Girls Field
Horizontal Jumps
Perhaps the most exciting athlete to watch in the whole meet this year on the girls side will be Robbie Grace in the long jump. At her first meet of the high school season, Grace almost could not have imagined a better first jump as she became just the second girl in Minnesota history to ever leap over 20 feet. The word, "almost," however, describes the jump in another way too, as she fell just one-quarter inch shy of the All-Time record held by Anna Keefer from two years ago. There is without a doubt (outside of Julia Fixsen in the pole vault) no bigger favorite in the whole meet than Grace in the long jump, the top seed by a staggering two feet. That said, the talent certainly exists in the event - Faith Robinson has leapt 18-7 as a career-best jump, and Arianna Passeri has jumped over 18 feet as well. Aiden Senior, Sophie Nilsson, and Evelyn Adams could all make a play for the top as well, but for all points and purposed, the competition is Grace's to lose.
The same cannot be said, however, for the triple jump. After several years of consecutively having some of the best TJers in state history, a bit of a void has opened up for any one of a number of young athletes to step into. Sara Byers and Maggie Larson both have cleared the 37-foot barrier this season, and Nilsson, Passeri, and Ailsa Gilbert have both done so previously. Meanwhile Aidan McAloone could very-well join that club too after last year taking 8th at the Class AA championships and setting a career-best mark of 36-9 earlier in the week. Unlike the long jump, the triple jump is one of the most up-for-grabs events in the meet.
Vertical Jumps
The high jump competition this year will be the meet's only showdown of two defending State champions in the same event with Nyalaam Jok representing Class A and Madison Schmidt out of Class AA. Last year, Schmidt took the win in the event by virtue of a tiebreaker over Jok in clearing 5-5. Two other athletes also cleared the same height at the same meet and return this year in Julia Fixsen and Madison Johnson. All four girls have cleared at least 5-8 in their careers, and each athlete has a notable narrative to follow. For Jok, it is that of a young phenom and two-time State champion. For Schmidt (who also runs each event from the 200m to the 1600m), it is that of a remarkably unique and highly versatile skill set for a high school junior that makes college multi coaches drool. For Fixsen, it is that of having remarkable ability in what is clearly a secondary event for her after the pole vault. And for Johnson, who missed out on both Hamline and State titles to Schmidt last year by virtue of tiebreakers, it is an athlete searching for her first big win against a talented field.
But for Fixsen, the narrative is far bigger in the pole vault, and is one of the biggest narratives of the meet. Fixsen first made a notable impression in the pole vault in 8th grade, clearing 11-7, after being forced to quit gymnastics due to concussion concerns, and since then has rewritten the record books. Owning a career-best mark in the pole vault of 13-11.25, a season-best of 13-6, and fresh off an appearance at the U20 world championships last summer, Fixsen sits on the doorstep of becoming the first Minnesota girl, and the 15th US high school girl ever, to clear 14 feet in the pole vault. The remarkable thing is that as big a favorite as Fixsen is, the field is actually very strong even without her. Second seed Char Morke comes in with a season-best of 12-6, defending Class A champion Ashley Hokanson has cleared 11-9, and four other athletes have also cleared at least 11 feet. But despite the talent in the field, the event is Fixsen's to lose.
Throws
Last year in the shot put, Mya Lesnar did things as a high school sophomore that only one other Minnesota girl ever can even compare to, and Lesnar was a tad bit better. That other athlete is Maggie Ewen, who currently holds two NCAA records in the shot put and hammer and may be the best thrower currently in the United States. Last year, Lesnar's best toss of 47-6, while Ewen's best throw as a sophomore was 46-10. That said, Lesnar shockingly missed out on both the Hamline and State titles in the shot put last year, taking second in the latter and a distant 8th in the former. This year, however, Lesnar is on top of her game. Already with a season best of 47-2 and consistently hitting the mid-40 range, Lesnar will be the strong favorite in the shot put that otherwise has a very solid field. Eight girls are seeded at over 40 feet, of which five have thrown at least 41-8, including Lesnar's teammate and friend McKenzie Duwenhogger. Another underclassman with growing credentials is Delaney Smith, the sophomore with a toss of 42-0.5, which isn't quite in the same realm as Ewen or Lesnar, but could be by the end of the year.
The discus throw, meanwhile, has a big favorite that not long ago would have been virtually impossible to predict. As a sophomore, Roseville's Michaela Hawkins had only thrown the discus 87-3 in her first year of track and at this time last year had only thrown 103-2. It would have been remarkable enough to have just taken 7th at State a few weeks later with a season-best of 137-8. But Hawkins has stepped up her game once again so far this year with a toss of 150-2, which makes her one of the 20 best discus throwers in state history. The meteoric rise has pushed her well past the career best of every other athlete in the field, including last year's top returner Duwenhoegger and last year's Class AA State runner up Kaley Waldemar. The event's second seed Elizabeth Pahl is nearly seventeen feet behind Hawkins at this point, and as long as Hawkins keeps throwing like she has been this year, she should easily take home the win.