomis course. He outran Chris Erichsen, the runner-up in 14:39.

McGregor (also pictured) won the women's race in 16:23, bettering Janis Klecker's Minnesota standard for 33-year-olds. Team USA Minnesota's Jamie Cheever was runner-up in 16:31.

Gabrielson is pointing for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth later this month, while McGregor will compete at 10,000-meters at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon in late June.

Find complete individual results HERE (men) and HERE (women)

The race served as the fourth leg of the USATF - Minnesota Team Circuit presented by Twin Cities In Motion and Lifetime Fitness.

Preliminary team results named the open teams from Run N Fun and Foley & Mansfield as winners of the men's and women's divisions, respectively.

Find complete, preliminary Team Circuit results HERE.

Gabrielson in command.

McGregor in victory.

Photos by Gene Niemi.

Wednesday is National Running Day

Memorial Day isn't the only important holiday this week ... at least not for runners.

Tomorrow is officially National Running Day, celebrated annually on the first Wednesday of June as a day when runners everywhere declare their passion for running.. National Running Day is a collaborative effort of the nation's major running organizations, including the Boston Athletic Association, New York Road Runners, Oregon Track Club, USA Track & Field, and Twin Cities In Motion.

Twin Cities in Motion and the TC Running Company will host an all-day event on Wednesday at the TC Running Company store (6405 City West Parkway, Eden Prairie) beginning with a group run at 6:00 a.m.

Additionally, the day will feature: hourly giveaways and drawings for prizes; free group runs, every hour, on the hour led by various TCM staff members, runners from Team USA Minnesota, and other special guests; free snacks and beverages; and discounts at TC Running Company.

Find more information about National Running Day HERE.

Minnesota Claims Four D2, D3 Champions

Four Minnesota women won national titles at the NCAA Division II and Division III Championships held over the weekend.

In the D2 meet, held in Turlock, California, Minnesota State, Mankato senior Lauren Stelten won an outdoor pole vault crown to match the one she earned indoors in March, clearing 13-0 1/4. Winona State sophomore Mary Theisen won a dramatic discus competition in 163-9.

At the D3 Championships in Delaware, Ohio, Gustavus Adolphus College senior Janey Helland won the heptathlon with 5061 points. Carleton College senior Kelly Lovett won the javelin throw with a mark of 155-4.

Complete results of the D2 meet can be found HERE; complete D3 results are HERE.

Stelten won her pole vault title on only her fourth jump of the competition. The Chaska High School alumnus passed until 12-4 1 /2. She cleared that height and the next without a missing. Stelten missed on her first attempt at 13-0-1/4, but her clearance on the second try sealed the win, as the two other jumpers alive missed three times.

Stelten jumped at 13-7, but missed on all three attempts.

Theisen won the D2 discus in dramatic fashion, launching the winning throw on her final attempt of the competition. In fourth place when she stepped into the ring for her last attempt, her 163-9 mark moved her ahead of Larissa Richards of Pittsburg State who had led at 159-10.

In the D3 heptathlon, Helland used a big second day to take command of the competition. Third going into the final day, the Mapleton native won the long jump with 18-5 1/4, took second in the javelin with 123-2, and was runner-up again in the 800-meters with 2:19.47 to clinch the win.

Lovett led the D3 javelin from her first throw of 151-3, a personal best that would have been enough to win the competition in itself. The Portland, Oregon native marked another PR at 154-3 on her second throw to extend her margin. Lovett, with the competition won, then launched her last throw of 155-4 to end her collegiate career with a final flourish.

Yes/No: Another Pole Vault Title for Stelten?

Chaska High School alumnus Lauren Stelten will complete her track eligibility at Minnesota State, Mankato, by competing in the pole vault tonight. Her final collegiate meet will be the Division II National Championship held in Turlock, California.

Stelten is following in the footsteps of fellow national champion vaulters from Minnesota State, Amanda Frame and Katelin Rains. Between these three, the Mavericks have won six of the last eight indoor D2 pole vault national championships.

Stelten will face a quality field as she tries to duplicate her indoor success and go out on top.

Can she do it? Let us know what you think...

Yes/No: Will Lauren Stelten win the NCAA Division II women's pole vault title on Friday?

Lauren Stelten has been named an All-American at all seven previous collegiate national championships (indoors and outdoors). She was a national champion indoors in 2011 and has also finished second three times, fourth twice and sixth once. Stelten is the #2-seed in this meet as she has vaulted 12-11 1/2 outdoors in 2011. Lauren Graham is the top seed with a 13-3 1/2 clearance to her name. Stelten's all-time personal best is 13-6 1/2, achieved this year indoors.

To play our game, simply type "yes" or "no" into the subject line of an e-mail and send it to us at DtBFantasy [AT] gmail [DOT] com before 7:00 P.M. CDT, Friday, May 27th. Please put your answers in the subject line of the e-mail and make sure your full name appears somewhere in the e-mail. We will offer our usual bonus for participants making their 2011 debut in Yes/No - a correct answer will be worth two points for anyone who has not played yet this year.

My answer: Yes.

Last week's question was: Will Gabriele Anderson run faster than her personal best in the Oxy 1500-meters? By the slimmest of margins, the answer was yes. Anderson bettered her top time by .04 seconds. Thirty-two contestants answered correctly this week. The top of the leader-board remain unchanged including a three-way tie atop the Yes/No standings for 2011 with Rachel Karel, Mike Henderson, and Patrick Eastman deadlocked at 12 points.

For all the results, please visit DtB Fantasy Corner, HERE.

NCAA Action Abounds Across Divisions

There's NCAA track and field action aplenty this weekend no matter which division of the collegiate sports governing body interests you most.

Athletes in NCAA Division II and Division III are competing in national championships starting today, while NCAA Division I athletes commence action in one of two "Preliminary" events which lead up to the D1 national championships in Des Moines, Iowa in two weeks.

Here's our quick preview of the NCAA goings-on ...

NCAA Division II ... In D2 action, which gets underway today at California State University - Stanislaus, Minnesota State, Mankato pole vaulter Lauren Stelten and Winona State's Mary Theisen are the Minnesota headliners.

Stelten is the reigning D2 indoor champion in the pole vault, where she cleared 13-6 1/2 for the win. At the outdoor meet, the Chaska alumnus is seeded #2 in the event. Stelten was runner-up at last year's NCAA D2 outdoor meet.

Theisen enters the meet as the #1 seed in the discus. An eighth-place finisher in the event last year, Theisen enters the meet having thrown 176-3 in 2011. Indoors this year, Theisen finished sixth in both the shot put and weight throw.

Find entry lists for the D2 meet HERE (women) and HERE (men).

Live results from the meet will be posted HERE.

NCAA Division III ... Leading the Minnesota contingent at D3 nationals in Delaware, Ohio are a pair of #3 seeds: Carleton javelin thrower Kelly Lovett and Gustavus Adolphus heptathlete Janey Helland.

Lovett, who placed fourth in the meet last year with a mark of 144-11, enters the meet with a 149-5 mark this year. Lovett competes after an upset defeat at the MIAC meet, where Concordia Moorhead's Katherine Brott, who did not qualify for nationals, edged her by a lone inch with a 131-1 throw.

Helland, the MIAC heptathlon champion this year, was the D3 pentathlon runner-up indoors, just nine points shy of the victor. Helland was a fourth-place finisher in the multi at outdoor championships last year.

Find entry lists for meet HERE (women) and HERE (men).

Find results from the meet HERE.

Division I Preliminaries ... Preliminary action in D1 will take place in Bloomington, Indiana and Eugene, Oregon this weekend.

Each preliminary meet gathers, the top 48 individual qualifiers for each event, save for the decathlon and heptathlon. The top 24 relays squads also qualify. To advance to the NCAA Championships, athletes and relays must finish in the top 12 of the respective preliminary meets.

Twenty-four University of Minnesota men will compete at the West Prelim in Eugene. The Gopher women's team is sending 16 athletes to the meet in "Tracktown, USA." The top-ranked Gopher man in the meet is pole vaulter Ben Peterson at #6. Fellow pole vaulter Samatha Sonnenberg leads the Gopher women as the #4 seed.

Winona native Elliott Heath of Stanford is the #1 seed in the 5000-meters in the meet; Justin Tyner, the Brainerd High School alumnus who attends the Air Force Academy, is the #2-seed the steeplechase.

Find Gophersports previews of the meets HERE (men) and HERE (women).

Find entry lists for West Peliminary meet HERE (men) and HERE (women).

Live results from the meet will be posted HERE.

McGregor, Gabrielson to Run Brian Kraft 5K

Seven-time USA champion Katie McGregor and Team USA Minnesota teammate Matt Gabrielson will headline the 14th annual Brian Kraft Memorial 5K on Monday, May 30.

The Memorial Day run/walk – presented by USA Track & Field Minnesota – begins at 8:30 a.m. on a course that circles Lake Nokomis in South Minneapolis. The event is a benefit for the Arnold S. Leonard Cancer Research Fund.

McGregor, USA Track and Field's Women’s Long Distance Runner of the Year in 2010, will use the race as part of her preparations for running the 10,000-meters at the USA Outdoor Track Championships in Eugene, Oregon on June 23.

Gabrielson, the runner-up at the 2008 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, is preparing to run Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth on June 18.

Team Circuit Resumes ... USATF Minnesota Team Circuit racing will resume at the Brian Kraft Memorial as well, with open division men's and women's leaders Run N Fun looking to extend their leads in the season-long grand prix of road races.

Run N Fun's open men's team leads TC Running Company 26-23 after three of the Circuit's nine events. Collegeville is third in the standings with 20 points.

In open women's racing, RNF lead Foley and Manfield 18-17, with TC Running Company third with 16 points.

Find complete Team Circuit standings HERE (men) and HERE (women).

Find team results of the last Team Circuit event, the Medtronic TC 1 Mile, HERE (men) and HERE (women).