Analee Weaver and Ali Weimer Pose for the camera at the 2021 MSHSL State Track and Field Championships
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It's been a memorable year for track and cross country in Minnesota this year with the return of track & field, the Roy Griak, State Championships, and more! With all the incredible moments that happened this year, it's hard to choose just a few to vote on, but alas here we are.
We at MileSplit Minnesota have selected 10 individuals who excelled in track & field and/or cross country in 2021!
The poll opens at 7am on 12/31 and ends at 6pm on 1/3!
Read the bios below to read about some of the greatest track & field and cross country achievements in Minnesota in 2021! Or you can click on the link below to go to the next page and vote:
VOTE HERE
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Jarod White becomes Third MN Pole Vaulter to go 16'0" or Higher
Going into the season, the odds on heavy favorite in any pole vaulting competition in Minnesota was Jarod White. White, a Pine Island junior has done some remarkable things in his pole vaulting career as an underclassman that few have done before, but he has now reached heights that only a handful have reached in Minnesota.
His new personal best of 16'0" puts him in third place all-time in Minnesota high school history only behind Grant Krieger and Calvin Ciganik. White still has this spring track and field season to break the record, needing only a 2" PR to break it.
Peyton Gunnarson Wins Four State Wheelchair Titles
Peyton Gunnarson is the wheelchair state record holder in the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m. He has qualified for the state meet in the 100m, 200m, 800m, and discus throw. In 2021 he won the wheelchair state titles in the shot put, 100m, 200m and 800m events.
Gunnarson leaves Minnesota as a 14x state champion!!!
Maddie Dahlien Wins the 100/200/400 Class AA State Titles
Maddie Dahlien won her first event in the 100m. Well, she barely won!! Dahlien and Alexis Pratt tied for first at 11.99, and after further review, Dahlien edged out Pratt 11.982 - 11.985. That definitely has to be the closest margin of victory in state meet history!
She won her second event of the day when she ran a 55.48 400m to take that title. She beat out second-place finisher Laubenra Ben who ran a 56.54. Dahliens time of 55.48 is a new PR for her by half a second and the 16th fastest time all-time by a Minnesota girl.
She then narrowly beat Pratt again to win the 200m with a time of 24.45. She went undefeated all season long in all three events!
Analee Weaver Runs 4th Fastest 3200m in State History
Analee Weaver finished with a time of 10:15.27 in the 3200m at the State Track and Field Championships for a huge new personal best beating her old PR of 10:24.09. Her performance puts her 4th all-time for a Minnesota girl, only behind Emily Covert, Bria Wetsch, and Elizabeth Yetzer.
This was also Weaver's first track and field state title, after finishing 2nd in the 3200m and 4th in the 1600m in 2019. She has also won one cross country state championship and the de-facto 2020 XC state championship (TCRC XC Showcase).
Nyalaam Jok 3rd Furthest Long-Jump MN All-Time and 2nd Highest High-Jump All-Time
Nyalaam Jok the 6-foot-2 senior from Annandale won the high jump and long jump at the Class A state meet, leading the Cardinals to a second-place finish as a team. At the time of her selection, Jok's winning high jump clearance of 6 feet matched the state record and ranked No. 1 nationally among prep competitors in the event in 2021. Her state-title-winning leap of 20' 0.5" long jump ranked No. 17 nationally. Jok also placed second in the 100-meter hurdles at the state meet and ran the anchor leg for Annandale's third-place 4x100-meter relay team. She won the Class AA high jump state title as an eighth-grader representing Osseo High, and the Class A state title as a freshman for Annandale.
Maggie Larson and Samantha Barrett Make a Run for the Triple-Jump State Record
This year, Maggie Larson and Samantha Barrett are the only two girls jumpers to leap beyond 40 feet in Minnesota for the triple jump. Larson had a PR of 40' 10.5" and Barrett has a PR of 40' 7". This puts them in rarified company with six other girls to go 40 feet or beyond in the triple jump.
Though they never faced each other head-to-head, they went against each other symbolically to challenge each other for the state record in the triple jump, of 41' 2.25" held by Allyson Weiss. Both have now graduated, so Weiss' record is safe for now.
Ali Weimer Wins 1600m and 5K (XC) State Titles
Ali Weimer went undefeated in Minnesota this year, winning eight straight races, that included a Roy Griak title, a Lake Conference title, and the Class AAA state championship. She then went into the Eastbay Midwest regional and ran a 17:11 to finish 2nd overall behind Riley Stewart. She comes out of her senior season at the moment with the 5th fastest 5K time in state history with a time of 17:03.30.
In the spring, Weimer set new PRs in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. She won the 1600m state title with a time of 4:49.93 and was the runner-up in the 3200m.
Elliott McArthur Runs a 14:56 5K at RunningLane Nationals
Elliott McArthur started the season with a new PR of 15:40 at St. Olaf but saved the best for last in a historic performance at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships. There he ran in the boy's silver race, where he finished 4th overall with a time of 14:56.85. That time is just the 8th ever Minnesota boys 5K under 15:00, and good enough for the 4th fastest-time in state history only behind Seth Eliason, Alex Miley, and Khalid Hussein.
Sam Scott Wins 6 Straight XC Races, Including St. Olaf, and Roy Griak
Sam Scott started off the season with a bang en route to winning the St. Olaf High School Showcase with a 43 second PR for a time of 15:35. He then went on to win his next five races before fading down the stretch of the season. Those wins included beating a loaded field in the boy's gold race at Roy Griak, and a time of 15:12 on the infamous Gale Woods Farm course. Overall he ran sub 16:00 nine times this season, culminating with a time of 15:10 at NXR Heartland.
Nick Gilles Win Minnetonka First-Ever Individual XC State Title
Nick Gilles became the first Minnetonka boys runner to win an individual state title, en route to winning the first-ever Class AAA state title. After putting up top-three performance with impressive times at Roy Griak and the St. Olaf High School showcase, Gilles went into championship season looking for his first win. He didn't disappoint there en route to winning the Lake Conference championship, Section 2AAA title, and the aforementioned state title. This year he improved his PR from 16:03 all the way down to 15:16.