Minnesota State Track and Field Meet Championship Preview


From left to right: Jade Rypkema, Nyalaam Jok, Shaina Zinter, and Delaney Smith
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Class A Girls

Schedule



Sprints

100m Top Seeds: Anisa Thompson (The Blake School) - 12.53, Anika Reiland (Grand Meadow/Leroy-Ostrander/Kingsland/Southland) - 12.60, Cassia Cady (Rockford) - 12.64
100m Fastest Season Bests: Thompson - 12.53, Ellie Sonju (Glencoe-Silver Lake) - 12.57, Reiland - 12.60
100m Returners: Thompson (2019 5th Place), Emily Kaiser (Minnewaska) (2019 7th Place), Sophie Helgeson (Roseau), Amanda Iverson (La Crescent-Hokah)
The Skinny: Anisa Thompson is undefeated in 2021 and comes into the meet as both the top overall seed and the highest returning finisher from 2019, but the advantage she has over her competitors is still very slim. Six girls (including 5 in the same section) have all run a time this year within 0.15 seconds of Thompson's best time. Ellie Sonju, Anika Reiland, and Cassia Cady in particular come into the meet with a very long and impressive track record dating back to the start of the season, while each of Thompson's fellow returning runners from the 2019 State meet are all peaking at the right time.

200m Top Seeds: Shaina Zinter (Concordia Academy) - 25.52, Thompson - 25.58, Reiland - 25.79
200m Fastest Season Bests: Zinter - 25.45, Thompson - 25.58, Reiland - 25.78
200m Returners: Thompson (2019 Champion), Kaiser (2017 8th place)
The Skinny: Depending on the outcomes of earlier events, this could be a very intriguing race in the context of Shaina Zinter's very real chance of becoming the first-ever winner of four individual events at the MSHSL Championships (the 100H, 300H, and long jump are all expected to be completed by the start of the 200m). If Zinter walks to the start line with three titles already claimed, it will almost certainly be up to defending champion Anisa Thompson to prevent history. Thompson was undefeated in the 200m until she was nicked by Zinter by just .06 seconds at Sections, a margin that could easily be reversed considering Thompson's workload up to this point in the meet will have been significantly lighter than Zinter's. Reiland and Lindsey Root could also be factors at the end as the only other runners in the field to have gone sub-26.

400m Top Seeds: Maia Peterson (Stewartville)/Ellie Kuechle (Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball) - 57.49, Addison Hoof (Lester Prairie) - 58.48
400m Fastest Season Bests: Peterson/Kuechle - 57.49, Hoof - 58.45
400m Returners: Hannah Cornelius (Braham) (2019 3rd Place), Tatianna Wiley (Pelican Rapids) (2019 6th Place), Courtney Werner (Proctor)
The Skinny: The Class A 400m field is certainly peaking at the right time, as eight of the nine girls in the second section are all coming off of season-best races at Sections (with the ninth runner, Tatianna Wiley, having run her season-best at Sub-Sections). It's such an impressive showing all around that it makes the near-full-second seed advantage of Maia Peterson and Ellie Kuechle over the rest of the field feel smaller than it actually is. But don't get us wrong, this race appears to be down to one of those two girls. Kuechle in particular has put together a season that can only be described as outstanding, being undefeated in 11 races and seemingly dropping time, every time she sets foot on the track.

Hurdles

100H Top Seeds: Zinter - 14.68, Nyalaam Jok (Annandale) - 15.10, Hailey Hindt (GMLOKS) - 15.55
100H Fastest Season Bests: Zinter - 14.86, Jok -15.06, Hindt - 15.18
100H Returners: Zinter (2019 5th Place), Ashley Veronen (Lake City) (2019 6th Place), Nayeli Williams (Brooklyn Center), Neva Polo (Floodwood)
The Skinny: Shaina Zinter has had a comfortable hold on the top of the Class A leaderboard all season and has been more or less unchallenged, but the reality is that her advantage may not be as clear as it initially appears. Nyalaam Jok has put together a season that is perhaps even more impressive despite the slower season-best, as she's undefeated in 12 tries and has yet to be seriously challenged. Who knows what Jok may be capable of once she runs head-to-head with an athlete who is in the same league as herself. The same logic applied (to a lesser extent) to Hailey Hindt, who is also undefeated in the 100H, though she probably has a bit too much ground to make up to pose a serious challenge to the top two seeds.

300H Top Seeds: Zinter - 43.10, Brooklyn Brouse (Thief River Falls) - 45.38, Hindt - 45.80
300H Fastest Season Bests: Zinter - 43.10, Brouse - 45.38, Hindt - 45.44
300H Returners: Zinter (2019 2nd Place), Hindt (2019 4th Place), Regan Feit (Luverne) (2019 7th Place), Emma Borowicz (Crookston) (2019 8th Place), Lauren Dimler (Janesville-Walford-Pemberton) (2019 9th Place), Veronen
The Skinny: Of all the events Zinter is entered in this weekend, this race is where her advantage is the clearest. Not only is her seed more than two seconds better than her nearest competitor, but her section time of 43.10 is the tenth-fastest time in MSHSL history, with still this race and one more year left to further improve her standing. Even so, competition somewhat remarkably includes five of the nine podium finishers from the 2019 finals (which is more returning All-State athletes than any other competition in either Class A or AA), so it will be interesting to see how such an experienced field fares while facing such an overwhelming favorite.


Distance

800m Top Seeds: Grace Drietz (Canby/Minneota) - 2:16.49, Katrina Sortland (Zumbrota-Mazeppa) - 2:17.34, Morgan Gehl (Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda) - 2:18.56
800m Fastest Season Bests: Drietz - 2:16.49, K. Sortland - 2:17.34, Gehl - 2:17.56
800m Returners: Drietz (2019 2nd Place), K. Sortland (2019 8th place), Faith Rustad (United Clay-Becker[Hawley/Lake Park-Audubon]), Madison Daly (Saint Clair/Immanuel Lutheran)
The Skinny: Two years ago, Grace Drietz took second in the 800m finals to behind the tour de force that was Ava Hill. This year, however, it is Drietz who comes into the meet with all the momentum. The top overall seed and undefeated so far in 2021, Drietz has already managed to defeat one of her biggest competitors in Morgan Gehl, who finished two seconds behind her at the Section 3A meet. It was Gehl's first loss of the season at that distance and established a new lifetime best for Drietz, who has finished on the podium at least once in every State competition since she was in 7th grade. Other than Gehl, her biggest competition will be the fellow undefeated returning All-State runner Katrina Sortland.

1600m Top Seeds: Gehl - 4:58.74, Drietz - 5:01.96, Olivia Goebel (Albany) - 5:06.81
1600m Fastest Season Bests: Gehl - 4:58.74, Natasha Sortland (Zumbrota-Mazeppa) - 5:00.50, Drietz - 5:01.96
1600m Returners: Gehl (2019 3rd Place), Drietz (2019 5th Place), N. Sortland (2019 6th Place)
The Skinny: After having to face the imposing trio of Grace Ping, Lauren Ping, and Tierney Wolfgram for most of her career, Morgan Gehl finally took home her first State title in the 2019 cross country season. However, her first title on the track has still yet to come thanks to the cancellation of the spring season last year. Now it's Gehl's last chance to win a State Track Championship, and the 1600m race is her best chance to do so. The only athlete in the first to have gone sub-5 minutes (though both Natasha Sortland and Grace Drietz have come very close), the undefeated Gehl has been both remarkably strong and consistent all year, never running slower than 5:11.

3200m Top Seeds: Amanda Overgaauw (Murray County Central) - 11:00.45, Tenley Nelson (Luverne) - 11:06.38, Jenna DeBates (Luverne) - 11:06.52
3200m Fastest Season Bests: Jade Rypkema (Nevis) - 10:45.55, Natasha Sortland (Zumbrota-Mazeppa) - 10:48.09, Overgaauw - 10:54.50
3200m Returners: N. Sortland (2019 4th Place), Nelson (2019 6th Place), Laura Thompson (Fairmont) (2019 8th Place), Kyanna Burton (Staples-Motley), Kristine Kalthoff (Albany), Rypkema
The Skinny: Jade Rypkema may have only finished 13th in the 2019 edition of this race, but since then she's rarely lost, finishing second behind Gehl in the 2019 XC championships and then winning the Class A portion of the TCRC Showcase last XC season. Even so, her best race yet may have been running 10:45 in this event earlier this season, which is the best in Class A and competitive with the most elite AA runners. Natasha Sortland is not far behind her too with a time of 10:48 under her belt, and both runners are undefeated in all distance races in 2021. Amanda Overgaauw also has gone sub-11 so far and is certainly going to be a big factor in the race, while Tenley Nelson is coming off her best time since she finished 4th in the 3200m competition back in 2018. This will be a very interesting race and could be one of the quicker ones in recent memory in class A (and considering the level of competition in Class A in recent years, is really saying something).

Relays

4x100m Top Seeds: Rochester Lourdes - 50.46, Rockford - 50.57, The Blake School - 50.75
4x100m Fastest Season Bests: Rockford - 50.34, Rochester Lourdes - 50.46, The Blake School - 50.75
The Skinny: Rochester Lourdes comes in as the defending champion with the top overall seed, but that doesn't mean their title defense will be easy. In fact, it is likely to be very hard. Rockford (whose team includes All-State athletes Cassia Cady and Sara Byers) actually owns the fastest season-best of any Class A team, while the Blake School's 4x100m team is anchored by the 100m dash favorite in Anisa Thompson, and Annandale is anchored by Nyalaam Jok. And while GMLOKS 4x100 relay does not include Hailey Hindt or Anika Reiland (who are both on their 4x200 and in two individual events), they have so much depth in their sprinting squad that they can't be counted out.

4x200m Top Seeds: Stewartville - 1:45.97, GMLOKS - 1:46.82, Thief River Falls - 1:47.08
4x200m Fastest Season Bests: Stewartville - 1:45.97, GMLOKS - 1:46.10, Thief River Falls - 1:47.08
The Skinny:  Top-seeded Stewartville took fourth at the 2019 championships, but remarkably they return three athletes from that team who are all currently seniors, including the 400m favorite Maia Peterson. Their impressive section win what established them as the top overall seed also impressively came over the defending Champions from GMLOKS. GMLOKS themselves are a very strong contender to defend their title, with a team that includes both Anika Reiland and Hailey Hindt (who return from their 2019 championship team) and are joined by Madison Hindt and Anna Oehlke from their 4x100 squad. Rockford's team with Byers and Cady as well as Thief River Fall's team anchored by hurdler and sprinter Brooklyn Brouse are also going to be strong factors at the finish line, and perhaps even the dark horse squad from Fertile-Beltrami could make some noise too.

4x400m Top Seeds: Stewartville - 4:01.76, Fertile-Beltrami - 4:04.79, Spectrum - 4:06.07
4x400m Fastest Season Bests: Stewartville - 4:01.76, Fertile-Beltrami - 4:04.79, Spectrum - 4:06.07
The Skinny: The 2019 4x400 finals came down to the very end in a three-team battle, with Pelican Rapids somewhat surprisingly coming away with the impressive victory over Stewartville and Belle Plaine. All three teams from that battle are back and will face off in the second section once again, and each team returns at least two runners from their 2019 counterparts. Stewartville comes in as both the top seed and the most formidable anchor in Maia Peterson, but both Pelican Rapids and Belle Plaine have their own formidable anchors too with All-State 400m runners Tatianna Wiley and Lizzy Schmidt. Luverne (whose team features crossover from their impressive 4x800 team) and Spectrum are also likely to be factors in the race, and with an anchor as good as Ellie Kuechle, it's not impossible for Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball to do something special in section 1. And of course, we cannot ignore the team from Fertile-Beltrami, who defeated Pelican Rapids at Sections and come in with the second-best seed time overall.

4x800m Top Seeds: Albany - 9:44.06, Minnewaska - 9:46.66, East Grand Forks - 9:48.92
4x800m Fastest Season Bests: Luverne - 9:41.87, Albany - 9:44.06, Minnewaska - 9:46.66
The Skinny: Luverne was in the middle of solidifying their dynasty in the 4x800m and completing a three-peat in the event when the 2020 season was shut down. Thankfully, their team was still young enough that they are still able to return two runners who were on both previous champions in Tenley Nelson and Regan Feit, and they've added fellow 3200m qualifier Jenna Debates and Tiana Lais to complete the squad that owns the top 4x800 time in Class A from the regular season. They are not the top seed for the meet, however, as their section-winning time was not as fast as their Sub-Section time (but, of course, it didn't need to be as they still won and qualified for Section 2). Instead, it is Albany with 1600m contender Olivia Goebel and the experienced veteran Kristine Kalthoff leading the way, followed by Minnewaska's team led by the youthful Olivia Danielson (who also qualified for the 800m competition as just a seventh-grader). Those three teams make up the top three finishers from the 2019 State championships too, perhaps giving this race a big feeling of deja vu. The top new team for 2021 will be the sibling squad from East Grand Forks, whose team includes two Flodens and two Allards and came out on top of perhaps the most intensely fought Section competition of the year, with four teams running under 10 minutes. Pequot Lakes with the Chaney sisters (and who finished 4th at the 2019 competition) could also be a factor in the race 

Jumps

Long Jump Top Seeds: Jok - 19'5", Zinter - 18'7.75", Nayeli Williams (Brooklyn Center) - 18'1.5"
Long Jump Longest Season Bests: Jok - 19'5", Zinter - 18'7.75", Maggie Larson (Maple Lake) - 18'3"
Long Jump Returners: Williams (2019 3rd Place), Lindsey Root (Saint Charles) (2019 4th Place), Mikaela Malone (Wadena-Deer Creek)
The Skinny: Nyalaam Jok has twice achieved a leap of 19'5" in 2021, which is the 6th longest in State history, but even that fact fails to disclose how good and how consistent she has been, with seven separate occasions of leaping at least 18 feet this season. The 2018 Class A runner-up in the event has a strong hold on her standing as the top seed, but she also has a competitor in Shaina Zinter who is impossible to overlook. While Zinter's season in the long jump has not been quite as impressive as Jok, she has leapt at least 17-11 on three occasions this year and her leap of 18'7.75" shows that she's peaking at the right time. This event will obviously be her most difficult title to win if she wants to make history by winning four individual titles. Of course, it would be wise not to completely overlook returning All-State athletes Nayeli Williams or Lindsey Root, or the triple jump star Maggie Larson.

Triple Jump Top Seeds: Larson - 38'0.75", Elianna Aberra (Spectrum) - 37'3.75", Ellie Hernes (Fairmont) - 37'3.25"
Triple Jump Longest Season Bests: Larson - 40'3", Hernes - 37'9", Sara Byers (Rockford) - 37'6.75"
Triple Jump Returners: Larson (2019 Champion), Byers (2019 3rd Place), Samantha Passa (Barnesville) (2019 6th Place), Hernes (2019 7th Place), Grace VanErp (Ottertail Central), Sydney Dorvil (The Blake School), Neva Polo (Floodwood)
The Skinny: Defending Class A champion Maggie Larson made headlines earlier this season with a leap of 40'3", becoming the seventh MSHSL girl ever to achieve a leap of 40 feet in the event. Since then, she has not lost a competition, but she has also not yet duplicated the feat. Even so, she is a strong favorite and even on her best day coule come away with her second title in the event. After Larson' four other girls have achieved a leap of at least 37 feet this year, including fellow returning All-State athletes Sara Byers and Ellie Hernes, but the real dark horse candidate is Elianna Aberra, who in her first year competing in the triple jump has improved her mark with every single competition this year, all the way up to making her the meet's second seed.

High Jump Top Seeds: Jok - 5'10", Ashley Kimman (Pierz)/Adrienne Foell (Spectrum) - 5'4"
High Jump Highest Season Bests: Jok - 5'10", Toryn Richards (Waterville-Elysian-Morristown) - 5'4.25", Lydia Hubbard (Pequot Lakes)/Froell/Kimman - 5'4"
High Jump Returners: Froell (2019 3rd place), Richards (2019 3rd place), Jordan Tschumperlin (Barnesville), Ashley Veronen (Lake City)
The Skinny: Nyalaam Jok is by far the odds on favorite as she has jumped five inches higher than anyone else in her class. Her jump of 5' 10" is tied for sixth-best in state history, and is the best jump in the state since Madison Schmidt jumped 6' 0". She has jumped 5' 8" or higher five different times this season, so no one will really touch her at this meet as long as she doesn't start too high. 

Pole Vault Top Seeds: Kaitlyn Schuur (Southwest Minnesota Christian) - 11'2", Toryn Richards (Waterville/Elysian/Morristown) - 10' 2", Rebekah Walz (Paynesville) - 10'2"
Pole Vault Highest Season Bests: Schuur - 11'2", Richards - 10'6", Walz - 10'2"
Pole Vault Returners: Schuur (2019 3rd Place), Richards (2019 4th Place), Linnea Askegaard (Minnehaha Academy) (2019 7th Place), Kjersten Nelson (Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton) (2019 9th Place)
The Skinny: The girl's pole vault for Class A seems to be a two-vaulter race between Schuur, and Richards. They are the only two pole vaulters in Class A who qualified that have gone over 10' 6" this season, and Schuur is the only one over 11 feet. She appears to have all the momentum, as she vaulted 11' 0" and 11' 2" at her last two meets.  It appears to be Schuurs race to lose. 

Throws

Shot Put Top Seeds: Delaney Smith (Windom) - 44'5", Monica Johnson (Northome/Kelliher/Blackduck) - 41'2.25", Makena Larson (Martin County West) - 39'4.75"
Shot Put Longest Season Bests: Smith - 45'8", Monica Johnson - 43'4.5", Madison Johnson (Hayfield) - 41'7"
Shot Put Returners: Monica Johnson (2019 2nd Place), Smith (2019 3rd Place), Larson (2019 8th Place), Madison Johnson
The Skinny: Delaney Smith has been the class of Class A all season long in the shot put. She is the owner of 12 of the top 13 throws in her class, and her best throw is over two feet farther than her nearest competitor. She has not lost all season long, and I wouldn't expect her to lose at state either. Her best throw of 45' 8" is the 19th best throw all-time for a Minnesota girl. If anyone can beat her, look for Monica Johnson as she is the only other consistent thrower over 40 feet. 

Discus Top Seeds: Delaney Smith - 125'6", Olivia Schwarzrock (Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop) - 124'11", Emily Lorentz (Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet) - 123'6"
Longest Season Bests: Makena Larson (Martin County West) - 131' 10", Smith - 125'8", Schwarzrock - 124'11", 
Discus Jump Returners: Smith (2019 5th Place), Elle Ridge (South Ridge/Cherry/North Woods), Stecher, Kaitlynn Bot (Lakeview)
The Skinny: Delaney Smith is also the leader in the discus, but unlike in the shot put, she has some stiff competition here. Smith is just ahead of Schwarzrock, Lorentz, and Raina Stecher in the discus, but all four girls are closely bunched together from 123' 6" to 125' 8". With a margin this close between the girls, it's anyone's guess as to who will come out on top. 

Wheelchair

Emily Sullivan of Lesueur-Henderson is the lone wheelchair athlete in the field for the Class A girls, and she will be competing in the 100m, 200m, and shot put. In 2019, Sullivan was the runner-up in all three events.