Four individuals from Austin Packers boys and girls track teams qualify for State Class AA meet at Lakeville South High School Saturday

Individuals from the Austin Packers boys and girls track and field teams were back at Lakeville South High School in Lakeville Saturday for Day 3 of the Section 1AA meet, and four different individuals for the Packers will be making their way to the State Class AA meet at St. Michael-Albertville High School June 8th through the 10th.

Tommy Fritz will be representing the Packers in the 100 meter dash, as the senior ran a personal-best time of 11.12 seconds, which was good for second place behind Red Wing’s Thomas Lampkin, who finished with a time of 10.83 seconds.  Also headed to the state meet from the Packers boys track and field team is senior A’Triel Terry, who cleared 6 feet, 3 inches to qualify in the high jump, and senior standout Olivia Walsh took first in the triple jump for the Austin girls track and field team to qualify for the state meet with an personal best effort of 36 feet, 1.75 inches.  Walsh just missed also qualifying in the 100 meter dash, as her personal record of 12.99 seconds was only .31 of a second away from a berth in the state meet.  Also qualifying Saturday for the Packers girls track and field squad was sophomore Marissa Shute, who took first in the 1600 meter run with a personal best of 5:28.32.

Other high finishers for the Packers boys squad in Lakeville Saturday included Isaiah Cabeen, who took sixth in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 43 seconds flat, Thomas Herrick finished eighth in the 1600 meter run with a final time of 4:46.67, while teammates Lance Keenan and Joseph Garry were 23rd and 25th, respectively with times of 5:06.39 and 5:12.29, Jackson Hilkin and Keenan were 18th and 19th, respectively in the 800 meter run with times of 2:17.88 and 2:18.07, and Triumph Ogbeide took ninth in the 110 meter hurdles with a personal best of 17.80 seconds.  Austin’s 4 x 100 meter relay team of Tommy Fritz, Carter Holt, Joe Ewing and A’Triel Terry finished seventh Saturday with a time of 44.16 seconds, the 4 x 200 team of Isaiah Cabeen, Hunter Jensen, Triumph Ogbeide and Gideon Jauregui finished ninth with a time of 1:41.69, the 4 x 400 team of Joseph Hilkin, Isaiah Cabeen, Thomas Herrick and A’Triel Terry running the anchor leg took fifth with a time of 3:33.51, and the 4 x 800 relay team of Joseph Garry, Jackson Hilkin, Thomas Asmus and Joseph Hilkin finished seventh with a time of 8:55.06.  Three Packers placed in the shot put, with Sam Eyre putting the shot 41-07.75 inches, Wyatt Thoma placed 16th with an effort of 40-06.50, and Joe Ewing placed 22nd with an effort of 36 feet, 10 inches.  Thoma also took 16th for Austin in the discus with a throw of 111-05, Elijah Kline was 20th with a toss of 104-02, and William Lawhead took 26th with an effort of 80-08.  In the long jump, Triumph Ogbeide finished 24th with a jump of 17-08.00, while Hunter Jensen was 32nd with a jump of 14-06.75, and in the triple jump, Isaiah Cabeen took 21st with a jump of 32-06.50, Gideon Jauregui took 23rd at 30-00.75 and Hunter Jensen was 24th at 30-00.50.

Other high finishers for the Packers girls track and field squad Saturday included Chok Bol, who finished sixth in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 16.65 seconds, and she was also eighth in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 49.72, while teammate Marie Tolbert was ninth with a time of 50.64.  Marissa Shute was fourth in the 3200 meter run for the Packers with a time of 12:30.17, while teammate Grace Votherms was 10th with a time of 13:10.89, and Votherms also took 21st in the 1600 meter run with a time of 6:07.04.  Cassidy Shute was 23rd in the 800 meter run with a final time of 2:45.96, while teammate Lillyan Wiese was 26th with a time of 2:48.23, Austin’s 4 x 100 meter relay team of Sara Wangen, Rachel Englestad, Marie Tolbert and Olivia Walsh were ninth Saturday with a time of 52.01, the 4 x 200 team of Wangen, Emma Haugen, Aggie McKichan and Englestad finished eighth with a time of 1:54.58, the Packers’ 4 x 400 team of Cassidy Shute, Nyguay Mar, Marissa Shute and Chok Bol took eighth with a time of 4:30.02, and the 4 x 800 team of Cassidy Shute, Lillyan Wiese, Mar and Sydney Lewis were ninth with a time of 11:16.08.

In the field events, Larua Bekaert was fourth in the shot put with an effort of 35-10.25 inches, and she took third in the discus with a throw of 116-10, just missing out on a trip to the state meet by 1.03 inches.  Aggie McKichan cleared 5 feet, one inch in the high jump to claim fourth place, while Olivia Walsh was seventh with an effort of 5 feet even, and in the pole vault, Emily Klapperich and Sara Wangen each cleared 8 feet, 6 inches, a personal best for Klapperich as they finshed in a three-way tie for sixth.