Class A Boys
1. Deja Vu (With A Switcheroo) In The 4x400
One of the most thrilling moments of the 2018 Class A Championships was at the very end when Fairmont's anchor Wyatt Quiring very nearly caught Wadena-Deer Creek's Bereket Loer at the finish, coming just .12 shy at the line. Apparently the race was so memorable that those two teams wanted to relive the memory in almost exactly the same fashion, only this time, the outcome was different. Fairmont's Andrew Moeller (who had just finished running the 800m finals, and was on last year's team) took the lead on the third leg and handed off to Fairmont's other holdover from last year, Dylan Kennedy. Loer took the handoff in second, but had some ground to make up, just like Quiring did last year. And like Quiring, Loer made up that ground only to fall just shy as Kennedy managed to hold him off by .13 seconds. The thrilling race was a fitting cap to the careers of Fairmont's three seniors on the team, and the State championships as a whole.
2. Geno's Gems In Distance Events
Geno Uhrbom is no stranger to State Comptition. In fact, despite being just a sophomore, he already has more State Meet experience than any other Class A runner, having qualified for State in both cross country and track every year since he was in seventh grade. But when he crossed the finish line in the 1600m in a lifetime-best 4:18.22, Uhrbom became the youngest Minnesota boy ever to complete the distance triple, winning the State titles in cross country, the 3200m, and the 1600m. It was a very impressive showing for Uhrbom, the winner of the 1600m at the Hamline Elite Meet too. In the 3200m, he originally planned to wait to pull out ahead until the 1600m mark (both to counter the heat and conserve for the 1600m), but when the pace wasn't quite to his liking, made his move on lap three and didn't look back, crossing in another lifetime best of 9:24.07. The 1600m, however, he needed no such conservation, and led wire-to-wire and was never seriously challenged. But despite Uhrbom's dominance and relative youth, he'll need to keep an eye over his shoulder for Virginia's Cameron Stocke, who took third in the 1600m as just an 8th-grader, and is already running faster than Uhrbom at the same age.
3. Jordan Owns The Field
After falling just short of taking the State True Team title in May, Jordan held nothing back in the team competition at this weekend's State meet. All four relays qualified and scored for the Hubmen, with the 4x100 and 4x200 both taking home State titles. Their 4x100 in particular, anchored by two-time 100m champion Marlon Wiley, had a great meet as they twice ran under the Class A record of 42.88 set last year. Overall, the team scored a top-six finish or better in 11 different events, and their team total of 87 points was the most of any team in any meet, as was their margin of victory of 29 points. It was a fitting conclusion to Jordan's season as they will move up to Class AA in XC and track starting next fall.
4. Maximum Speed For Peckenschneider
Max Peckenschneider was last year's runner up in the 100m dash to Marlon Wiley as just a sophomore, but this year he was coming in with all the momentum. Undefeated in the 100m and 200m except for a 5th-place finish at the Hamline Elite Meet, Peckenschneider first ran the fastest time in prelims with a lifetime best of 10.91, then cruised to the win over Wiley and Jack Beardmore in finals with a time of 11.00 into a headwind. But he saved his most impressive race for later in the day. Again running into a headwind, Peckenschneider cruised to a big win for Providence Academy in the 200m in 22.11, .34 faster than runner up Jade Reicks. Peckenschneider added a runner up finish in the boys 4x100m relay, as his massive contribution helped Providence Academy take second in the team standings.
5. Yahya Madar Flies Over Expectations
As a rookie sophomore for Mounds Park Academy, Yahya Madar barely cleared 5-2 in his first competition. However, he quickly developed a knack for the event, and went on to qualify for State later that year and cleared 6-2. His junior season was even better, clearing 6-6 and eventually placing 4th at State. But not even Madar (who cleared 6-8 at Sections) could have dreamed what would happen at State. After holding off Peyton Johnsrud for the title by clearing 6-8 once again, Madar missed his first two attempts at 6-9, which was the height he had missed at in Sections. On his third jump, however, Madar cleared it to set a new PR. Reluctant to even attempt one more height, having already PRed and secured a State Championship, he shocked himself and thrilled the crowd by clearing a Class A record-tying 6-10 on his first attempt. Still a free agent when it comes to a college choice, Madar's jumping heroics could start drawing some late attention from some big programs, though he feels great in his current choice between Augsburg and the University of St. Thomas.